Basic Canadian RecordsView package details |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| # Courses | Base Price | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Course: CA-101 - Canadian: Census Records-Part 1 | • | $119.00 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Course: CA-102 - Canadian: Vital Statistics Records-Part 1 | • | $119.00 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Course: CA-103 - Canadian: Wills-Part 1 Plus Estate and Inheritance Records | • | $119.00 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Course: CA-104 - Canadian: Land Records-Part 1 | • | $119.00 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Package total: | 4 | $476.00 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Finding an ancestor’s last will and testament is exciting. A great deal of valuable genealogical information is available in wills and estate files. These records should not be overlooked.
Whether the deceased was testate or intestate, this course teaches where to search for wills and estate records. Keep in mind the historical era and the geographical location in Canada. What type of genealogical information is also available.
We examine how these documents reveal not only the distribution of the property and possessions of your ancestors, but also what other relevant historical information they hold. Wills and estate
Historical: This course
originated September 2025. Current version copyright is September
2025. If you have older
material, it needs to be replaced. Use the chat app to order your
replacement materials.
Formerly was Canadian: Wills & Estate Records-Part
1, originated May 2000,
final version copyright October 2003.
Course Content
Course Notes
MODULE
1
INTRODUCTION
Module Notes
Oldest Written
Will
Anatomy of
Will
Glossary
Background to the Canadian
Legal
System
Recommended Reading
and
Resources
Module 1 Course Assignments
MODULE 2
FINDING A
WILL
Module Notes
How To Find a Will
FamilySearch
- Full-Text Search
- Module Activity #1
- Alternative Search Methods
- Module Activity #2
- Module Activity #3
- Module Activity #4
- Other Resources
Surrogate Court & Provincial Archives
- Alberta
- British Columbia
- Manitoba
- New Brunswick
- Newfoundland and Labrador
- Nova Scotia
- Ontario
- Prince Edward Island
- Québec
- Saskatchewan
- The Territories
Surrogate Court Reports
Québec Wills—Unique Research Methods
Recommended Reading and Resources
Module 2 Course Assignments
MODULE 3
EXAMINING A PROBATE FILE
Module Notes
Wills
Estate Records or Files
Some Best Practices
- Transcription
- Citation
Probate: Charles Albert Massey, 1915
Recommended Resources
Module 3 Course Assignments
MODULE 4
A LETTERS OF ADMINISTRATION FILE
Module Notes
When Letters of Administration Occurs
Estate of Gabriel Dumont, 1906
Module 4 Course Assignments
MODULE 5
LAW OF SUCCESSION AND WOMEN AND WILLS
Module Notes
Succession Laws
- Public Trustee
- Procedure
Women and Wills
Will of Letitia Farrell, married woman, 1833
Recommended Reading and Resources
Module 5 Course Assignments
MODULE 6
UNUSUAL
WILLS
Module
Notes
Charles Millar, Barrister,
1926
The Tractor Fender
A Dog
and Pony Show: William Irwin Forbes, d.
1910
Final thoughts
Module 6
Course Assignments
Optional Print Course Material: Canadian: Vital Statistics Records - Part 1
*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.
The recording of an individual’s vital statistics was most often done at the time the event occurred. This usually means that the information is considered accurate. Unfortunately, vital statistics records can often be very difficult to find. This course will concentrate on the vital statistics gathered by the provincial governments and the various churches. Birth, marriages, and deaths records will be examined to determine how much information is actually available and helpful for the genealogist. How and why the information was gathered as well as when it began will be discussed.
Suggestions for using the Internet for researching many vital statistics records will also be provided. A short lesson in the history and geography of each province is included.
Course Length: 7 weeksMODULE 1
INTRODUCTION
Where are the Records?
What is civil registration?
What kind of record keeping took place?
Why did the government want to record these events?
Civil Registration
Types of Early Vital Records
MODULE 2
ONTARIO
The Church & the Government
Registration & the Clerk of the Peace
Where Are These Religious Records Now?
