Library and Archives Canada and Canadiana.org announces partnership

Last week, I reported on the new digitization partnership between the Library and Archives Canada (LAC) and Canadian.org (see blog posting of Aug 23^rd  “Some land records are being digitized”), and now it has been made official.

The LAC has agreed to a “large-scale digitization partnership involving about 60 million images from numerous collections”.   

A couple of things caught my eye –

This will be a ”10-year agreement with this longstanding partner (which) covers the digitization, indexing and description of millions of personal, administrative and government documents, as well as land grants, war diaries and photographs. There will be no change for those Canadians who wish to access these collections at LAC.

The go on to further say that “Canadiana.org also will also transcribe millions of handwritten pages, and create related descriptions. Enhanced search tools facilitating access to these records will be available to Canadians free of charge at LAC, as well as at hundreds of subscribing libraries in regions across Canada. For a small monthly fee, Canadians will also be able to use the enhanced tools online to conduct advanced searches without leaving home”

Notice that the press release says nothing about newspapers. And what will be the fee? And when will this take place?

It also sounds as if you want to see these records free of charge, you will have to visit them at the LAC in Ottawa.

To read the full report, go to http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/news/Pages/2013/lac-canadiana-partner-digitization.aspx 

Is your ancestor on this list?

As you probably know, Canada will celebrate its 150^th birthday in 2017.

And the OGS has a new Heritage Society Certificate on the Father of Confederation.

The certificate is open to anyone who can prove descent from one of these 36 officially-named Fathers of Confederation -

Sir Adams George Archibald

George Brown

Sir Alexander Campbell

Sir Frederick Carter

Sir George-Etienne Cartier

Sir Edward Barron Chandler

Sir Jean-Charles Chapais

Sir James Cockburn

George Coles

Robert B. Dickey

Charles Fisher

Sir Alexander Tilloch Galt

Col John Hamilton Gray

Sir John Hamilton Gray

Sir Thomas Heath Haviland

William Alexander Henry

Sir William Pearce Howland

John Mercer Johnson

Sir Hector-Louis Langevin

Andrew Archibald Macdonald

Sir John A. Macdonald

Jonathan McCully

William Alexander McDougall

Thomas D’Arcy McGee

Peter Mitchell

Sir Oliver Mowat

Edward Palmer

William Henry Pope

John William Ritchie

Sir Ambrose Shea

William H. Steeves

Sir Etienne-Paschal Tache

Sir Samuel Leonard Tilley

Sir Charles Tupper

Edward Whelan

Robert Duncan Wilmot


Go to http://www.ogs.on.ca/home/heritage_societies/Fathers%20of%20Confederation%20Society%20Application.pdf for more information on this society and an application form.

Wesleyan Methodist Baptismal Records

Starting in 1843, Wesleyan Methodist ministers kept a book of entries for births and baptisms. Each year, they submitted their book to the Conference Office.

Entries were then copied into the General Register, arranged by township, town, village and circuit. The records of the Wesleyan Methodist Church are from 1826 to 1910.

The United Church of Canada Archives who hold copyright on these records, but they have allowed the OGS to transcribe and sell these records through its thirty Branches located throughout Ontario.

To obtain copies of these baptismal record indexes, contact the Branch in the area in which you are doing your family research.

You can go to the list of Branches within the OGS at http://www.ogs.on.ca/branches.php


Postscript: Remember that these are copies of the original baptismal record. It is best if you can get the original record so that you can be sure that there are not any mistakes in transcribing the copies. 

90th Annual Buxton Homecoming

What started as a one-day celebration back in 1924, has turned into a four-day heritage event which will take place this weekend (Aug 31^st to Sept 2^nd) at the Buxton National Historic Site and Museum, Buxton, Ontario. Organizers expect nearly 3,000 people will attend the events.

The event starts on the Friday with a U.S./Canadian history and genealogy conference at the museum. There will be three speakers and a panel of students from York University.

