Enrollment options
Optional Print Course Material: Research: Saskatchewan Ancestors
*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.
Saskatchewan was part of the North West Territories from 1870 until it became a province in 1905. During this period the land was surveyed and railways were built to bring settlers to the west. To encourage settlement the government of Canada passed the Dominion Land Act in 1871. Under the act a one hundred and sixty acres of land was offered as a free homestead to males 21 years of age or to women who were the sole support for their family.
Many people came from other areas in Canada, the United States, the British Isles and Europe to take up homesteads. Before beginning research in Saskatchewan the researcher should establish a research plan noting whom they are searching for, when the family was in Saskatchewan, where they lived, and what they were doing in the province. This enables the researcher to see what records the family may have created in Saskatchewan.
This course will help you learn about the major record centres, libraries, and societies that can help you find and use the records you need to trace Saskatchewan ancestors. The assignment part of the course will involve using many of the websites to find which original documents you will need to the answer your research problems.
Course Length: 7 weeks
MODULE 1
INTRODUCTION
The Basics
Locating Places Using Gazetteers, Maps & Atlases
Major Research Centres
Libraries
Family History Centers & Affiliate Libraries
MODULE 2
ETHNIC SETTLEMENT & IMMIGRATION RECORDS
Early Settlement
Settlement in North-West Territories & Saskatchewan 1870-1935
Canadian Immigration Records
Internet Immigration Programs and Lists
Alternate Sources to Find Immigrants to Saskatchewan
MODULE 3
LAND RECORDS
Crown Land Records 1870-1930
Homestead Land
Crown Land Records at Archives of Saskatchewan
Crown Land Records at Library and Archives Canada
Saskatchewan Land Titles
Accessing Saskatchewan Land Titles
MODULE 4
CENSUS & CENSUS SUBSTITUTES
Census Records
1881 Census Canada - North West Territories
1891 Census of Canada - The Territories
1901 Census of Canada - The Territories
Census of the Northwest Provinces, 1906
1911 Census of Canada - Saskatchewan
Census of the Prairie Provinces, 1916
1921 Census of Canada
Census of the Prairie Provinces, 1926
1931 Census of Canada
Other Census Records
Census Substitutes
Directories
Telephone Directories
Assessment and Tax Rolls
School Registers
Voters’ Lists
Municipal Elector Lists
Federal Voters Lists, 1935-1988
National Registration File of 1940
MODULE 5
VITAL RECORDS & ALTERNATES
Vital Statistics
Change of Name
Church Records
Cemetery & Funeral Home Records
Newspapers - Indexes & Databases
Local, School, Church & Organization Histories
MODULE 6
COURT & MILITARY RECORDS
Saskatchewan Court Records
Military Records
Veterans of the North West Rebellion 1885
Veterans of the South African (Boer War) 1898-1913
World War 1
Post World War 1 Records
Military Service Organizations