Search results: 218
Optional Print Course Material: Australian: Local History and Regional Sources
*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.
This course includes newspapers, maps, directories & almanacs, electoral rolls, government records, local council records, sewerage and utilities, libraries, universities and museums, cemeteries, local area studies, including regional histories, business records, membership records, and records relating to land and its uses.
A study of local history informs us about how our ancestors lived as part of a community as well as where they lived. This course first examines the records that can identify those locations, and then proceeds to the regional sources that allow us to see ancestors in the context of where they lived and who lived near them and what that can tell us about their lives. Some of these sources include lists of names, while others provide background information about places as well as the lives of the people who lived and worked there.
Course Length: 7 weeks
MODULE 1
INTRODUCTION
Searching Tips
Sources for Local History
Historical Background
Federation
1901 to 1945
After World War II
MODULE 2
DETERMINE WHERE THEY LIVED
Suggested Book
Birth, Death and Marriage Records
Divorce Records
Inquests
Probate: Wills and Intestacies
Cemeteries
Directories and Almanacs
Electoral Rolls
Census
Immigration and Naturalisation Documents
Convicts and Criminals
Military Records and Soldier Settlement
MODULE 3
STATE & TERRITORY GOVERNMENT RECORDS
Suggested Books
Government Gazettes
Colonial Secretaries
Transport
Education
Health and Welfare
Occupations
Law and Order
Indigenous Records
MODULE 4
MUNICIPAL AND COMMUNITY RECORDS
Suggested Books
Local Government Authorities and Libraries
Regional Archives
Community Centres
Public Utilities
Clubs, Societies and Charities
Places of Worship
Business Records
Resources within the Home
MODULE 5
LOCAL HISTORIES
Suggested Books
Historical and Genealogical Societies
Local Museums
Local Histories
School Histories
Images
Oral History
MODULE 6
PLACES
Suggested Books
Land Records
Suggested Reading
APPENDIX
Tasmanian Archive and Heritage Office - Private Researchers
South Australian District Registers
Optional Course Reading Material: Australian: Military Records
*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.
This course discusses available documents and the information included about those who served in British regiments in Australia as well as Australians who served in military forces in Australia and overseas. Military records from the earliest days of the colonies through various twentieth century conflicts are included.
Various types of records created by the military are discussed, including service records, muster rolls, campaign documents, pension records and draft registration. The content of the records and their usefulness for genealogy is described. The course includes historical background as well as some background to the changing social perceptions towards the military.
Course Length: 7 weeks
MODULE 1
MILITARY RECORDS
Searching Tips
Australian War Memorial
Historical Background
1901 to 1945
After World War II
MODULE 2
COLONIAL PERIOD
Regimental histories
Crimea, 1854-1856
Indian Mutiny, 1857-1858
New Zealand Wars 1845-1872
Sudan 1885
South African Wars (Anglo-Boer Wars) 1899-1902
China (Boxer Uprising) 1900-01
MODULE 3
WORLD WAR I & AFTERMATH
National Archives of Australia
Australian War Memorial
Information sheets & research guides
MODULE 4
WORLD WAR II & AFTERMATH
World War II
British Commonwealth Occupation Forces
Korean War
Malayan Emergency
National Archives of Australia
MODULE 5
1960s & LATER
National Service
Vietnam War
Indonesian Confrontation
Gulf Wars
Afghanistan
With the United Nations
MODULE 6
OTHER MILITARY
Non-Australian services
Veterans’ organisations
Medals & awards
Museums
Optional Course Print Material: Australian: Occupational Records
*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.
Genealogy and the study of family history are more than just collecting names, dates and places. This course focuses on occupations and how someone’s occupation could change over time, have a significant role in a community and even impact on a family’s lifestyle. Miners, for example, often moved around following the gold or other minerals and their families moved too. Tracing them can be difficult but occupation records may provide clues.