Saturday will feature a baseball tournament with the baseball teams in the form of a family tree, and Sunday there will be an afternoon church service and an historical re-enactments at the museum park grounds. There will also be a bronze marker that will be unveiled in the Buxton cemetery to commemorate Eliza Parker.

Parker was a historical figure with the Fugitive Slave Act in the US before coming to Canada and settling in North Buxton in the mid-1800s.

Then there will be the North Buxton Parade on Monday, and a midway fairgrounds.

If you want to find out more about the event, you can go to http://www.buxtonmuseum.com

I am on vacation … sort of

I will be on vacation until Sept 3^rd, so there won’t be a Canadian Week in Review until Sept 9th.

I am scheduled to take a week of workshops on the topic of genealogical research, with homework, so I will be busy.

I have put a series of posts on the blog to cover each day, so be sure to check back to see if there is anything which interests you.

See you on Sept 3^rd!

Find your Ukrainian ancestor at the LAC

The LAC site says "Do you ever wonder who your first Ukrainian ancestor was and when he or she left the Ukraine and arrived in Canada? Are you curious about your family’s Ukrainian heritage? 

If so, the Library and Archives Canada is a great place to begin your research. 

For instance, you will find a page specific to genealogical research at http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/genealogy/022-905.010-e.html

It provides you with historical background information, archival and published material from the collection, as well as links to other websites and records".

Toronto Ukrainian Genealogy Group http://www.torugg.org

Elgin County OGS monthly meeting

The Elgin County OGS meets on the fourth Monday of March, April, May, September, October and November in the Carnegie Room at the St. Thomas public Library at 7:30 p.m.

Martin DeKeyzer will talk about Elgin County Postcards & Postal Memorabilia on Monday, September 23, 2013.

For further information, contact info@elginogs.ca

While you are checking out the Elgin County site. Don’t forget to go to Ancestry Indexes at

http://www.elginogs.ca/Home/ancestor-indexes. There you will find cemetery, census, land records and much, much more!

Some land records are being digitized

Canadiana.org is a Canadian company in Ottawa which is preserving Canada's published history and is making it available online to everyone – free!

The part of Canadiana.org which interests me is the Heritage Project. 

The Heritage Project is going to take some of Canada’s most popular archival collections, such as 60-million pages of FREE primary-source microfilm images from the 1600s to the mid-1900s.

I have read the list and I am impressed! What would have taken me years to find these documents in the different institution across the country, will be appearing online right in my own computer.

One of the first projects that they have done is the Heir and Devisee Commission of the Upper Canada (Ontario) Land Records.

The second commission met in York, and they were restricted to claims to land made by heirs, devisees, or assignees, not by the original nominees themselves

This commission was established by provincial statute in 1797, to clarify the titles to lands in Upper Canada.

There were actually two distinct periods which the commission covered. In the first commission, they heard from people who had originally received the land, their heirs, devisees, and assignees.

Records can include (although not always) affidavits, bonds, location certificates, powers of attorney, orders-in-council, copies of wills, mortgages, deeds of sale, and testimonial letters.

The digitized copies of the microfilm reels onsite appear in the same order as on the microfilm reels themselves. Remember, unfortunately, there is NO index by name.

Alternatively, the records are arranged by district, then by type of document, then in chronological, alphabetical, or numerical order.

The list of microfilm rolls are on  http://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.lac_mikan_205142, just click on the reel you want to view, and it is there for you to research.

Update on closure of QFHS library and office

Just got word from the Quebec Family History Society (QFHS) that the "Library and office of the Quebec Family History Society will also be closed up to and including Tuesday September 3, 2013.

The library and office will re-open on Wednesday September 4, 2013".

If you require further information, please go to http://www.qfhs.ca

Quebec Family History Society Holiday Hours

The library and office of the Quebec Family History Society will be closed from Thursday August 22, 2013 until and including, Monday September 2, 2013.

