Finding Ancestors on 1851 Agricultural Census Canada

Previously I talked about the 1861 Agricultural Census for Ontario and the goof that Ancestry.com made when bringing it online.
Why search for ancestors in an Agricultural Census? These records provide details of exact location of land, type of farming, house lived in, livestock and more.
 Ancestry.com doesn't appear to have the 1851 or 1871 Agricultural Census schedules (at least they are not easily found!) but there's good news!
In 2011 I talked about how to go directly to the Agricultural census on Collections Canada. That was a great database and search engine, much better than the new one on Library and Archives Canada. But it no longer exists. You must now search for ancestors in the 1851 Agricultural census at Library and Archives Canada. 

1. Select Canada West (Ontario) from the drop down list for Province/Colony.

2. To narrow your search by township or county (or both) simply add them as keywords. 

 

Be very careful using this search engine! It is unforgiving. For example if your ancestor's name was recorded as "Thos." (for Thomas) on the original census page, searching for "Thomas" will give you ZERO hits. 

 

It is best to use wildcards, for example "Tho*" allows for abbreviations and full name. 

 

I had ancestors in Flamboro Township in Wentworth County in 1851 so I entered keywords "flamboro wentworth" and got 3 hits. Each hit has a list of available images. All I needed to do was start at the first image and begin looking.

Here's an example of what one page of the 1851 Agricultural Census looks like. The graphic used here is blurry but the original is crystal clear.
So don't be afraid to give this a try in your search for more details of an Ontario ancestor.

Have You Checked Assessment Records for that Elusive Ancestor?

Genealogy records for early Ontario (Canada West, Upper Canada) are challenging to find. They are sporadic and held in different repositories. Some often over-looked pre 1850 records include Assessment Records. 

Assessment Record Page

These work well as a census substitute and they usually provide an exact location of land (Lot and Concession Number) within a Township.

Some give numbers and type of livestock and crops. Assessment records were used to assess individual's property and holdings in order to calculate and collect tax revenue.  

Not all townships' Assessment Records have survived. Not all townships did assessments for the same years. So if you are looking for these records you will need to find out if your County and Township of interest has any that survived. 

I am very pleased to announce that thanks to the generousity of transcriber Fred Blair, Olive Tree Genealogy has published 10 Assessment Records for early Ontario. Following is the list of Assessment Records now available for download on Olive Tree Genealogy Ontario Assessment Records section

    Assessment Ancaster Township, Wentworth County, Home District 1816
    Assessment_Ancaster Township, Wentworth County, Home District 1818
    Assessment Beverley Township, Wentworth County, Home District 1816
    Assessment Beverley Township, Wentworth County, Home District 1818
    Assessment Grand River Tract, Haldimand Township, Wentworth County, Gore District, 1816
    Assessment Nelson Township, Halton County, Gore District 1816
    Assessment Nelson Township, Halton County, Gore District 1818
    Assessment Trafalgar Township, Halton County, Gore District 1816
    Assessment Trafalgar Township, Halton County, Gore District 1823
    Assessment Trafalgar Township, Halton County, Gore District 1825

Organizational Project Part 6: Ready for the Second Sort of Photographs!

In January I began my plan to sort, organize and digitize my family photos.  I ended up ordering archival boxes and sleeves from a company called GetSmartProducts

I've previously shared how I am organizing, sorting and purging these photos and if you missed those earlier posts, you can view them by clicking on the lable "Organization Project" at the bottom of this post or in the right side bar.

Pre-marriage photo box - childhood & young adult

All my family photos and photos passed on to me after family members passed away have passed the first sort. That means I have tossed blurry photos, set aside photos that I don't want but others in the family might love to have, and put all the rest into the categories I decided on in my original plan. 

I now have 5 purple acid-free boxes with family photos categorized which cover my life: pre-marriage; marriage #1; marriage #2; marriage #3; grandchildren. 

I have other boxes for other general categories but for now I'm focusing on these 5 purple boxes. My next step is to take one box and do my second sort within those photographs. I plan on putting the photos into a semi-chronological order, which should make finding duplicates easier. This should also ensure that photos of special events such as birthday parties, vacations and other occasions end up together. 

Next I will remove duplicates and place them in boxes intended for each of my children. If there are duplicates that I think my nieces, nephews, cousins or other family members would like, I will put those into envelopes to be mailed to them. 