To determine someone’s occupation usually means that we need to use more than one kind of record to build a complete picture of their working life. As we gather the pieces of information we can then analyse what it is telling us about the person, their family and community life. There are lots of ways to discover someone’s occupation including BDM certificates, directories and almanacs, electoral rolls and newspapers.
Occupational records can provide additional information on our ancestors. By knowing an occupation, we can then look for supporting information in staff records of businesses and governments and if they work as farmers and graziers then land records may be useful.
Knowing where to look is the key issue and this course will help you to discover a person’s occupation and then to follow up where there might be additional information in government archives, libraries and other resources. Where applicable, guides and other finding aids are listed together with any indexes, databases and digitised records.
Course Length: 7 weeksMODULE 1
HISTORY & BACKGROUND OF OCCUPATIONS
Meaning of Old Occupations
Occupational Causes of Death
History of Occupations as Surnames
Resources to identify ancestors’ occupations
Bibliographies & Dictionaries of occupations
Historical Societies and Museums
MODULE 2
OCCUPATIONS ON LAND & SEA, AND HOSPITALITY
On the Land
On the Sea
Hospitality Industry
MODULE 3
BUSINESS & TRADE UNIONS
Guide to Australian Business Records
Business Occupations
Bankruptcies, insolvencies and liquidations
Trades & apprentices
Trade unions
MODULE 4
GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES & POLITICIANS
Where Are The Records?
Federal Government
Colonial/State Government
Local Government
Overview of Resources
Government Employees
Civil or public servants
Prisons and Gaols
Military Personnel
Politicians
Imperial Pensions
MODULE 5
PROFESSIONS & PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
Where Are The Records?
Professions
Qualifications and training
Professional associations
Subscription Databases
MODULE 6
RELIGIOUS OCCUPATIONS, THE ARTS, AND SPORTS
Resources
Religious Occupations
Occupations in the Arts
Patents, trademarks and designs
International Sporting Events
Suggested Reading and Resources
Optional Course Reading Material: Australian: Education Records
*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.
Education records can be a fascinating resource to add more detail and interest to our ancestor’s lives. The records may not always give us biographical information to take our family lines further back in time, but the records will tell us more about the lives they lived. Today’s education arrangements are quite different from those in the 18th and 19th centuries.
For the purposes of this course, we will mostly be looking at educational records from 1788 through to 1950. We will explore education records which can include archival records, memorabilia, photographs, building plans, newspaper reports, published school histories and local histories. Archival records are those created by the school such as administrative files, correspondence files, building files, pupil admission registers, corporal punishment registers of teachers, photographs of buildings and pupils, building plans, sporting memorabilia and other records. Records explored will span primary school to adult education and will include students as well as staff.
Course Length: 7 weeks
MODULE 1
INTRODUCTION
Why use education records?
Brief History of Education in Australia
Brief Timeline
What are education records?
Where are the records?
MODULE 2
PRIMARY EDUCATION
State Primary Schools
Industrial & Reformatory Schools
Private Primary Schools
Ragged Schools
Grammar schools
MODULE 3
SECONDARY EDUCATION
Locating High Schools
Where Are The Records?
Private Church & Independent Schools
Old Boys (or Girls) Associations
MODULE 4
TERTIARY EDUCATION
Technical and Further Education
Student records
Staff Records
Sporting Records
Education Gazettes
University Collecting Archives
Other University Organisations
MODULE 5
ADULT EDUCATION
Schools of Arts & Mechanics’ Institutes
Original Records
Literary Institutes
University of the Third Age (U3A)
MODULE 6
EDUCATION STAFF RECORDS
School Committees
Portal Websites
Staff Records
Church & Independent Schools
SUGGESTED READING & RESOURCES
Optional Print Course Material: Australian: Health Records
*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.
This course looks at how health records can help with family history research. Records for general hospitals, maternity hospitals, asylums, sanatoriums and other health institutions will be looked at together with staff records. In addition it looks at selected epidemics and medical treatments that our ancestors might have been familiar with.
