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

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.

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.

My uncle was taken to Canada in 1914 as a Barnardo boy. He died in 1931 in a road accident. What records would have been kept about him during his life (he always worked on a farm) and where can I find them.

Beyond the usual records that would apply to any person who lived in England & Ontario (birth, marriage, death, newspaper, etc), there might be a passenger list showing when he emigrated to Canada as well as records kept by Barnardo's. Besides caring for the children in England, Barnardo's may have kept record of their time in Canada until they reached legal age.

Barnardo's Family History Service

Library & Archives Canada Home Children Database

Thanks to Marj Kohli for her assistance.

Where would I find an obituary from 1908?

Archives of Ontario (Toronto) offers a newspaper research guide. The guide includes a list of microfilmed newspapers that are available in their holdings. Note that most of these newspapers can only be viewed at the Archives.

Library & Archives Canada (Ottawa) has a list of newspapers at Library & Archives Canada. Some of these newspapers may be available through inter-library loan.

Many local archives (such as Norwich & District Archives, Stratford-Perth & Dufferin County Museum & Archives to name just a few) have archived copies of local newspapers available for research. Many of these archives require a visit in person but some offer research services.

There are also some Ontario newspapers that have been digitized and are available through subscription services such as Paper of Record and Newspaper Archive. You can view a list of newspaper titles to see if the newspaper you seek is available before subscribing.

My GG-Grandfather died at 999 Queen St. in 1914. How would I find out where he is buried? His wife had no money to do so.

Have you obtained his death registration? It may state place of burial. It's also possible he was buried at 999 Queen St which was a hospital. Submit a query to Toronto OGS and request a lookup of their cemetery records.

Apparently, my grandfather changed his name from Carter to Smith before he got married. Where do I search for this information? The name change would have taken place sometime after 1885 but before the 1st WW.

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

What ships left sweden in 1915 or 1916 and docked in ottawa/halifax canada

Ottawa was not a port of entry. Library & Archives Canada offers a searchable database where you can put in the place of departure and discover which ships departed from Sweden during your specified time period.

Where would one find records of the "family passengers" of canadian soliders marrying in England and returning to Ontario after ww1?

[From Cathy] -- You should check the Passenger Lists of ships from England to Canada. You could try http://www.ingeneas.com/ingeneas/index.html or http://www.findmypast.com

Is it possible to zero in on the village where people lived in a census year? Is there a detailed map with the location of various census sub-district numbers ie) in Manvers Township in the 1901 census there are 7 sub-districts. It would be great to know whether a fmaily lived in Pontepool or Bethany & where they went to church or are buried.

[From Anonymous] Yes it is. When you find your relative in a particular sub-district (on Schedule 1), make a note of the page and line number for the household number. Then go to the Collections Canada website and find Schedule 2 for the same sub-district and look up that page and line number. It will give you the location of the household - for Manvers, it appears to be concession and lot numbers and not town names, but it should give you a better idea of where they lived. collectionscanada.ca does give some hints - sub-district c-5 is Bethany, c-6 is Fleetwood & Franklin, c-7 is Janetville.

Has anyone any information on where recorded information from Justices of the Peace can be found. Has anyone any recorded information on just who Justice of the Peace where? Where can I find information at the turn of the century (1900) on who these Justice of the Peace were?

[From Cathy] Unfortunately, the only registry of JP appointments that exists that I know of is the one for New Brunswick (It is searchable online. Scroll down to "Misc. Records" http://globalgenealogy.com/links/canada-nb.htm)

JP's tended to do marriages. Some resources to find mention of JP's might include: Thomas B. Wilson has published an index and partial abstraction of surviving Ontario Marriage Bonds for the years 1803 - 1834. There are some bonds available beyond 1834. The original bonds are held by the National Archives of Canada in Ottawa and are available on microfilm through Inter-Library Loan and through local Family History Centres of the Church of Latter Day Saints. Wilson’s Ontario Marriage Bonds book is now available with many other invaluable vital records references on CD #204 from Family Tree Maker's Family Archives Series, produced by Broderbund. Unfortunately marriage licences have been lost to us over time as have the records of most Justices of the Peace.

Occasionally the records of a local J.P. will turn up in a private manuscript collection, however, there are no comprehensive collections of J.P. records available. You could also ask Osgoode Hall - they are the experts on Legal History in Ontario. http://www.osgoodesociety.ca

In 1918 Why did a person have to carrie a CANADA Registration Board card? What are the numbers for in the top right hand corner for?

The Canada Registration Board was established in 1918 to compile information about individuals for the purpose of citizenship, pensions, or other important things. All Canadians were required to register (think of it much like today's Social Insurance), and the information compiled prior to 1940 is available only to the registered person. The National Registration of 1940 was the first to be available for search by anyone willing to pay a fee.

The number on the top right would likely be this person's registration number.

What is the latest information on the potential release of the 1911 Canadian Census?

The Post 1901 Census Project will keep you up-to-date on all developments.

My grandfathers brother Rickard Nordstrom emigrating to Canada, Ontario, around 1913. There are pictures of Rickard in a book called "Rock, Fur, Forest and Trees." It is a history of the area where Richard Emanuel Nordstrom lived. I think the name of the writer is Ronnie Rhind. Where can I buy this book or have copies from it?

Call your local bookstore, visit Amazon.ca, Chapters.ca and other such large bookstores. Also call specialty bookstores and request a search for this book. Meanwhile, visit your local library and put in an inter-library loan request. If you live near a college or university, do the same - you may not be able to borrow or request the book if you're not a student or faculty member but you can at least find out where the book is, and then have your local library request it.

My fathers grandfather came from Sweden to Canada 1911, how can I find his now living relatives? (Per Lindberg was born 1853, he died 1913 in Fort William, Ont, Canada).

Through obituaries (they list who's still living & where - follow the obits from old to new), city directories, phone books, funeral records. See our Check List and try any resource that would apply to those still living.

Are there records for immigrants who landed in Canada at Grosse Ile, if so, where are they located and are they on film? Thanks.

Yes there are. Some can be found at Immigrants at Grosse-Île

Where would you look for the names of children born, in previous marraige between 1909-1920

Newspapers. Birth Records are not publicly available for this time period. Assuming you know the names of the parents (specifically the father's surname) and an approximate area of where they were living at that time, check all newspapers in that area for any child born with that surname. You might also look for an obituary for one or both parents in case the children were listed as pre-deceased or survivors.

2010 Update: Birth Records are now available up to 1912 (1913 in May 2011) and the 1911 census is also available.

What were the requirements for citizenship in 1910-1920? Specifically, how soon after immigrating could someone begin the process, and how long would it take?

Canadian Citizenship wasn't established until 1947. Prior to that time, any British subject (those born in the UK, Canada, Australia, etc) was able to travel freely between British colonies without documentation. Those immigrating from other countries were naturalized, something they could apply for after living in Canada for a minimum of three years. For more information about this please see links