Once I've completed this sort (the second sort), I could either begin scanning these photos or I can leave them and start on Box #2. I have decided I will finish the second sort on these 5 purple boxes before starting to scan.

Here are links to the previous blog posts about this project:

Organizing Family Photos - Creating a Plan

Organizational Project Part 2 - Family Diaries

Organization Project Part 3 - Digitizing Family Slides

Organizational Project Part 4 - Sorting the Family Photographs

Organizational Project Part 5: The Domino Effect in an Organization Project

Nursing Sister Philip's WW1 Album 25R Outdoor Party

This Photo Archive consists of a small autograph album (6.5" by 5.25") kept by Constance (Connie) Philips as a memento of her time serving as a nurse during World War One. 

The majority of the photos and items are from 1915, when she served as a nurse in France and Britain.

The album and all photographs, postcards, and other ephemera contained in the album belong to Karin Armstrong and may not be copied or republished without her written permission. The images will be published on Olive Tree Genealogy with permission.

Each image has been designated an "R" for Recto or a "V" for Verso plus an album page number. Recto is the right-hand side page of a bound book while Verso is the left-hand side page.

I will be posting the entire album and my additional research on the individuals identified in Connie's album over the coming months so please check back frequently to view these historic photos. The easiest way to see what has been published is to click on the topic "Nursing Sister WW1 Photos" in the vertical menu bar on the right side of your screen. You can also click on that phrase at the bottom of this post.

Copyright Issues Raise Their Ugly Head Again

Will it never end? It seems many web surfers don't understand copyright. When something is published on the internet on a website or a blog, it is copyright to whoever wrote it. It is not up for grabs! 

I don't know why folks can't grasp that an article I write, for example, and publish here on my blog or on one of my websites, is copyright to me.  That means it cannot be published elsewhere without my permission. Think of this way - if you go to a Library and borrow Stephen King's latest book to read, you cannot copy it and republish it anywhere - online or offline, without Mr. King's permission. (which of course he would not give) If you do publish without his okay, even if you clearly state that Mr. King wrote the piece, not you, you can bet your life he will sue your (ahem) off.

So why then do some folks think they can come to a website, read something they like and copy and paste it on their own site? That is called COPYRIGHT VIOLATION! And you can be sued.

I have copyright notices on every page of my site. Yet some still continue to take my work and republish it as if they are entitled to do so. Some plead innocence when confronted but ignorance of the law is no defense. Some leave the author's name on it and even provide a link to the original website, as if that makes everything okay. But theft is theft and violating someone's copyright is, in my opinion, theft. 

Many people also confuse plagiarism and copyright. 

Plagiarism is when someone takes your work and presents it as their own.  I've had that happen to me. A genealogist with a weekly newspaper column took an article from my website, published it word for word in a very large American newspaper and put her name as the author. After a thorough investigation, the newspaper fired her. These are serious offenses we're talking about. And I don't back down. If you take my work, I'll pursue every legal avenue available to get you to stop. 

Copyright violation or infringement is when someone takes  work which is protected by copyright laws without permission.

What can you do if someone takes your hard work without permission? You can write to the person and demand they remove it. I like to give two options - remove the unauthorized work within 24 hours or pay me a publication fee of $500.00. Those who violate copyright need to understand that an author's work is worth money.

If the person isn't compliant, file a DMCA complaint with their website or blog provider. Send the DMCA notice to the person who took your without permission.

Don't let it go. We should all protect our work and take what we do seriously. It is not okay for others to do a hit and run with no regard for legalities or respect for the work of others.

Corrected List of Contents on Heir & Devisee Commission H1140

Canadiana.Org has digitized 21 films of the Heir & Devisee Commission Papers (Heir & Devisee Commission papers 1797-1854, found in their Heritage Collection), and that's a good thing for genealogists. These records have valuable and informative genealogical documents.