On Tuesday September 3, 2013 the library and office will reopen and the regular schedule of opening hours will resume.

Monday to Friday 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Wednesday Evening 6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Sunday 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

For information on upcoming events please consult our website http://www.qfhs.ca/

The Quebec Family History Society is the largest English-language genealogical society in Quebec

Lecture Series: Canadian History, eh?

On Tuesdays in November, at 2:30 pm, there will be the Fall Lecture Series presented by Grey Roots, and Gary Weigner will give talks on the following -

November 5: European Discovery Natives and Europeans first contact: struggle was inevitable. How Europe paid for its future industrial growth on the backs of the Natives of North America.

November 12: French VS EnglishWhy is there still tension between us? Where did it begin in our history? Why did the French stay in Canada after 1763? Where do we go from here?

November 19: The Canadian IdentityBritish? American? Melting pot or Fruitcake blend? How has our history shaped our character?

November 26: From Nationhood to the Present
Explore the hot button issues about why we confederated and how we began as a player on the international stage.

A graduate in History and Political Science from the University of Guelph, Gary Weinger taught High School History, English, Law and Business for over thirty years.

For more information, go to Grey Roots Museum and Archives at http://www.greyroots.com/programs-events/events

.

They are located in Owen Sound, Ontario.

Decoration Days, Doors Open and Tours

My thanks go to Sherri Pettit for posting Decoration Days, Open Doors, and Tours in local cemeteries in Ontario.  

For example, some of the events will take place on the following dates –

Amherstburg – Christ Church Anglican Cemetery Aug 28 Open Doors

Burlington – Nelson United Cemetery Sat., Sep. 28. Doors Open.

Fairfield – Fairfield Cemetery Sun., Sep. 8. Decoration Sunday

For more information about the places where these events will be held, go to http://canadacems.blogspot.com/2013/08/decoration-days-tours.html

Dick Eastman Lectures in Halifax

This is an event you cannot afford to miss!

The Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia (GANS) is presenting Dick Eastman at a day-long genealogy event at the Capt. William Spry Community Center on October 19, 2013.

Dick will talk on -

The Organized Genealogist - a look at various methods of reorganizing record keeping by use of digital techniques. Focuses on converting paper based record keeping to digital records

Cloudy with a Chance of Genealogy - what is “the cloud” and how it can simplify your computer usage

Putting the Genes in Genealogy - a look at the possibility that today’s genealogists may become the lifesavers of family and loved ones in the near future.

Conservation: Keeping up with Technology - how to make sure that your genealogy data is still readable by future generations

Our program will be from 9 am to 5 pm and will include lunch in the price.

Lectures are open to the public

$45.00 for members of GANS

$75.00 for non-members

Contact : Dawn Josey at info@novascotiaancestors.ca to register

For more information on Dick Eastman please visit blog.eogn.com/about.html

I have heard Dick speak on a number of occasions, and he always is a wealth of information!

Canadian Week in Review 19 August 2013

I have come across the following Canadian websites, blogs, Facebook, and newspaper articles this past week that were of interest to me, and I thought you might be interested in them, too

Websites

Canadian Society of Mayflower Descendants http://www.csmd.org Have you been to this website lately? I had the occasion to go to it last week and notice that they have chapters (called colonies) across the country, and they appeared to be an active group in Canada.

Blogs

Canadian Heritage Tours on The Waterways www.thegreatwaterway.com/blogs A collection of different things to do and see on the Rideau Canal Waterway in Ontario.

Facebook, Videos, You Tube

No sites this week.

