Friday, September 20, 2013

I have found a relative on the 1861 census of Frontenac County, Ontario on Ancestry.com in the USA. I know how to get hold of free images for the various census of the United States and am wondering how I can go about it for Canada. Are the images on microfilms at the Library and Archives Canada public domain? If so, do you know where to get a copy of the film or public domain images made from it? If not, are there any public domain images, microfilm or digital, of the 1861 census.

The Canadian census images that appear on Ancestry are provided by Library & Archives Canada (LAC) through a collaborative partnership between Ancestry and LAC1. With the current exception of the 1921 census (Ancestry only) and 1825-1842 censuses (LAC only), all digitized census images can be viewed on both websites.

Ancestry requires a subscription to access all but the 1921 census (which is free to view with free registration), access to LAC is completely free (no registration or subscription).

Microfilm of Canadian census records can be viewed at any Family History Centre worldwide. For those within Canada it can also be viewed at LAC and any Canadian library or archive with microfilm capabilities.

For terms of use of LAC images see: Using Files Located on Non-Government of Canada Servers and Copyright / Permission to Reproduce

1 Library and Archives Canada Agreement with Ancestry.ca, Library and Archives Canada Partners with Ancestry.ca

Sunday, September 15, 2013

I am traveling to the Oshawa/Whitby area for research. Where do I go to do the research please?

Start with the County GenWeb that covers your area of research. In this case, Durham County GenWeb. Many GenWebs include a list of local repositories and our coordinators can be contacted for suggestions if needed.

Friday, September 6, 2013

What were the conditions of a settlement agreement after 1826?

Help! Do you have an answer to this question? Please post a comment.

Monday, May 27, 2013

When will the 1921 census be released?

The 1921 census is expected to be released to Library & Archives Canada on June 2, 2013. However there's no date set for when the LAC will allow public access to the census though it's presumed to be sometime later this year.

John Reid's "Anglo-Celtic Connections" provides excellent updates on the status of the 1921 census.

Sunday, March 24, 2013

My grandparents were married in Toronto on June 1, 1911, the same day as the census. I cannot find them listed anywhere, and have just checked the new version of the 1911 census. I've even checked page by page hotel census' in Niagara Falls in case they went there on a honeymoon! Perhaps they just missed it altogether and didn't bother. Any advice welcome.

June 1, 1911 is the official date of the census - the day enumeration began and the date each enumerator was told to use in questioning (e.g. As of June 1st how old were you?).  The enumeration process actually took several months.

If a person is missing from the census there could be several explanations besides them not being home.  They could be mis-indexed under names that would not be obvious or they could have moved before enumeration took place in their area to an area where it had already been completed.
 
Check the Toronto City directories for 1911-1912 to get the address where they lived.  Then use that address to locate who was enumerated there in the 1911 census.  

It's also possible they were enumerated as single or they were living in someone else's household and were mis-indexed under that surname - check their relatives or do a search without surnames.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

We have found a relative who emigrated to Canada from England in 1904. Both parents and two siblings died before 1921. There were three girls left. We have trawled through all the records we have access to and also newspapers but can find no trace of them. One of their brothers who died we believe was adopted.Could you point me in the right direction in trying to find these three young girls?


If the children were minors when their last parent died there may be court records.  While adoptions were possible in that era they were still rare and mostly private.
 
It's also possible the children were placed with living relations - did anyone else emigrate or is it possible they could they have returned to England?
 
Later this year the 1921 Canadian census will be transferred to Library & Archives Canada, once they release it for public viewing it may provide a few more clues.

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Do you know if there are parts to the 1851 Canadian Personal Census missing?

Quite a few parts of the 1851/2 Census are missing. They were lost or destroyed so no copies remain.

For some areas the personal census was lost but the agricultural was not.

 For a list of Ontario census records, including what is and isn't missing, see our census project.

Monday, February 18, 2013

Sunday, February 10, 2013

I am trying desperately to find information about my maternal grandfather. His name was Robert Spence. His death occurred somewhere between 1945 and 1955. What route should I take to obtain the information I require.

You can request a death records search from Service Ontario and use the result to order a death certificate.  Anyone can apply for a short form death certificate but next-of-kin (proof required) can request a long form which will be certified and include more information.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

My husband's parents died and were buried in the Peterborough area in the 1980's. The family can't recall the name of the cemetery. How can we find out where they are buried?


Start by searching the available online cemetery websites such as CanadaGenWeb's Cemetery Project, OCFA, OGS and The Canadian Gravemarker Gallery.

If none yield results contact the local branch of the Ontario Genealogy Society.  Each OGS branch has compiled cemetery transcripts for their area.

You could also locate their obituaries to see if a cemetery was mentioned and contact local funeral homes to see which one may have handled the service.

Monday, February 4, 2013

My uncle name was Edward Conway born 1921 died 1945, in India served in the Canadian army. Married to Gladys Margaret Conway of London, Ontario. My question is how do I go about finding their children, and their children's children.

First, check out our How can I find someone in Ontario who may, or may not be deceased? post as the tips included there will work here as well.

To the list of things to check include London city directories (available at London Public Library). Start with the last known year of contact (1945?) and search forward to see if they remained in the city or not.

If Edward died while serving in the Canadian Army you can request a copy of his service file from Library & Archives Canada.