But as mentioned in a previous blog post I wrote called Heir & Devisee Commission 1797-1854 on Canadiana.org - Listing Errors and a Workaround, the index and description of what is in each film, as provided on Canadiana.org,  is incorrect.
I have been slowly going through each film and noting the correct contents in detail.  My first set of detailed listings of the contents of film H1133 can be viewed at No Response from Canadiana.org so here are the Heir & Devisee Commission Film Details 

A complete and correct list of contents of film H1135 can be found on Olive Tree Genealogy website at Finding  Aid for Heir & Devisee Commission Online Films

H1140 Image 160

Here is a corrected list of contents for film H 1140
 

Does not contain what Canadiana.org has listed Image 24 V 38 1804 Commissioners Reports. I have not completed this film but here is the corrected list of contents from Image 14 to Image 431:

• 14 starts the documents 9 June 1809 survey report
• 15 to 19 List of claimants. Markham, York, Whitchurch, East Gwillumbury. Plus details
• 20 Home District May 1804 survey general’s report
• 24 minutes and reports to the executive Council volume 38 home district 1804
• 25-27 list of claimants and details of claim 13 June 1804
• 29-38 list of claimants and details of claim July 1804
• 40-42 ditto
• 44 ditto
• 49-61 ditto
• 62-93 1803 and four
• 97-105 miscellaneous documents volume 39 home district 1816; 1821 to 1823 claimants
• 106 notices with names and details 1812
• 108-111 documents dated 1818
• 112-114 documents dated 1817
• 115-119 1821-1823
• 120-121 large legal document
• 122 Detroit 1787 petition of Jacob Arnes
• 123 certificate re Daniel A----- dated 1797
• 124 Malcolm Tulley 1802 land title search
• 128 volume 40 Orders in Council 1797 - 1802 home district
• 129 Conrad Hotrum Niagara October 1800 also Thomas Paige, Thomas Dickson and David Heron
• 130 names and locations, 1803
• 132-134 claims 1803
• 135 claims 1804
• 140-142 Gen. Benedict Arnold of the city of London England deceased and his widow Margaret also Sarah Fitch and Ann Fitch of Devonshire
• 143-144 Eastern District claims 1799 heard in 1804
• 145 claims Markham and Pickering
• 146-147 claims Markham 1804
• 148–154 claims home district 1804
• 158 volume 41 location certificates alphabetical for home district
• 159 Nassau District land certificates 1-15 1790 – 1792
• 160  List of names Nassau District Land Certificates
• 161– 211 land certificates for each person listed. Please see complete list of names and image numbers for their Land Certificates at An index to Niagara area Loyalists and their Land Certificates
• 215-216 Home District land certificates 1 – 17, 1787 – 1795. List of names. Note that I will be adding the complete list of names and image numbers
• 415– 416 Peter Robinson son of the late Christopher Robinson
• 417 Solomon Ball, Pickering 1803
• 418-419 Peter Robinson
• 420 Angus McDonald of York
• 421-424 Basil Rossiton of Elizabethtown, Samuel Heron of York
• 425 George Cutter of town of York, Shoemaker.  Basil Rossiton
• 426 Duncan Cameron
• 427 John Schmeltzer of Markham
• 428 John Nicholas Steffens Markham Township
• 429-430 John Daniel Frederick Bush of Kingston in Frontenac County in Midland District baker, brother to delete John Christian William Bush of the town of York
• 431 Birth Certificate written in German for Johann Christian Wilhelm 1767. There are other names and the year 1773 and a name Johann Daniel Friedrich but I cannot translate the rest

Possible 1830s American Schooner found in Toronto Harbour Ontario

An antique ship has been found in Toronto Harbour in Ontario Canada. During excavations for a condominium, archaeologists  discovered what appears be the remains of a 19th century wooden schooner. Experts believe the ship might be American dating back to the 1830s.

Read more and see the photos at http://www.blogto.com/city/2015/05/condo_dig_unearths_antique_ship_in_toronto_harbour/ 

Photo courtesy of April's Museum

 

Gritting My Teeth About Online Family Trees

We've all seen them. I'm talking about the online Family Trees that are rife with errors. Many genealogists wonder if it is worthwhile writing to the owner of the tree to provide them with corrections. 

A few weeks ago I conducted an experiment.  I  found 21 Family Trees on Ancestry.com that had the wrong death date for my great-grandfather Joseph McGinnis. It's actually an easy error to make as the death record is for a different Joseph McGinnis. It was an error I too made many years ago (pre-internet) and one I shared with a few other researchers. When I discovered that it was the wrong man, I wrote to anyone I had previously shared with and told them.

So I was taken aback to discover these 21 trees with the wrong death for my ancestor. I decided to write a letter explaining the error and directing the owners to  a blog post I wrote going over the facts and clarifying the two Joseph McGinnis males.

