Genealogy Tip: 1842 Canadian Census Returns

Genealogy Tip: Census records for Canada were taken in 1842. Enumerators visited 17 census districts, divided into sub-districts. These units were made up of cities, towns, parishes, villages and townships. Not all returns survived. The returns for eight districts and 51 sub-districts have been preserved and are accessible at Library and Archives Canada.

1842 Census Headings Columns 1-51

HOWEVER not all pre 1851 census are online! Library and Archives Canada has the census of 1842 for Upper Canada (Ontario) online BUT their database only includes the census returns held by Library and Archives Canada.

The Archives of Ontario holds the census returns that still exist for other places; however, they are not digitized, not available online and not included in LAC's database. So you would have to consult Archives of Ontario if your folks don't show up in the online LAC database

When using LAC online searchable 1842 census, be aware that the 1842 Census for Canada West consists of 2 pages:

• Columns 1 to 51 appear on the first page.
• Columns 51 to 89 appear on the second page.

The first page is on the digitized image link to an entry in the database for an individual.  If you want to view the second page, increase by one the last digit of the url address of an image that appears in the navigation box of your browser.

Finding Ships Passenger Records To Canada

Henry wrote to ask

My great uncle who originated in Germany, born 1872 or 1874, appears in the UK 1901 census as Ferdinand Roks living in London. Within the family there was no mention of him but it was suggested that perhaps he went to Quebec, Since he doesn't appear in a later census, it could be reasonable to assume that he left London sometime after 1901. How do I research the shipping companies or ships records or even the Quebec immigration records to try to trace him, especially as might have changed the spelling of his name.

My answer:

Ships passenger lists to Canada are available as early as 1865. You can search on Ancestry.com, where the passenger names are indexed and linked to images, or you can use Library & Archives Canada (LAC). LAC however does not have a name index so you have to search by date or ship name.

There are also hundreds of ships passenger lists on my Olive Tree Genealogy website. As well I have written a book "Filling in the Gaps: Finding Pre-1865 Ships Passenger Lists to Canada" if you need to find an ancestor before 1865.

Form 30 Border Crossings 1919-1924

Are you struggling to find an ancestor arriving in Canada in the early 1900s?

Between 1919 and 1924, the individual Form 30A was used instead of the passenger list. The use of this form was inconsistent; if you do not find a reference to an immigrant for that time period, Library and Archives Canada (LAC) recommends that you search the passenger lists for those years.

According to LAC "The records were microfilmed in quasi-alphabetical order and the digitized images for Forms 30A (Archived) can be searched in that order in Digitized Microforms (Archived).
  
You can also search an index to these records on Ancestry in their Border Crossings: From U.S. to Canada, 1908-1935 collection

How to Obtain Canadian WW2 Military Service Files

My Father in WW2

World War 2 Canadian records are restricted. But they can be accessed and they can include documentation about enlistment, discharge, military units served with, and may also include other documents concerning medical history, medals awarded, personal evaluation reports and dental charts.

Library and Archives Canada holds military service files for those who served after 1918. Their website explanation of who can access what files and how to obtain them is a bit confusing, so I'll share  with you what I did to send for the military records of my father's brother, Clarence E. McGinnis. I knew Uncle Clare had been in WW2 as I have several photos of him in uniform. But I never knew where he served, what unit he was in, or what he did during the War.


I wrote a one page letter requesting the complete military service files for [individual's name] who was born [individual's full birth date or estimated year] in [name of city/town plus county and province in Ontario] to parents [names of father and mother].
 

Uncle Clare in WW2

 
I included my uncle's death date and a photograph of his tombstone as proof of death. Interestingly enough they actually returned the photo to me!

That was it. I mailed the letter and photo to

ATIP and Personnel Records Division
Library and Archives Canada
395 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON  K1A 0N4

You can also fax your request to them at this number: 613-947-8456

Your request can be written as a letter or you can print off a blank copy of the Application for Military Service Information form [PDF 663 KB]  which should be filled in, signed and sent by mail or fax. 