Course Length: 7 weeksMODULE 1
INTRODUCTION TO HEALTH RECORDS
Brief history of health in Australia
Brief timeline
Epidemics
Infectious disease hospitals
Occupational health issues
What are health records?
Resources for identifying & locating health records
MODULE 2
GENERAL HOSPITAL RECORDS
Why use hospital records?
Types of hospital records
Public Hospitals
Private Hospitals
MODULE 3
LYING-IN (MATERNITY) HOSPITALS
Mortality Rate (Women and infants)
Lying-in hospitals
Midwives
Maternal and Child Welfare Clinics
Postpartum Depression
Indigence Allowance
Baby farming
Pregnancy Terminations
MODULE 4
ASYLUMS
What are asylums?
What the records tell us
Early History
Locating asylum records
State Archives
National Archives
Other resources
MODULE 5
OTHER HEALTH INSTITUTIONS
The voyage out and shipboard health
Quarantine stations
Sanatoriums
Inebriate Institutes
Lazarets
Other institutions
Dental hospitals
MODULE 6
HOSPITAL COMMITTEES, STAFF & MEDICAL TREATMENTS
Hospital committees
Staff records
Specialist indexes
Professional associations and Trade unions
Hospital archives
Australian Country Hospital Heritage Association
Medical Treatments
SUGGESTED READING & 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
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: 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.
Course Length: 7 weeksMODULE 1
OLDEST WRITTEN WILL
Glossary
Background to the Canadian Legal System
MODULE 2
HOW TO FIND A WILL
Surrogate Court & Provincial Archives
Surrogate Court Reports
Québec Wills—Unique Research Methods
MODULE 3
LAW OF SUCCESSION—INTESTATE ESTATES
Public Trustee
Procedure
Women & Wills
Native Canadians & Wills
MODULE 4
EXAMINING ESTATE RECORDS
Wills
Estate Records or Files
Intestacy
MODULE 5
EXAMINING ESTATE RECORDS ... Continued
MODULE 6
EXAMINING ESTATE RECORDS
Other Sources for Wills
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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 2
*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.
This course is a continuation of Canadian: Census Records-Part 1. Both courses are required for the Certificate Program in Genealogy.
This Intermediate Level course will build on the basic skills developed in Canadian: Census Records-Part 1, with emphasis on interpreting the information found in census records, analyzing the information and formulating a research plan to prove or disprove the hypothesis formed in your analysis.
As the Intermediate Level course is a compulsory portion of the Certificate Program in Genealogy, skills required by professional researchers will be developed. Students should bear in mind that assignments submitted should be clearly written, with appropriate explanations and suggestions. Not all students will have the same timely access to actual census records. In order to provide each student with the necessary information for every Case Study, the information will be based on a hypothetical family and census records, and all pertinent information will be supplied to the student with their Course Notes and Assignments. The census information will follow the format of an actual census for the year indicated, and all data that might be found in an actual census record for that year will be included. The names of family members and their personal information will be hypothetical, as will the documentation of the census page. However, it is expected that by now the student has consulted some actual census records in order to familiarize themselves with the process of locating and using these records.
Course Length: 7 weeksMODULE 1
CENSUS RECORDS: REVIEW AND REPORT WRITING
Report Writing
MODULE 2
CASE STUDY - PART 1
MODULE 3
COURSE NOTES & ASSIGNMENTS
CASE STUDY - PART 2
MODULE 4
CASE STUDY - PART 3
MODULE 5
CENSUS INDEXES, ENUMERATION DISTRICTS & CENSUS
SUBSTITUTES
Census Indexes
Enumeration Districts
Census Substitutes
MODULE 6
INTERMEDIATE LEVEL: REVIEW
Hogg Research Plan
Research Skills
Report Skills
Professional Skills
Further Resources
Optional Print Course Material: Canadian: Vital Statistics Records - Part 2
*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.