My Note Explaining the Error

Here's what I wrote. I deliberately kept it short and to the point. My experiment was to see 1) how many tree owners would respond and 2) how many would correct their error. I should add that I verified that the owners are active and are online every few days. So they have had plenty of time to respond to my note.

Hello [fill in name of tree owner]

Your death date of 1877 for my ancestor Joseph McGinnis (husband of Fanny Downey) is incorrect. The Joseph who died on that date was a different man. I have documentation to prove this.

For the facts, please see my blog post at http://olivetreegenealogy.blogspot.ca/2013/01/a-case-of-mistaken-identity.html

Lorine McGinnis Schulze
Olive Tree Genealogy

 The results of my experiment

6 out of 21 tree owners responded. All responded favourably and thanked me. Did any of them correct the error?

1. 1 owner signed in as recently as today. She has not corrected the error.
2. 1 owner signed in yesterday. His tree is now private.
3. 1 owner removed the incorrect date. She is a woman I have also corresponded with many times over the past 16 years.
4. 1 owner told me had made the correction. He has not. His online tree still shows the same error.
5. 1 owner removed the incorrect death date but entered a different year and location that is not correct 
6. 1 owner wrote to me and gave me her private email asking me to share information. I replied 2 weeks ago with info and have not heard back from her.  Her tree no longer has Joseph McGinnis or his wife in it

Was My Time Well Spent?

So the final summary is that of 21 tree owners, 6 responded and only 1 removed the incorrect death year (without substituting more incorrect details)

I hate to say this but the time it took me to write to each of these people and then read and respond to those who responded, was not worth my time. It irritates me to see bad or incorrect genealogy perpetuated but from now on I am going to grit my teeth and spend my time on other more worthwhile genealogy pursuits such as bringing more free genealogy records online to Olive Tree Genealogy website!

Credits Image by stockimages on FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Did Your Ancestor Disappear from the Records?

Many of us have had that problem. We're searching for an ancestor and finding him or her in census records, vital records and more. 

Just when we think we're on a roll, that ancestor disappears! That's when you need to expand your search to other records such as orphanages, workhouses or almshouse (poorhouse) records.

Here's a few resources for such records (but there are many more both online and offline)

New York Almshouse Records 1819-1840 - These contain the names of the ship each person sailed on, plus dates of arrival. 

New York Almshouse Records 1855-1858 - These contain the name of the ship and the arrival date and port for each person. 

Poor Law Union Immigrants to Canada 1836-1853 - Lists of individuals from various parishes in England sent to Canada when their Parish could no longer support them
 
Passenger List of Waegh (The Weigh-House), 1655 - with names and ages of the Almshouse children, who sailed to New Netherland (New York) from Amsterdam Holland 


Orphan Records New York Lists of children in Orphanages from 1850 - 1880

List of Poor sent from England to Ireland 1860-1862 -Includes Ports of Departure & Arrival plus number of years in England or Scotland

Eight Canadian First World War soldiers to be buried on May 13 in France

Eight Canadian First World War soldiers will be buried on May 13 at Caix British Cemetery in Caix, France. 

The soldiers, from Winnipeg’s 78th Battalion,  were found in 2006 and 2007. A few were identified - Lieutenant Clifford Neelands, Lance Sergeant Oscar Lindell, and Privates Sidney Halliday, William Simms, and Lachlan McKinnon. 

I did some genealogy research and found the following in the online CEF database. Their attestation papers, front and back are also available. In some cases the full file has been digitized and can be downloaded:

Attestation Papers Clifford Neelands

Name:

• NEELANDS, CLIFFORD ABRAM

Rank:

LT

Date of Birth:

• 1892-01-04

Place of Birth:

Barrie ON Canada

Enlistment Date:

1916-05-25

Place of Enlistment:

Winnipeg MB Canada

Unit:

90th Battalion

Reference:

RG 150, Accession 1992-93/166, Box 7251 - 27

Item Number:

557547

 

 

Name:

• LINDELL, JOHN OSCAR

Regimental Number:

• 147186

Date of Birth:

• 1884-12-27

Place of Birth:

Sweden

Enlistment Date:

1915-07-01

Place of Enlistment:

Winnipeg MB Canada

Unit:

78th Battalion

Reference:

RG 150, Accession 1992-93/166, Box 5649 - 60

Item Number:

531784

 

Continue reading this story at Eight Canadian First World War soldiers to be buried on May 13 in France.