Using the ATIP Online Request service is another way to submit requests.

 

After a wait of about 5 months a very large package arrived with Uncle Clare's complete military file. I estimate there are about 80 or more pages.  The wait was not unexpected as it is made clear on the Library & Archives Canada website that they are backlogged and requests can take up to 6 months to fill.
There was a lot of interesting information in the military file for Uncle Clare - such as details of his work history prior to enlisting. It include what he was paid! I wish my dad's files had been as complete.

 
 

I am really pleased to have some more details to add to my knowledge of my uncle. I knew him quite well but he never spoke of his military service or his early years. I suppose I was too young for him to think I'd be interested.
 
Plus he was quite old-fashioned regarding males vs females and since I was a female he'd be less likely to talk to me about what he would consider "man stuff"  
 
But I'm really enjoying reading through his files to find out where he went during the war (to England and France) and what he saw and did during that difficult time.

For WW1 personnel files you will be able to view these online very soon. Library and Archives Canada is busy scanning and uploading the full files to the online CEF Searchable database.

Co-Lab: Crowdsourcing at the Archives of Ontario

Letter from Sir Wilfred Laurier

This is very cool! Crowdsourcing has arrived at Library and Archives Canada (LAC). We genealogists, historians, and anyone interested in our Canadian past  can now transcribe, add keywords and image tags, translate content from an image or document and add descriptions to digitized images using Co-Lab and the new Collection Search^BETA.

LAC is offering challenges, which are theme-based, to make this opportunity even more interesting.  One of their current challenges involves transcribing Correspondence between Sir Robert Borden and Sir Sam Hughes in 1916. A second is to transcribe the 61 pages of love letters from Wilfred Laurier, the 7th Prime Minister of Canada, to his sweetheart and future wife between 1863 and 1890.

Now's your chance to contribute to preserving the past and helping to make these historical records available to all.

Read more about this venture at Introducing Co-Lab: your tool to collaborate on historical records

Peristence Pays Off: My Finding Aid is linked to from Library and Archives Canada

Followers of Olive Tree Genealogy blog may recall that I have written several posts, beginning in August 2013, about the mis-labelled Heir and Devisee Commission Papers available on Canadiana.org

Example from HD 1144 Christian Bradt

While searching for my ancestors I discovered that of the 21 digitized microfilms, 10 are incorrectly identified as to volume numbers and content contained. To assist other genealogists and researchers, I am began methodically going through the images to identify what each film contained.

Thus I created a Finding Aid with correctly identified contents of each microfilm and published it on my website. I wrote to Canadiana.org many times over the course of 3 years offering the Finding Aid to them but when I finally got an answer my offer was refused.

This year I was able to speak directly to Mr. Guy Berthiaume the Librarian and Archivist of Canada, on the Dec. 4 Twitter chat: Ask the Librarian and Archivist of Canada your questions, 11:30AM-1PM (EST). AskTheLAC

My question was in four parts since Twitter only allows 480 character tweets. I explained what my Finding Aid was, and my last tweet had my question for Mr. Berthiaume:

"My Q is:Will you look at my Finding Aid for those 10 incorrect films & speak to me about correcting the online content descriptions?" 

He did. Then Library and Archives Canada contacted me, and today I am pleased to announce that a link to my Finding Aid for the Heir and Devisee Commission films H-1133 to H-1153 is linked to on Library and Archives Canada.

Huge thanks goes to Mr. Berthiaume for taking time to look into these issues! Now researchers will have updated and correct information on the content of each of these digitized films.

MIssing Canadian Census Images - a Workaround

Recently while searching for a family in the 1861 Canadian census on Ancestry.com , I was puzzled as to why they were not showing up in the indexes. I tried searching various ways - only using first names, using wildcards, searching for the children, and so on. I knew where they were in 1861 - in Innisfil so my puzzlement grew the more I searched.