You were probably surprised by the amount of information included in the Canadian: Vital Statistics Records - Part 1 Course. You will recognize that some material in Part 2 was included in the basic course. It is being repeated in order for the student to focus on this particular facet of present day documents. The Canadian: Vital Statistics Records - Part 2 course will continue to describe the whereabouts of the records that are available at government archives as well as government offices and court houses records, i.e.: government present day registrations for births, marriages and deaths; adoption records from government offices and divorce records from both. The other area we will cover is that of adoption records and their accessibility. An adoption search is quite different from any other search you will ever undertake and should be done with great care. It affects the lives of the living more profoundly than you would ever imagine. We will also be examining the procedure for finding and using divorce records in genealogy.
Course Length: 7 weeksMODULE 1
VITAL STATISTICS RECORDS — A REVIEW
Vital Statistics: Births, Marriages & Deaths
CASE STUDIES
Case Study Outline
Case Study Information
Case Study #1a
Case Study #2
MODULE 2
ADOPTION RECORDS
Post Adoption Search
Independent Adoption Search
Adoption Registries in Canada
Parent Finders of Canada
Adoption Council of Canada
TRIAD (Truth in Adoption)
Other Agencies
CASE STUDIES
Case Study Information
Case Study #1a
Case Study #2
MODULE 3
DIVORCE RECORDS IN CANADA
Legal Terminology
Central Registry of Divorce Proceedings
CASE STUDIES
Case Study Information
Case Study #1b
Case Study #3a
Case Study #4
MODULE 4
ALTERNATE SOURCES FOR VITAL STATISTICS
Religious Records
Cemeteries
Other Sources Created at Time of Death
Newspapers
Family Bibles, Papers & Hearsay
Published Genealogies & Family Histories
CASE STUDIES
Case Study Information
Case Study #1b
Case Study #3a
Case Study #4
MODULE 5
CASE STUDIES
Case Study #1c
Case Study #3b
Case Study #5
MODULE 6
CASE STUDIES
Case Study #1c
Case Study #3b
Case Study #5
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Optional Course Print Material: Canadian: Religious Records
*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.
For many regions of the world, the records associated with the ancestral place of worship are the backbone of genealogical research. Registers of baptism, marriage and burial are of great use prior to vital statistic registrations in Canada. In the early years of settlement, the Government passed laws which forbade certain groups from performing various services.
This course will cover where to look for these registers and other religious records in Canada, what type of data you should expect to find, and how to evaluate what you have found. Information found can also provide stories that can be added to the family history.
Course Length: 7 weeksMODULE 1
INTRODUCTION
Why Church Records?
Finding the Records
The Church Archives
Records Which Have Disappeared
Church Records in Public Archives
Printed Books of Church Records
MODULE 2
DENOMINATIONS IN CANADA
Examples of Religious Groups
United Church of Canada Archives
MODULE 3
BAPTISMAL RECORDS
Who could be baptized?
What difficulties do baptismal records present to researchers?
Should we bother with Godparents?
MODULE 4
MARRIAGES & BURIALS
Marriage Records
What are Banns
Burial Records
What will burial records tell us?
MODULE 5
OTHER RECORDS
Minutes of Annual or Business Meetings
Financial Records
Membership Lists
Records of Subgroups or Other Organizations
Parish Census
MODULE 6
FINDING HELPFUL BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Denominational Histories
Diocesan, Synod or Convention Histories
Congregational Histories
Regional Church Histories
Local Histories
Published Missionary Memoirs or Letters
Bibliographies
Histories of Religious Groups or Group Biographies
Optional Print Course Material: Canadian: Wills and Estate Records - Part 2
*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.
The course Researching Canadian Wills & Estate Records builds on the introductory level as it delves deeper into the intricacies of research when dealing with wills and estate records. Numerous examples, including their transcriptions for easier reading, will illustrate the various types of documents. Less emphasis has been focused on the course material and much more into the case studies in order to allow you to become much more familiar with working with the documentation. Several case studies will give you the opportunity to examine the documents yourself and become more accustomed to their wording, their look, their feel, and, importantly, the wealth of information they hold. Lastly, the course should reinforce that there are a variety of sources which should not be overlooked when researching for wills and estate records.