6 Generations of Mothers and a Matrilineal DNA Line

 

Here are 6 direct line females, mother to daughter - my matrilineal MtDNA line. From left to right:

My 2nd great grandmother, Sarah (Elvery) Stead

Sarah Stead's daughter, my great grandmother Sarah (Stead) Simpson

Sarah Simpson's daughter my grandmother Ruth (Simpson) Bates

Ruth Bates' daughter, my mother Joan McGinnis

Your truly

My daughter Judy

Have you ordered your Ancestry DNA Kit yet? Why not get one today on Mother's Day!

A Mother's Inspiration

Joan McGinnis 1916-2009

In honour of Mother's Day, Family Search asked bloggers and family historians to share memories of their mothers' favourite words.

I was pleased to share inspiring words from my mother in this FamilySearch post‬. 

Who Doesn't Love Gone With the Wind Style Dresses?

Here is one of my favorite photos from my collection of Civil War era CDVs (Cartes de Visite)

Mrs. Joseph Curtis taken 1862

Mrs. Joseph Curtis is wearing a typical gown of the early 1860s. Full Pagoda sleeves dropped from the shoulder, with an undersleeve, create the illusion of the sought after tiny waist. Her bodice has a natural waistline and removable collar. Her hair follows the typical hair fashion of this early period. It covers her ears and is parted in the middle and pulled back to a roll at the nape of her neck. The extreme fullness of her skirt is very apparent in this photo.

This beautiful album is one of my rescued treasures. You can view the thumbnails of other photos from the album in my Lost Faces section of my Olive Tree Genealogy website.

Surnames in the album are Fobes, Tucker, Curtis, Gilbert, Peabody, Spear, Blake, Mansfield, Bassett, Botton, Williston, Nilliston, Kimbal, Daniels, Sutherland, Schaffner, Keith, Towne, Low, Wilder, Holden, Whitemore

Locations of photographers: Massachusetts, New York, Illinois

Do You Have a Pedlar Ancestor? Licences to Pedlars & Hawkers in 1839

Pedlars licenced between 1st October and 31st December 1839 

John Wilson, P Ginge, Isham Williams, Jeremiah Crysler 

Source: Appendix to the First Volume of the Journals of the Legislative Assembly [and the Legislative Council] of the Province of Canada Session 1841. Published 1842 Volume 1 in Google Books

Loving Legacy Tree! (and a Special Offer for My Readers)

Recently I used Legacy Tree's research services. I was very impressed! The researcher assigned to my query was very speedy with her response and very professional. She showed a thorough understanding of what I knew and what I wanted to find out.

Within the week I received a detailed report which contained new information on my ancestor. The report also provided me with recommendations of more research that could be conducted. My particular search is in Germany which is an area of research unfamiliar to me and where I do not have access to the records. I will definitely use their services again to pursue this ancestor.

Because I was so pleased with their services, I reached out to Legacy Tree and they kindly agreed to let me offer a very nice special to my readers. And just in time for Mother's Day!


It’s Legacy Tree Genealogists’ 11 year anniversary! To celebrate, get a beautiful genealogy wall chart for just $11 with a qualified research project (includes tax/shipping; offer ends May 31, 2015). 

Legacy Tree Genealogists provides careful and efficient family history research for clients worldwide, including help with dual citizenship, DNA testing analysis and research, brick wall research, family biographies, and more. Learn more at https://legacytree.com/olivetreegenealogy.

Patients in Toronto Insane Asylum 1841

Was your ancestor one of these troubled individuals below?

Following are the names of patients in the Toronto Insane Asylum in 1841 taken from the image above: James Watson, Keeran Flyn, John Gibson, Hugh Husson, James Beaty, Daniel Izord, Daniel McNab, John Stewart, Francis Lindsay, Elijah Chappell, John Lambert, Ellen Dunn ,Letitia Stevtns ,Eliza Murphy, Mary Kelly, Elizabeth McLean, Mary Campbell, Mary Thompson, Jacob Barnhart, Nancy Henly, Mary Erskine ,George Daniels, Edward Bevans, William Ridley, Anne Wallis, Mary Thompson, Martha Spotswood, John Beare, Nancy Hcnly George Winters, Samuel Morrell, Mary Thompson

For more information on existing medical records for Ontario see http://www.olivetreegenealogy.com/can/ont/medical.shtml 

Introducing Drew Smith, Guest Genealogist

Some genealogists may not be familiar with Drew Smith, who is based in Florida.