Newspapers Articles of the Week

Thousands connect with Alberta's Ukrainian heritage http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/story/2013/08/12/edmonton-ukrainian-heritage-day.html The Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village is located at Edmonton Alberta, along Highway 16, just 3 km east of Elk Island National Park. It is an open-air museum that tells the story of Ukrainian immigrants who settled in this region to 1930 (1892-1930). The website is www.history.alberta.ca/ukrainianvillage/default.aspx

Confederation Centre to play host to new Mi'kmaq exhibition

www.journalpioneer.com/News/Local/2013-08-12/article-3347467/Confederation-Centre-to-play-host-to-new-Mikmaq-exhibition/1  A new travelling exhibition highlighting the Mi’kmaq history of Prince Edward Island is set to open at the Confederation Centre Art Gallery in Charlottetown.

Fort Vermilion marks 225th anniversary with a parade that touches on its historic past www.edmontonjournal.com/Fort+Vermilion+marks+225th+anniversary+with+parade+that+touches+historic+past/8775802/story.html The float down the main street in Fort Vermilion told of the start of the town as a fur trading post established by Charles Boyer with the Northwest Company on the banks of the Peace River in 1788.

Vikings exhibit coming to Museum of Civilization in 2015 www.ottawacitizen.com/travel/Vikings+exhibit+coming+Museum+Civilization+2015/8793876/story.html The exhibition We Call Them Vikings will open at the Canadian Museum of Civilization in November, 2015, and continue to the next April.

Swaminarayan sect buys 2 US, Canada churches http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-08-15/ahmedabad/41412652_1_churches-sansthan-mahesh-varsani The  Shree Swaminarayan Gaadi Sansthan Maninagar religion, based in India, is busy buying unused churches across the world. One such church is a 100-year old church in Scarborough, Ontario – next door to Toronto.

Key piece of lighthouse history makes it back home www.ngnews.ca/News/Local/2013-08-14/article-3351059/Key-piece-of-lighthouse-history-makes-it-back-home/1 Barry MacDonald, president of the Nova Scotia Lighthouse Preservation Society, has donated the original lens from the second Caribou lighthouse to the Northumberland Fisheries Lighthouse Museum.  

Story of the Week

National Acadian Day

The National Acadian Day is held every year on August 15^th.  During the first National Convention of the Acadians held at Memramcook, New Brunswick in 1881, that the Acadians leaders received the directive to set the date of this celebration as August 15^th.  

A good site to bring you up-to-date on the history of Acadians is at www.cbc.ca/acadian/feature_national_acadian_day.html

Reminder: Check out Canadian Week in Review every Monday for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada. It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in country! The next post will be 9 September, 2013.

Transcription of the 1921 Census

People in Nova Scotia are starting to take matters in their own hands, and they are transcribing parts of the census themselves.

For example, Dwayne Meisner has “transcribed the 1921 census for 13 Mile House in Halifax County. The census also includes Beaver Bank, Kinsack, Fall River, Windsor Junction, Lower Sackville, Middle Sackville, Upper Sackville, Lakeview.

Click on "Halifax" on the map to open the dialog window, and then click on
"Halifax County - 1921". If you are not already a member of my site, you will have to register to view the data. Registration is free.

It is available on his website at
www.dwaynemeisner.com

There are other people who are doing the same thing.

Diane Tibert has transcribed parts of the Liscomb census, also in Nova Scotia, at her blog Roots to the Past at http://rootstothepast.wordpress.com/1921-census.  

If you have done the same thing, or have done it yourself, and would like to put the fact out to everyone,  send the particular to me, and I will put it on this blog.

Archive CD Books Canada Inc. joins FindMyPast to bring Canadian Content online

Malcolm Moody has written to tell us that he has reached an agreement between his company - Archives CD Books Canada Inc. and the FindMyPast people in England, which will “make the content of a large number of digitized, genealogical, and historical,  document “on line” for consultation through the excellent data delivery services of FindMyPast.

The newly available Archive CD Books Canada collection consists of over 200 documents yielding almost 70,000 pages of select information.  “We carefully chose the documents we digitize on the basis of their usefulness to Family Historians, Genealogists, and Historians” says Malcolm Moody, the president of Archive CD Books Canada.  “We believe people will appreciate the care we take to provide accurate, clear, readable, images of every printed page and to hand edit the (invisible) OCRed text to provide researchers with the best chance of finding every occurrence of their searched for words.” Continued Moody, “We also make sure that all illustrations and maps in our source documents are visible in the digitized edition and are included in the correct location, no mater what size they are.”