Course Length: 7 weeksMODULE 1
WILLS, ESTATES & PROBATE
Glossary
OBITUARIES & DEATH NOTICES
The Ontario Gazette
Case Studies
MODULE 2
CORONER’S INQUESTS & REPORTS
Archives of Ontario Finding Aid Record Group 22
Case Studies
MODULE 3
HOLOGRAPHIC AND NUNCUPATIVE WILLS
Armed Forces Wills
Estates & Illegitimacy
Case Studies
MODULE 4
GUARDIANSHIP
The Role of the Public Guardian & Trustee
Unclaimed Funds/Property
How to Find a Guardianship Application .
Case Studies
MODULE 5
LAND REGISTRY OFFICES
Case Studies
MODULE 6
Case Studies
Optional Print Course Material: Canadian: Land Records - Part 2
*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.
When land was “granted” from the Crown to individuals or companies specific records were created to document the change in ownership. Record groups such as Military Grants, Township Papers, the Canada Company Papers, the Peter Robinson Papers, Correspondence to the Surveyor General and Commissions as well as various other land companies will be reviewed with the goal of determining where these records are today and how they may be of benefit to a genealogist.
It is vital that you become comfortable with the documentation and writing style so that you will be able to glean the correct information from the material. You will find the examples and assignments to be of interest and useful in this regard.
By following the family of John Newell through several examples and with his Case Study we can follow various transactions as they occurred for one family over a period of time.
Course Length: 7 weeksMODULE 1
INTRODUCTION
ONTARIO LAND RECORDS INDEX
Case Study
MODULE 2
What’s Available on the Internet
Case Study
MODULE 3
What’s Available on the Internet
Case Study
MODULE 4
TALBOT SETTLEMENT
Col. Thomas Talbot Settlement
Case Study
MODULE 5
CANADA COMPANY
Canada Land Company
Contract Book
Canada Company Remittance Books
Case Study
MODULE 6
PETER ROBINSON SETTLEMENT
Case Study
Note: This course requires compulsory materials to be ordered. These are available at GenealogyStore.com
Douglas, Althea, Genealogy, Geography, and Maps: Using Atlases and Gazetteers to Find Your Family (Toronto: Ontario Genealogical Society, 2006).
Optional Print Course Material: Canadian: Geography and Maps
*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the courseGenealogy, geography and maps are inextricably entwined, particularly in a country like Canada where almost everyone has ancestors who came here from somewhere else. If you are looking for their records you must travel across geographic boundaries as well as across time. Wherever you travel, maps are essential.
Can you read a map? Did you hate geography in school? You know what road maps tell you, but are you aware that topographical maps tell you much more or that geographers and cartographers now use maps to show us all sorts of information both about the here and now and the worlds our ancestors once inhabited.
While many Canadians look back to Europe or the British Isles, in the multi-cultural society we have become some of us will need maps of every continent except Antarctica. Not just maps of the place as it is today, but older maps that show former political divisions and place names, where old roads, canals or railways once ran, perhaps ownership of land, or city plans that show every building, including the one where the emigrant ancestor was born.
If you plan to be a successful family historian you must learn to look at maps and extract the basic, secondary, and even the third level of information they offer, and then evaluate that information. Is what it shows accurate, up to date or obsolete, misleading or intended to deceive? Maps can be many things and the more you know the fewer traps will catch you.
The International Institute for Genealogical Studies is extremely pleased to be able to use, as the primary text for this course, an outstanding book on this subject, authored by Althea Douglas, Genealogy, Geography, and Maps: Using Atlases and Gazetteers to Find Your Family (Ontario Genealogical Society: Toronto, 2006).