Of course it was possible they had been missed, or their names so badly mangled that they would not be found in the indexes so I decided to browse the census pages for Innisfil. Still nothing.

I can obsess on things so off I went to Family Search and bingo there was the mother Isabella in their index entry for 1861. However the index entry didn't have quite enough information to help me, and Family Search doesn't have the images for this census. I knew that Library and Archives Canada has the same indexes as Ancestry so there was no point in checking there.

Since Family Search said that Isabella was on Sheet 30, I assumed that was the page number so back I went to Ancestry and the browse feature. And that is when I discovered that the 1861 census images for Innisfil are missing pages 30, 31, and 32.

Notice the page number (29) and the image number (333)

Clicking to the next image (334) brings up page 33, not page 30

My next step was to head to Library and Archives Canada because I was pretty sure that while they use the same index as Ancestry.com , they have their own set of images. The problem with LAC is that there is no browse feature and when you are on an image page there is no "next" button or arrow or image number that would allow researchers to click ahead a page.

But there is a way to view the images page by page. First you must bring up a page from the hits you get on a search in their database. To do this I went back to Ancestry and pulled up page 29 on their images. I noted a few of the names and ages on that page, then returned to LAC. I searched for one of the names and when the result appeared, I chose the jpg image (not the pdf). Then all you do is replace the last number in the URL in your browser window.

Example: Here is the URL of page 29 http://data2.collectionscanada.gc.ca/1861/jpg/4108345_00061.jpg

By removing the number 1 before .jpg, and replacing it with a 2 you can get to the next page (30)

Hopefully this workaround will help others and remember that just because the name of an ancestor doesn't turn up in a search, does not necessarily mean your ancestor isn't there!

Search other sites for the same database and you might just be surprised at what you find. 

Belgian Woman Searches for her Canadian soldier father

Florence Heene never knew her father. She first saw a photo of the man she believes is the soldier who is her biological dad when she was young. Now 71, Florence posted the photo on Facebook hoping it might be shared and that someone in Canada would recognize him.

Her mother had told Heene that her biological father was a Canadian soldier who was stationed in Ghent during the Second World War. It is believed his first name is Herbert. Library and Archives Canada (LAC) believes from the photo that the man in question was a Sergeant in the Royal Canadian Military.

 Read Searching for a Canadian soldier: Belgian woman makes last-ditch effort to find her father

Since writing this blog post, the mystery of Herbert has been solved. It's as fascinating  (and sad) a story as Florence's search for him.

Read Mystery solved: Belgian woman finds 'new family' in Canada in search for soldier father

Canada: Who Do We Think We Are?

Canada: Who Do We Think We Are? is a new exhibition by Library and Archives Canada (LAC) marking the 150th anniversary of Canadian Confederation.

Each month in 2017 a guest curator will add a new exhibit to the online virtual exhibition.
 
Isabelle Charron was the guest curator for March with a map of New France made by the Father of Canada, Samuel de Champlain. Ms. Charron has written an article about herself and the map. She also includes several other images at https://thediscoverblog.com/2017/03/09/guest-curator-isabelle-charron/

Carte geographique de la Nouvelle Franse faictte par le sieur de Champlain [map of New France made by Samuel de Champlain], from the book Les voyages du sieur de Champlain…, 1613, engraved by David Pelletier in 1612

Official Announcement follows:

Canada: Who Do We Think We Are? is a new exhibition by Library and Archives Canada (LAC) marking the 150th anniversary of Canadian Confederation. This exhibition is accompanied by a year-long blog series.

Join us every month in 2017! Experts from LAC, from across Canada and from other countries provide additional information about the exhibition. Each “guest curator” discusses one item, then adds another to the exhibition—virtually.

Be sure to visit Canada: Who Do We Think We Are? at 395 Wellington Street, Ottawa, from June 5, 2017, to March 1, 2018. Admission is free.