I "met" Drew online on Facebook a year ago and was immediately impressed with his knowledge and genealogical skills. Drew's a busy guy and I am thankful he found the time to answer my questions. Read on to learn more about Drew and his work in technology and genealogy. 

1.     How and when did you become involved in the field of genealogy? 

Growing up in upstate South Carolina, it was difficult not to be aware of the importance of knowing about one's family and how everyone was related.  But as a child I was easily discouraged about working on my family, given such common family names as Smith, Martin, and King. When my favorite aunt passed away in 1991, I decided that her generation was nearly gone and that I needed to get serious about genealogical research. 

2.     What is your main genealogical focus? 

I have written and co-written a few books, written a large number of articles, and have done speaking at national and state conferences going back many years.  I am especially known as being the co-host of The Genealogy Guys Podcast. 

3.     Please tell us more about this main focus. 

Because I have a technology background, I am most interested in how to apply technology to solve genealogical problems. 

4.      What are your website(s) and blogs? 

I podcast at The Genealogy Guys Podcast (genealogyguys.com), and blog on occasion at Rootsmithing with Technology (rootsmithing.com). 

5.     Do you have a Social Media presence?  

I'm on Twitter at @drewsmithtpa, Pinterest at drewsmithtpa (haven't had much time to spend there), Facebook at drew.smith, and Google+ at +DrewSmithTPA. 

6.     Do you believe a Social Media presence is important? 

I think that Social Media provides the best way to be visible to other genealogists, especially if you're engaged in professional activities and you want people to be able to find you and see what you're doing. 

7.     Are you a member of any genealogical societies or organizations? 

I'm a member of APG and NGS.  I have previously served on the Board of the Federation of Genealogical Societies and the Florida State Genealogical Society.  I am currently the President of my local society here in Tampa, the Florida Genealogical Society, and I'm the Chair of the Family History Information Standards Organisation (FHISO). 

8.     What does genealogy mean to you? Why do you believe it is important? 

I think genealogy connects us to our history and to each other.  It makes history come alive and it enlightens us about our ancestors and about ourselves. 

9.     What do you believe is the most exciting development in genealogy today? 

The two most exciting developments in genealogy today are the increasing number of original records being digitized and put online for viewing, and the availability of DNA testing. 

10. Do you have a prediction or hope for the field of genealogy in the future? 

I hope that genealogy will continue to fascinate each new generation as it tries to understand the world and how its ancestors' past decisions led to the individuals alive today.  It is an affordable hobby that remains personal and intriguing.  I estimate that we'll continue to benefit from future digitization efforts for decades to come. 

11.  Please feel free to add anything you would like to say that hasn’t been addressed by the questions above. 

While genealogy isn't some sort of panacea that will lead to world peace, I do believe that those who engage in it come away with a better appreciation of humanity, both the good and the bad.

Nursing Sister Philips WW1 Photo Album 22R Ward 30

This Photo Archive consists of a small autograph album (6.5" by 5.25") kept by Constance (Connie) Philips as a memento of her time serving as a nurse during World War One. 

The majority of the photos and items are from 1915, when she served as a nurse in France and Britain.

The album and all photographs, postcards, and other ephemera contained in the album belong to Karin Armstrong and may not be copied or republished without her written permission. The images will be published on Olive Tree Genealogy with permission.

Each image has been designated an "R" for Recto or a "V" for Verso plus an album page number. Recto is the right-hand side page of a bound book while Verso is the left-hand side page.

I will be posting the entire album and my additional research on the individuals identified in Connie's album over the coming months so please check back frequently to view these historic photos. The easiest way to see what has been published is to click on the topic "Nursing Sister WW1 Photos" in the vertical menu bar on the right side of your screen. You can also click on that phrase at the bottom of this post.

Featured: California Digital Newspaper Collection

The California Digital Newspaper Collection contains 76,996 issues comprising 659,335 pages and 7,463,349 articles. It is free to search and consists of newspapers from 1846 to the present day.

The California Digital Newspaper Collection is a project of the Center for Bibliographical Studies and Research (CBSR) at the University of California, Riverside.

Search the California Digital Newspaper Collection.

AncestryDNA Soon Available in Canada!

Great news! AncestryDNA will soon be available for Canadians. 

You can sign up for the invite list on Ancestry.ca to be notified as soon as it is available. 

I just signed up today and am eager to get my DNA kit to complete my testing.