Malcolm says that you can still go to his site at Archives CD Books Canada Inc. if you want to buy the complete book, but you can go to FindMyPast if you just want a page or portion of a book that has been digitized .

The collection can be accessed on FindMyPast website (subscription site) at

http://search.findmypast.com/search/canada-documents, or you can go to the Archive CD Books Canada Inc. web site at http://www.ArchiveCDBooks.ca

Tracing Forward ‒ Searching for Relatives in Recent Times

Gwyneth Pearce, Secretary of the Toronto Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society, let us

know this morning that registration is now open for Tracing Forward - Searching for Relatives in Recent Times, a special fall event co-sponsored by the Toronto Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society and the Canadiana Department of North York Central Library.

She says to “Join expert speakers and fellow family history enthusiasts for a full day of lectures designed for researchers interested in expanding their family trees to find living relatives. Find out why we all should build “tracing forward” into our family history research, and discover new tools, techniques and strategies for tracing people who are either still alive or recently deceased. Learn how to navigate privacy and access rules and how to connect with “DNA cousins”, pick up tips from professionals who locate people for a living, and prepare to be inspired by stories of how family history mysteries have been solved”.

It will be held on Saturday, 26 October 2013 at the North York Central Library, 2nd floor Auditorium, 5120 Yonge Street, Toronto.

For full program and speaker information and to register online, visit http://www.torontofamilyhistory.org/TracingForward.html. OGS members pay reduced fees, and an additional early-bird discount applies for those who register before 30 September.

Your photos could have a snowball effect!

The deadline to get your photos on Canadians and snow in to the Museum of Civilization has been extended to September 15^th, 2013.

The Museum has already gathered 200 photos from across Canada. The objective: 300 colour and black-and-white photos, new and old, showing such activities as tobogganing, skiing, snowstorms and shovelling, etc. 

New deadline: September 15, 2013.

Your photos could be included in the Museum’s upcoming special exhibition on snow in Canada, scheduled to open December 6, 2013.

Do you have any such photos?* If so, please send them to the Museum following the instructions at http://www.civilization.ca/snow/photo.

High resolution photos are required (minimum 300 dpi).

*Excludes photographs showing activities or sports related to ice.

New deadline: September 15, 2013


And let us know if you are planning to send a photo in for the exhibit.

OGS questions are answered by LAC

This morning, Shirley Sturdevant, President of the OGS, has put the answers to her questions she asked the LAC last Saturday in an open letter. 

The morning, her letter was answered by M. Fabien Lengellé, Director General, Content Access Branch of Library and Archives Canada (LAC).

So what do you think? Are these the answers you were waiting for – has he answered her concerns completely? 

You can read my blog at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2013/08/what-is-partnership-between-lac-and.html where she asked the questions.

You can read the answers at http://www.ogs.on.ca/ogsblog.


   

Ancestry.ca Clarifies Access to 1921 Canada Census

Jeri Brown, Senior Consultant with Ancestry.ca, has written to me to make sure that everyone understands that -

“Under the terms of the partnership with Library and Archives Canada, Canadians will be able to access the 1921 Census of Canada images free of charge through the Ancestry.ca website. If you currently do not have an account or registered login with Ancestry.ca, you will be prompted to register (for free) to access the images. Registration requires the entry of a name and email address only. As the images are free for Canadians only, those attempting to access the 1921 Census via the other sites (ie: Ancestry.com, Ancestry.co.uk, etc…), will be prompted to sign up for a 14-day free trial”.

Meanwhile, how is everyone finding the census? Is it easy to work with? Any problems?  

I have heard from some people that the census itself is rather “marked up” and some writing is difficult to read, and that the names are difficult to decipher.  