Because the course reading material is not proprietary to the International Institute’s course, access to the electronic text of mandatory course reading material will NOT be available online. The course syllabus will primarily serve as a guide to the content of Douglas’ book. In addition it will present some brief supplemental material, as well as the assignments.
Course Length: 9 weeksMODULE 1
INTRODUCTION
Required Reading
Map Related Websites
MODULE 2
TOPONYMY & PLACE NAMES
Required Reading
MODULE 3
MIGRATION ROUTES
Required Reading
MODULE 4
GENERAL, TOPOGRAPHIC & MILITARY MAPS
Required Reading
Military Maps
MODULE 5
COUNTY & SETTLEMENT MAPS
Required Reading
MODULE 6
OTHER MAPS & GAZETTEERS
Required Reading
MODULE 7
HISTORICAL ATLAS OF CANADA
Required Reading
MODULE 8
WHERE TO FIND MAPS
Required Reading
Optional Print Course Material: Canadian: Archival Centres
*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.
The purpose of this course is to provide an introduction to using archives in genealogical research, to examine the kinds of records which you will encounter, and to see what kinds of archives there are in Canada which can provide venues for genealogical researchers.
This is a gigantic topic, so some thought was given to a point of view which might help us enter it. As this course is given via the Internet and as websites may be the first and easiest contact which a genealogical researcher will have with an archive, we have used archival websites as a principal point of discussion regarding specific archives and kinds of archives, and as a way of getting to know the institutions involved. The website can be seen as a summary of the personality of the place, and this is how we have used it. We continue to stress that archive websites should not be ignored in research.
Examples of archives of various categories will be mentioned. It should be emphasized that the examples given are just that, examples. They are not meant to indicate ‘best’ (although they may be) and they cannot be exhaustive in any category, because there are simply too many archives in the country. Take the example given and then use the idea to search for similar archives which will help you.
Comparing this course to the others in the Canadian series, students may notice a certain amount of overlap. The Saskatchewan Homestead records, for example, may well also show up in a course on Saskatchewan research as well as a land records course. There are useful things to say on such a topic in each course and we can only hope a second or third encounter with a topic will help to imprint it on the student’s memory!
Many of the archives under discussion in the text have very long names, which may include people after whom the institution is named, the name of the larger institution of which the archives is part, or a government department. Although the full name will be given in the first instance, a shorter or familiar version of the archives’ name will be used for convenience later in the text.
Course Length: 7 weeks
MODULE 1
INTRODUCTION TO MODERN ARCHIVES
Some Terms & Abbreviations
Do We Still Need Archives?
Approaching the Archives
What Are the Rules?
Talking to the Archivist
Handling the Documents
The Reference Interview with the Archivist
Arrangement of Government Records
Off-site Queries
Reproduction Services & Copyright
MODULE 2
NATIONAL & PROVINCIAL ARCHIVES
Provincial Archives
MODULE 3
LOCAL & UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES
Finding Archives
Local Archives
University Archives
MODULE 4
RELIGIOUS, ETHNIC & SPECIALIZED ARCHIVES
Religious Archives
Expectations of Religious Archives
Ethnic & Specialized Archives
Hudson’s Bay Company Archives
Glenbow Archives
Ethnic Archives or Archival Collections
Halls of Fame
Institutional Archives
Postal Archives
Aboriginal Archives
MODULE 5
USING THE ARCHIVAL RECORDS
Problems in the Archives
Difficulties Interpreting Documents
Locating Local Histories
The Difficult Archivist
Specific Groups of Records
Specialized Legal Documents
Other Non-Paper Archival Materials
Special Collections
MODULE 6
LOOKING AT THE DOCUMENT: ARE WE SEEING ALL THAT IS THERE?
Summary
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Optional Print Course Material: Canadian: Immigration Records
*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.
The study and understanding of immigration is more than just dates and ships’ lists. Learning where our ancestors came from, and why, is a major goal for family historians. Canada was a beacon drawing waves of hopeful immigrants, even before it became a country in its own right.
