Basic Canadian Records

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

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.

Optional Print Course Material: Canadian: Wills and Estate Records - Part 1

*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.

It’s exciting finding an ancestor’s Last Will and Testament and a great deal of valuable genealogical information is available in these documents. These records are often overlooked.

 Whether the deceased was testate or intestate, this course will show where to search for wills and estates keeping in mind the historical era and the geographical location in Canada. We will also show you what kind of genealogical information you will find.

We will examine how these documents will reveal not only the distribution of the property and possessions of your ancestors but also what other relevant historical information is sometimes available.

Wills & Estates records can lead to new clues in your research.

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.