Other people have said that they have had no problems, everything has gone as planned, and that they found the people they were looking for, without delay.

Remember, the "every name index" will be available in 2 -3 months on Ancestry.ca

Canadian Week in Review 12 August 2013 Special Edition: The 1921 Census

Websites

The 1921 Census Remember that this census is in “browser mode only” at the current time, not an “every name index” Go to http://www.ancestry.ca

Blogs

This week the OGS came out questioning the partnership between the Library and Archives Canada and Ancestry. Read the full blog at www.ogs.on.ca/ogsblog

The 1921 Canadian Census is now Available Online http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2013/08/the-1921-canadian-census-is-now-available-online.html There are some helpful hints on Eastman’s blog, in the comments section, for finding your ancestor.

1921 Canada Census - Browsable at Ancestry.com  

http://blog.dearmyrtle.com/2013/08/1921-canada-census-browsable-at.html

Dear Myrt has a question about why Ancestry would put on “browsable images” when, according to her; they usually wait until the index is finished before they put it online. (I think the answer is in the agreement between Ancestry and the LAC). 

John D. Reid has all sorts of census information on his site at www.anglo-celtic-connections.blogspot.com,  and Lorine McGinnis Schulze in her Olive Tree Genealogy Blog at http://olivetreegenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/08/loving-1921-canadian-census-images.html.

There is a statement on the Library and Archives Canada site at http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/news/Pages/2013/08-1921-census.aspx

Facebook, Videos, You Tube

The Library and Archives Canada Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/LibraryArchives The conversation continues....

Newspapers Articles of the Week

1921Canadian Census data released online, to genealogists’ delight 

http:// www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/08/09/1921_canadian_census_data_released_online_to_genealogists_delight.html

Story of the Week

Release of the 1921 Census

It’s been quite a week.

Wednesday morning, there were rumors swirling around Ottawa about the immediate release of the census, either on Wednesday afternoon or Thursday.

And then later on Wednesday, the word was that it would be released on Thursday at around 2 pm. And the census was released by Ancestry – which have upset some people. Some people are upset because it isn't an “every name index” – it is only available by district and sub districts, at the present time.

So the fallout (good and not so good), has followed on the weekend. There have been statements made on the pro and con side of the argument of the partnership between the Library and Archives Canada and Ancestry which will go on for years to come, I suspect. And the basic partnership arrangement was made some years ago when the LAC was starting to feel the budget crunch, and realized they couldn't sustain such a large undertaking as indexing the census or the passenger list – but it has raised its ugly head once again.

And that brings up all sorts of questions. For instance, should there be one genealogy society in Canada to speak for genealogists in such matter as to who handles such delicate data as that found in the country’s census? Questions like this one were asked back when the 1911 Census was being delayed, but nothing came from it, except a few scattered meetings.

So that leaves the census in a limbo of browsing by districts and sub districts until the “every name index” is put online by Ancestry, 2-3 months from now. It is a   subscription site, although you can view for free if you take advantage of their 14 day or 30 day offer, or have a subscription with Ancestry.ca, or Ancestry.ca is included in your package, or you can go to a library which has access to Ancestry - the library edition.

So it’s onto our next census challenge – the 1926 Prairie Provinces (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta) census which will be released in 2018.

Reminder: Check out Canadian Week in Review every Monday for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada. It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in country! The next post will be 19 August, 2013

Canadian Week in Review - SPECIAL EDITION

Reminder: Check out Canadian Week in Review every Monday for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada. It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in country! 

A special edition of the events which surrounded the release of the 1921 Census will be covered.

The Canadian Week in Review will be posted at midnight tonight.

What is the partnership between the LAC and Ancestry?

Yesterday, the president of the Ontario Genealogical Society, Shirley Sturdevant offered the opinion of the society on the release of the 1921 census.  This was done by releasing a statement on their blog, entitled Library and Archives Canada and Ancestry Partnership Results in Release of 1921 Canadian Population Census.

