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.

How can I find someone in Ontario who may, or may not be deceased?

If presumed living...

• Social Media: Regardless of age people are flocking to social media to stay in touch with far-flung relations. Don't restrict your search to just the person you seek. If you know of any relations, spouse, children, etc. try them all!

• Search Engines: Try Google and the new genealogy-focused site Mocavo.

• Telephone Listings: Canada 411, if they have a publically listed phone number it'll be here. There is also an option to do a reverse address search. Some phone providers (like Telus) also offer their own phone listings that may not be available on Canada 411.

If presumed deceased...

• Death Records: Are only available to next-of-kin or a legal representative until 72 years have passed. After 72 years death registrations are released to Archives of Ontario and can be publically viewed.

• Cemetery Records: Search OCFA, OGS, CanadaGenWeb's Cemetery Project and other websites that offer Ontario cemetery recordings.

• Obituaries: Obituary Daily Times offers an index of some Ontario obituaries, mostly from the past decade. If you know the last known residence of the person you're seeking check local newspapers, many Ontario newspapers now offer an online index of obituaries from 2002 onward.

If you are unable to locate the person in question broaden your search to include their family. A parent, sibling, or child's obituary might yield new clues. Don't forget to browse some online trees to see if someone else is researching the same family.

Is there a CDN oriented search engine that against a name inquiry will return place names, ages and related persons similar to www.peoplefinders.com or www.intellius.com for the States? I must be missing something,or maybe CDN privacy laws restrict this.

No, the closest is http://canada411.ca which lists only names, addresses & phone numbers of telephone subscribers.

Is there a database/website in Canada similar to the Social Security Death Index in the USA, and if so what time period does it cover and where do I access it?

No, Canada does not have a similar database.  We do have Social Insurance but those records remain private.

My 2nd gr grandmother was the youngest of her family, having 8 siblings. Her parents, born in Ireland, immigrated to the states in 1848. I have recently found Wisconsin, USA census records that indicate her oldest sister, born 1845 and oldest brother, born 1846 were actually born in Canada. One record says her brother was born in Ontario. There was no indication as to where in Ontario I should start my search as I follow the path backwards to Ireland. I am wondering if someone knows a particular immigration flow for people leaving Ireland, travelling into Canada and then removing themselves, again, to the USA? If there was a pattern, then that would at least give me a place to start. Any other suggestions would be much appreciated.

See our Beginner's Guide to Ontario Genealogy and follow the suggestions regarding those born "somewhere" in Ontario.

Could you please help me, I have just start my genealogy research and I want to list the place of birt, marriage, and death properly. What is the proper format to list the event? I am using > "city, province, country". Like > "Alliston, Ontario, Canada. Should I use the Township, County, and subdivision to make it easier for researchers to read eg > "Alliston, Tecumseth Township, Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada? Is the Canada necessary?

Each genealogist has their own preference and the proper format is the one that fits you best. Some just use the City, Province while others prefer to be specific and use the City, Township, County, Province. Choosing to use the Country is your choice, it's not necessary unless you want it to be. BUT if you plan on sharing your research it's best to be as specific as possible so there are no doubts.

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.

i have been researching my family tree. i live in scotland and am having great difficulty finding any information on the where adouts of the family i have over there. i have an address from 1957 names but still seem to get no where. i was wondering if you could give me any tips as all the ones i have tried are failing my and i would really like to get in touch with anyone who could help.

Given the 1957 time frame you're up against a challenge - Canada has privacy laws that don't allow access to certain genealogy records. However there are places you can look. Start with the address & time period you have and become familiar with the resources available in that area. What libraries and genealogy societies there can help you? What is available at your local library or LDS family history centre (it's surprising how many don't check their local resources - you can always request material from other countries if it's been microfilmed!). Check newspapers, city directories, and phone directories where they lived. Put an advertisement in the newspaper of that area - if there are any family members still living there they might spot it. Check Canada411 to see if anyone by that name still lives in or near the area.

I am trying to locate parentage of my great great grandfather who was orphaned c. 1855 in Quebec area and indentured to a farm. Is there any data on indentured orphans anywhere?

From Carla Johnson - I had the same problem. I got ahold of my ggggrandfathers death certificate and his parents names were on it. If you can't find it there, try church records.

Is there a listing of what family trees have been worked on in Ontario and by who? I have been working on the Dewar Families in the County of Glengarry and often wondered who is working on what family trees and if there is a way to tie in my research with some one else.

No, but we do offer Surnames of Ontario to allow researchers worldwide to state their Ontario surname interests. Plus there are other forums that allow you to post what surnames you are researching. Paul Sheat's suggests the Rootsweb Surname Forum

What legal document(s), if any, do you need to enter Ontario?

It depends where you're coming from. If you live in Canada you don't need any. If you live elsewhere a passport is needed. Please check with your local travel bureau for specifics.

I remember seeing a form on the web that you could order to receive information about individuals living in Ontario. The questionaire was done in the 1940s and included the name of each person in the home as well as their parents name and place of birth. Any help you could supply would be appreciated.

Information about the National Registration of 1940 can be found at Global Genealogy

Where was the first bank located?

In Toronto. For more see Bank of Upper Canada. The first bank in Canada was located in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

How do I locate an individual after 1901?

The same as you would prior to 1901. See Research By Year.

Where should I look for Robert. E. Stephens father who was born in IRELAND? P.S. I don't have a www. adress but send reply to the A.G.S. in Edmonton Alberta CANADA. THANK-YOU.

Perhaps in Ireland? See Ireland GenWeb for information on research in Ireland. As you don't give any information about Robert or his father I can't give any suggestions on where you might look in Ontario, when & where is important! All replies to Q&A's are put on this website and not replied to via e-mail nor via snail mail.

In the US there is the Social Security Death Index, Does Canada have something similar?

Unfortunately, no. There is no Canadian equivalent to the Social Security Death Index.

Do you have a list of researchers that are availabe to US genealogists?

See the Association of Professional Genealogists website

I want to travel from Windsor to Brampton by car, need the root driving

Please try a website that gives this type of information (such as Yahoo or Google) - OntarioGenWeb is for genealogy (family history)

A lot of family member's have told me that my great grandfather changed his name to Freeman. When questioned to ask what his name use to be my response is either he was just French or La something. What I want to know how could I find out what his name use to be?

[From Forebears Research] - If you can go back into a couple of records prior to the name change that is alleged and see if by association you can deduce who he might have been - almost by filtering out each of the neighbours and accounting for each body so to speak then the odd one out, if it's the same person repeatedly, and especially if that name "disappears" when "Freeman" appears, is your man.