March Update WW1 Service Files Canadian Soldiers

Sample from PDF file for James Cecil Sandercock, KIA

Digitization of the Canadian Expeditionary Force Personnel Service Files – Update of March 2017

The following press release came into Olive Tree Genealogy's mailbox:

As of March 15, 416,749 of 640,000 files are available online in our Personnel Records of the First World War database. Please visit the Digitization of the Canadian Expeditionary Force Service Files page for more details on the digitization project.

Library and Archives Canada is digitizing the service files systematically, from box 1 to box 10686, which roughly corresponds to alphabetical order. Please note that over the years, the content of some boxes has had to be moved and, you might find that the file you want, with a surname that is supposed to have been digitized, is now located in another box that has not yet been digitized. So far, we have digitized the following files:

• Latest box digitized: Box 7059 and last name McLelland.

Updated Canadian WW1 Soldier Files Online

As of Feb. 15/17, 404,164 of 640,000 files are available online in the Personnel Records of the First World War database. Please visit the Digitization of the Canadian Expeditionary Force Service Files page for more details on the digitization project. Library and Archives Canada is digitizing the service files systematically, from box 1 to box 10686.

The most recent addition takes the digitization to Box 6831 and last name McGee.

Caveat: The files are not in strict alphabetical order, so if your ancestor's name is missing from the files that have been digitized, the papers may be in a different box not yet completed.

I am anxiously waiting for McGinnis, Peer, and Vollick! Not much longer though and meantime I'm enjoying browsing through the papers.

Crowdsourcing Genealogy Documents at LAC

Page 1 of the 1818 Coltman Report

"In the spring of 2016, Library and Archives Canada (LAC) digitized A General Statement and Report relative to the Disturbances in the Indian Territories of British North America, more commonly known as “the Coltman Report.” Its digitization was in support of the 200th-anniversary events commemorating the Battle of Seven Oaks, organized by the Manitoba Métis Federation in June 2016." [Beth Greenhorn. November 29, 2016]

To support this effort, LAC (Library and Archives Canada) started a crowdsourcing project to transcribe the only copy of the 1818 521-page report. According to LAC "the entire report was transcribed within less than a month. In addition to the transcription, every page has tags related to the individuals, dates, locations and specific events recorded during Coltman’s investigation. A PDF of Coltman’s report is available in the database and is fully searchable. Each entry is accompanied by a link to the corresponding digitized page from the report."
 
Historical inaccuracies that had previously been perpetrated and spread were corrected by this transcription project. Read the full details about this in Transcribing the Coltman Report – Crowdsourcing at Library and Archives Canada

October Update WW1 CEF Files Digitization

The following announcement was sent out by Library and Archives Canada:

As of today, 347,005 of 640,000 files are available online in our Soldiers of the First World War: 1914–1918 database. Please visit Digitization of the Canadian Expeditionary Force Service Files for more details on the digitization project.

Library and Archives Canada is digitizing the service files systematically, from box 1 to box 10,686, which roughly corresponds to alphabetical order. Please note that over the years, the contents of some boxes have been moved. You might find that the file you want (with a surname that should have been digitized) is now located in another box that has not yet been digitized. So far, we have digitized the following files:

    Latest box digitized: Box 5848 and Mahony.

Update Soldiers of the First World War Online Database

As of September 15, 2016, 333,687 of 640,000 files are available online in the Soldiers of the First World War: 1914–1918 database. Please visit Digitization of the Canadian Expeditionary Force Service Files for more details on the digitization project.

Library and Archives Canada is digitizing the service files systematically, from box 1 to box 10,686, which roughly corresponds to alphabetical order. Please note that over the years, the contents of some boxes have been moved. You might find that the file you want (with a surname that should have been digitized) is now located in another box that has not yet been digitized. So far, they have digitized the following files:

    Latest box digitized: Box 5608 and Levesque.