In part, the statement says -

“Although The Society is very pleased that these images are finally available to the public, we are concerned about its release through a subscription site. The lack of consultation with Canadian heritage organizations ignored their skills, experience and offers of assistance. Details of the arrangement are still unfolding and we hope that answers to our questions will be forthcoming regarding the arrangement between Library and Archives Canada and Ancestry.

• Was there no Canadian organization that could handle this?
• Is this deal exclusive to Ancestry?
• Has LAC given away its rights to use the digitized images later on their own web page, indexed or not?
• Might other organizations have access to the images and produce their own indexes as has been done successfully in the past, perhaps then making the information free to all?
• For how long will there be free access to the raw images or indexed information on the Ancestry.ca site?
• Is there a limit to the number of years Ancestry will have the sole rights before the census might appear elsewhere or is this material solely in their hands?
• What of access to the other census schedules?
• Why have the microfilms or images not been available at Library and Archives Canada until now?

There are many unanswered questions being asked by our members and others in the heritage community. We look forward to more details”.

To read the full statement, go to the web site at www.ogs.on.ca/ogsblog

So what is the nature of the partnership between the LAC and Ancestry? Does it give such societies, as the OGS, any room to have their say? Or are they looked upon as outsiders? Interesting questions, to say the least.

The waters on releasing the census issue is starting to get muddy. Let us hope that the OGS receives answers to their questions.

Disclaimer: Although I am employed by the OGS as editor of their journal Families, the views expressed in this statement are strictly by the OGS.   

Newfoundland is NOT in the 1921 Census

I have had a number of people ask what has happened to Newfoundland. It’s not in the 1921 Canada census on Ancestry.ca.

No, it isn’t there because it didn’t become a province until 1949.

However, they did have a 1921 census of Newfoundland and Labrador, and it has been opened for a number of years. 

You can access it at the Library and Archives Canada on microfilm , and the transcript is at the Newfoundland Grand Banks website at http://ngb.chebucto.org/C1921/121-dist-idx.shtml

The districts of Bay de Verde, Bonavista, Fogo, and Labrador have not survived.

1921Census updates

There have been a number of questions on the 1921 Census  -

First of all, please be reminded that it is FREE, either as a fourteen day or a month trial period at Ancestry. It is free to Ancestry subscribers (if they have a subscription to Ancestry.ca in their package), and is free to people who go to a library - if the library subscribes to Ancestry services. 

On http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/news, you can read the press release at Library and Archives Canada, and that should answer some of your questions. 

The National Registration File of 1940

Here is something else that could help you to fill in your family history during the 1940s from the Library and Archives Canada -

"Are you looking for a Canadian ancestor or someone who was living in Canada during the Second World War?

Since most sources for that time period are still subject to access or privacy restrictions under Canadian legislation. However, it is a  census records that can provide you with some answers. This very valuable source for genealogists and family historians is the result of the compulsory registration of all persons, 16 years of age or older, between 1940 and 1946.

If the person has been dead for more than 20 years, and you can provide proof of death, you can order a search of these Statistics Canada records. Please note that research fees, based on an hourly rate, apply.

If you cannot provide a copy of a death certificate, other types of documents indicating the date of death are accepted, such as obituary notices published in newspapers.

The registration included all persons who were 16 years of age or older, except for members of the armed forces and religious orders, or those confined to an institution. If a person died between 1940 and 1946, their questionnaire might have been destroyed. A different form was used for men than was used for women.

The questionnaires provide particulars such as address, age, date and place of birth, general health, and occupation. For immigrants, key details such as the year of arrival in Canada and their parents’ country of birth are given.

A similar national registration was undertaken during the First World War, in June 1918; however, those records have not survived".

Information is at http://www5.statcan.gc.ca/bsolc/olc-cel/olc-cel?lang=eng&catno=93C0006

The hourly rate is $72.68!