The course will emphasize the “push-pull” principle underlying two centuries of population growth, including significant emigrant groups, travel routes, government policies, sponsored and assisted settlement plans, ports of arrival, ships’ passenger lists, North American border crossings, naturalization and citizenship. Each module will cover at least one immigration group or programme which made a significant contribution to the settlement and growth of Canada.
Attention is given to special collections such as Home Children and Russian Consular records. Students will learn about access to such sources and strategies for making the important connection to the ancestral country of origin.
Course Length: 7 weeksMODULE 1
INTRODUCTION
Why Did People Emigrate?
Historical Context and Immigration Policy
French Rule
British Rule
Hudson’s Bay Company Inland Posts
MODULE 2
CANADA 1867 ONWARDS
OVERVIEW OF IMMIGRATION GROUPS AND RESOURCES BY PROVINCE
Census
Land Records
MODULE 3
BACKGROUND
Upper Canada Land Petitions - Darley
Notable Names and Events
United Empire Loyalists
Upper Canada Land Petition
The Maroons
Lord Selkirk
Red River Settlement Map
Settlement of Ontario After The Napoleonic Wars
The Petworth Emigration Scheme
Land Companies
The Philadelphia Land Company & Alexander McNutt
The Canada Company
The New Brunswick and Nova Scotia Land Company
The British American Land Company
The Quebec and Megantic Land Company
Western Land Grants
The North Atlantic Trading Company
Political Boundaries of the Prairie West 1870-1912
MODULE 4
ESTABLISHMENT OF A CANADIAN IMMIGRATION SERVICE
Ocean Ports
Castle Garden
Ellis Island
Pier 21
Quarantine Stations
Grosse Île
Articles from Quebec Mercury
Other Quarantine Stations
Passenger Lists and The Location of Records
Prior to 1865
Library and Archives Canada
Other Sources for Passenger Lists
Arrivals from Other Parts of North America
Border Crossings and Immigration Policy
Crossing into the U.S. — “St Albans Lists”
Other Immigration Records
Records of the Sick and Destitute
MODULE 5
HOME CHILDREN
Background of the Home Child Movement
Canadian Research Sources
LAC/BIFHSGO Home Child Database
Government Inspection Reports
Other Canadian Sources
British Research Sources
Agencies
Church of England Waifs and Strays Society
MODULE 6
IMMIGRATION POLICY IN THE 20TH CENTURY – AN OVERVIEW
Immigration Act of 1910
Immigration Policy 1915-1945
Post WWII Policy
The Ukrainians
The Hungarians
NATURALIZATION AND CANADIAN CITIZENSHIP
20th Century Naturalization
The Citizenship Act of 1947
Passports
War Brides
SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
LI-RA-MA Consular Records
LI-RA-MA Examples
National Registration File 1940
Records of the Immigration Branch (RG 76)
Immigrants from China
Immigrant Ancestors Project – Brigham Young University
Optional Print Course Material: Canadian: Newspaper Records
*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.
Newspapers are an important source of genealogical information, not only hard date and place information, but also background material which will add to the interest of your family history. This information may also supply hints which will lead to other resources. The purpose of this course is to examine:
-
the historical development of newspapers
-
the kinds of information we can find in
newspapers
-
how to interpret the data we find
-
how to find the newspaper we need to
research
- other serial publications (journals and newsletters) we can use.
MODULE 1
INTRODUCTION TO NEWSPAPERS IN GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH
Vocabulary
A Cultural Barrier
Use of Newspapers
The Newspaper in the Community
Newspapers in Canada
Some Difficulties in Dealing with Newspapers
Bibliographies of Historical Newspapers
The Names of Newspapers
Interpreting a Newspaper Bibliography
MODULE 2
BIRTHS, MARRIAGES & OBITUARIES
Births
Marriages
Deaths
MODULE 3
SOCIAL NOTES & NEWS ITEMS
British Columbian
Edmonton Bulletin
Alberta Star
Vancouver Province
MODULE 4
ETHNIC & RELIGIOUS NEWSPAPERS
Ethnic Newspapers
Religious Newspapers
Specialised Publications
MODULE 5
FINDING & USING THE NEWSPAPER YOU WANT
Canada
Indexes or Abstracts
Obtaining & Viewing the Microfilm
Online Newspaper Resources
MODULE 6
GENEALOGICAL & HISTORICAL NEWSLETTERS & JOURNALS
Newsletter or Journal?