Update on Digitization of Canadian WW1 Files

 The following announcement was sent by Library and Archives Canada (LAC):

 
As of July 15, 2016, 307,588 of 640,000 files are available online via our Soldiers of the First World War: 1914–1918 database. Please visit the Digitization of the Canadian Expeditionary Force Service Files page for more details on the digitization project.

Library and Archives Canada is digitizing the service files systematically, from box 1 to box 10686, which roughly corresponds to alphabetical order. Please note that over the years, the content of some boxes has had to be moved and, you might find that the file you want, with a surname that is supposed to have been digitized, is now located in another box that has not yet been digitized. So far, we have digitized the following files:

• Latest box digitized: Box 5218 and Knaggs.

Update on Digitization of WW1 Files of Canadian Soldiers

Received from Library and Archives Canada (LAC) today:

As of today, 297,013 of 640,000 files are available online via our Soldiers of the First World War: 1914–1918 database. Please visit the Digitization of the Canadian Expeditionary Force Service Files page for more details on the digitization project. Library and Archives Canada is digitizing the service files systematically, from box 1 to box 10686

So far, we have digitized the following files:

• Latest box digitized: Box 5003 and Karpuk.

Digitization of the Canadian Expeditionary Force Personnel Service Files – Update

Announcement from Library and Archives Canada (LAC)

As of today, 2786,285 of 640,000 files are available online via our Soldiers of the First World War: 1914–1918 database. Please visit the Digitization of the Canadian Expeditionary Force Service Files page for more details on the digitization project. Library and Archives Canada is digitizing the service files systematically, from box 1 to box 10686.

Latest box digitized: Box 4810 and Jellyman.

Digitization of the Canadian Expeditionary Force Personnel Service Files – Update April 2016

The following announcement was sent by Library and Archives Canada (LAC)

As of today, 275,299 of 640,000 files are available online via our Soldiers of the First World War: 1914–1918 database. Please visit the Digitization of the Canadian Expeditionary Force Service Files page for more details on the digitization project.

Library and Archives Canada is digitizing the service files systematically, from box 1 to box 10686, which roughly corresponds to alphabetical order. Please note that over the years, the content of some boxes has had to be moved and, you might find that the file you want, with a surname that is supposed to have been digitized, is now located in another box that has not yet been digitized. So far, we have digitized the following files:

    Latest box digitized: Box 4617 and Hunt.

Update on Digitization of CEF Service Files

The following is the latest update on Library and Archives Canada (LAC) project to digitize the service files from the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) in WW1.

As of today, 266,634 of 640,000 files are available online via the Soldiers of the First World War: 1914–1918 database. Please visit the Digitization of the Canadian Expeditionary Force Service Files page for more details on the digitization project.

Library and Archives Canada is digitizing the service files systematically, from box 1 to box 10686, which roughly corresponds to alphabetical order.

Latest box digitized: Box 4442 and Holland.

New War of 1812 Database Online

Boarding and taking the American Ship Chesapeake
by the Officers and Crew of H.M. Ship Shannon
commanded by Capt. Broke, June 1813

Library and Archives Canada (LAC) has just put up another terrific database for the War of 1812

The War of 1812 took place from June 18, 1812 to February 16, 1815. During this conflict between the United States and Great Britain, many military events occurred on Canadian soil.

There are no service files for the Canadian militia; however, Library and Archives Canada (LAC) holds a unique and vast collection of records about the Canadian men and women who were involved in the War of 1812. Their names can be found on muster rolls, pay lists, claims, certificates of service, land grants, and medal registers. Many of these documents are only available in the original format and have not been microfilmed or digitized.

This database does not include the name of every person who served during the war, only those whose names appear in the records that have been indexed for this project from specific fonds. The list indicates the archival reference, volume number(s) and the microfilm reel number, if applicable.

Search the new database for your ancestors.

Image Credit: Library and Archives Canada, Acc. No. 1937-31-1