Marriage Registers
MODULE 3
OTHER SOURCES
Other Birth, Marriage & Death Records
Court Records
Municipal Records
Civil Registration
Locating Civil Registration After 1869
Locating the Registrations of Vital Statistics After the Public Domain
Cut-off Dates
MODULE 4
NEW BRUNSWICK
Provincial Archives
Government Vital Records
Church Records
NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR
Registers of Vital Statistics Pre-1892-93
Parish Records Collection
Newfoundland Births, Marriages & Deaths Records
Maritime History Archive
Church Records
ACADIA
NOVA SCOTIA
Vital Records
Vital Statistics Office
Church Records
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
Public Archives and Records Office
Church Records
MODULE 5
ALBERTA
Provincial Archives of Alberta
Vital Statistics Records
Church Records of Baptisms & Marriages
Archives & Libraries
Genealogical Societies
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Vital Events Registrations & Indexes
Certified Copies of Registrations
Locations Holding the Microfilm Collection
British Columbia Archives
Church Records
Aboriginal Records
MODULE 6
MANITOBA
Provincial Archives
Civil Registration
Church Records
SASKATCHEWAN
Church Records
Provincial Archives
Civil Registration
NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
Church Records
NUNAVUT
YUKON TERRITORY
QUÉBEC
Provincial Archives
Church Registers
IN CONCLUSION
Additional Resources
Optional Print Course Material: Canadian: Land Records - Part 1
*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.
This course provides an overview of both early Crown land records and private property registrations in Canada. Major record groups, such as Land Petitions, the Ontario Land Record Index, and the Abstract Index to Deeds will be examined with particular attention to their genealogical significance.
Course Length: 7 weeksMODULE 1
STARTING AT THE BEGINNING
What’s Available on the Internet
Important Websites
The Beginning
Terminology
Definitions
Land Measurement
Land Division Systems
Main References
MODULE 2
COURSE NOTES & ASSIGNMENTS
ACADIA
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
Prince Edward Island Public Archives & Records Office
NOVA SCOTIA
Public Archives of Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources
Crown Land Grant Maps
MODULE 3
NEW BRUNSWICK
Provincial Archives of New Brunswick
NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR
Registry of Deeds
QUÉBEC
Seigneurial Records
Notarial Records
Crown Lands Records
MODULE 4
ONTARIO
Crown Lands Records
Loyalist Land Grants
Procedures & Steps in Land Granting Process
Archives of Ontario
Ontario Land Records Index ca. 1780-1920
Indexes to Land Patents
Land Registry Records
MODULE 5
MANITOBA
Dominion Lands Act
Homestead and Pre-emption Lands
Land Titles
Archives of Manitoba
Archives of Manitoba Land Records Listings
Métis and Scrip
Hudson’s Bay Company Archives
Land Title Offices
MODULE 6
SASKATCHEWAN
Saskatchewan Archives
Dominion Lands Act
ALBERTA
Provincial Archives of Alberta
Homestead Records
Hudson’s Bay Company Archives
Land Title Offices
BRITISH COLUMBIA
BC Land Title and Survey
Land Title Offices
British Columbia Archives
Hudson’s Bay Company Archives
NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
Land Titles Office
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Optional Print Course Material: Canadian: Census Records - Part 1
*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.
Census records are a pivotal source in trying to document our ancestry. They are among the most useful and commonly utilized records available to genealogists. By documenting the individuals and families in each census year, they provide a snapshot of what was happening at that time. This course will instruct the student in how to access Canadian census records and how to analyze the information provided. Differences between rural and urban censuses will be examined. Suggestions for using census substitutes, census finding aids, and resources will also be provided. A short history of census records in Canada is included.
Course Length: 7 weeks
MODULE 1
Introduction to Census Records
Types of Census Records
Heads of Households
Nominal
Specialized Census Records
Where to Find Census Records
Reading Census Records
Tips to Read Difficult Census Pages
MODULE 2
When I locate my family in a census record, what do I get?
Column Headings
Agricultural Schedules
Locating an Individual in a Rural Census
1851 Census
1861 Census
1871 Census
1881 & 1891 Census
1901 Census
1911 Census
1921 Census
MODULE 3
What if an ancestor cannot be located in the index?
Locating an Individual in a Large City
George Gill Family of Montréal
Rev. John A. Turnbull of Toronto
Locating an Individual in a Rural Area
Census Aids
MODULE 4
How accurate is the information contained in census records?
Census Records & the Information Within
Comparing Census Information
What to Look for When Comparing Records
Specialized Information in Various Census Years (1851 -1931)
MODULE 5
What if I still can't find them?
Overcoming Challenges
Census Substitute Records
Tax Assessment Rolls, Regional or Localized Census Records, & Poll Taxes
Voters Lists
Directories
National Registration File of 1940
Specialized Websites for Census Records
Additional Resources
MODULE 6
Locating Census Resources
Other Resources
Genealogical & Historical Societies
Census Projects
Bibliography