Local History
Genealogical Society Publications
PERSI
Historical Publications
Optional Print Course Material: Canadian: Military Records
*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.
Military records constitute a major source of genealogical material in Canada. Emphasis during this course will be on the correlation between personnel records, land transactions and nominal roles from the period of New France to the Korean Conflict.
At the end of this course, you will be able to search for your ancestor from a nominal role to the land acquisition or pension from various records groups located at Library and Archives Canada or the provincial archives (including records of those who fought against the government of the day).
You will be able to use other sources such as medal registers, battalion histories, militia pay lists, etc. to help you build a better genealogy.
Course Length: 7 weeksMODULE 1
CANADIAN MILITARY RECORDS
Research Tools
Libraries
Archives
Discovering More about a Military Ancestor
The Records
Other Sources of Published Information
Local Histories
Contemporary Newspapers
Sessional Papers
MODULE 2
NINETEENTH CENTURY
Militia in the Nineteenth Century
Militia Records
Online Information and Records
Land Grants
Additional Published Sources
Online Information and Records
Rebellions in the Canadas, 1837-1838
Records
Published Sources
MODULE 3
NINETEENTH CENTURY
Fenian Raids, 1866 & 1870
Red River Rebellion, 1870
Land Grants
The Nile Expedition 1884-1885
North West Rebellion 1885
British Military Records
MODULE 4
TWENTIETH CENTURY
South African War, 1899-1902
Land Grants
Online Information and Records
MODULE 5
TWENTIETH CENTURY … Continued
First World War 1914-1918
Ancillary Records for the First World War
Canadian Siberian Expeditionary Force
Royal Canadian Navy
Canadians in Other Services
Royal Flying Corps/Royal Air Force
MODULE 6
TWENTIETH CENTURY … Continued
Second World War 1939-1945
Ancillary Records for the Second World War
Canadian Army
Royal Canadian Navy
Royal Canadian Air Force, 1939-1945
RAF Ferry Command
Korea 1950-1955
Online Information and Records
Optional Print Course Material: Canadian: Migration Patterns
*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.
This course provides an extensive overview
of migration in Canada. Canada is a diverse nation, made up of
many peoples, all of whom came from somewhere. The study of migration
does not just involve one movement but recognizes that for a
number of reasons, it is natural for peoples to move and settle from one place
to another, be it a new country or a new community.
The history is explored, concepts explained, definitions offered. In the study of migration, it is vital it remember that while we speak in general of peoples, each individual has a story, waiting to be explored.
Course Length: 7 weeksMODULE 1
INTRODUCTION: TERMS & CONCEPTS
Statistics Table Series A339-349
Emigration/Immigration/Migration .
Chain Migration
Sojourners
Ethnicity
Charter Ethnic Groups
Block Settlement
Padrones
Population of Canada by Province
MODULE 2
MIGRATION HISTORY: PART I
MODULE 3
MIGRATION HISTORY: PART II
Table Series A350
MODULE 4
MIGRATION: ETHNICITY & RELIGION
The Americans
The British
Blacks
The Germans
The Ukrainians
Polish Immigrants
Asian Immigrants
Italian Immigration
Jewish Immigration
The Hungarians
The Hutterites, Mennonites & Amish
Statistical Table A125-163
MODULE 5
MIGRATION TECHNIQUES & RECORDS
Histories of Migration
The National Archives of Canada
Provincial Archives
Newspapers
MODULE 6
SUMMARY
The Smith Story, 1633-2002: A Fictional Account