Showing posts with label Library and Archives Canada. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Library and Archives Canada. Show all posts

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Postal Museum Closed

Just read the Ottawa Citizen newspaper where the Canadian Postal Museum at the Canadian Museum of Civilization is closed in preparation for the change over to the new Canadian Museum of History to be opened in 2017.

The Postal Museum had been formed in 1971 by Canada Post, and had received various kudos for it’s completeness, but now it will be broken up into various travelling exhibits, with some of it staying behind in Ottawa at the new museum.

If you want to see if your ancestor was a postmaster at Canada Post, go to Post Offices and Postmasters list at the Library and Archives Canada www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/post-offices/001001-100.01-e.php

The Post Office was created as a federal department in 1867, and in early 1950s, cards were prepared by the Public Affairs Unit using the files and letter books on file. They were eventually turned over to the Library and Archives Canada, and put online so that we could use them today as a research tool. The records for the 1875-1902 have not survived.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

The Oakville Historical Society

The Oakville Historical Society is holding its last Public Speaker Night of the year this Wednesday. The topic for this final event is, “Alice’s Journey – A Personal Story of One Girl’s Journey from the Dr. Barnardo’s Homes to Canada,” as told by Alice’s daughter, Elaine Guther:

“The S.S. Scandinavian, with her precious cargo – Britain’s young children from the DR. BARNARDO’S HOMES cross the Atlantic on their way to Canada….. ALICE was on her way …..but would it be to “Wonderland”? “

The date of the lecture is Wednesday, November 21, 2012 at 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm, and the location is at St. John’s United Church, Dunn & Randall St., Oakville, Ontario.

The admission is Free. Refreshments Served

You may contact The Oakville Historical Society at 905.844.2695 or go to their website at www.oakvillehistory.org

For more information on the Home Children, go to

Home Children http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_Children

Young Immigrants to Canada: Barnardo Homes http://jubilation.uwaterloo.ca/~marj/genealogy/children/Organizations/barnardo.html

Read about this latest news on the Home Children at the Library and Archives Canada Blog at http://thediscoverblog.com/2012/11/20/home-children-introduction

© Elizabeth Lapointe All Rights Reserved

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Call for Presentations for the BIFHSGO Conference 2013


Ken McKinlay of the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO) has just sent me this call for proposals -

"The British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO) is seeking proposals for presentations at its 19th annual conference, September 20-22, 2013 to be held in Ottawa at Library and Archives Canada.

The focus this year will be on Ireland.

Proposals for other presentations besides those on Ireland are also invited as well as proposals for workshops or seminars on the Friday (September 20, 2013).

Details on writing the proposals can be found at www.bifhsgo.ca under the Conference heading. Please send your proposals to
conference@bifhsgo.ca before January 31, 2013."

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Costumes and Halloween

The Library and Archives Canada has just put a virtual exhabit of Costumes and Halloween fancy dress balls that were hosted by Lady Aberdeen at Rideau Hall in Ottawa in the 1890s.

The exhabit is on Flickr at
www.flickr.com/photos/lac-bac/sets/72157631684420843

Saturday, June 23, 2012

OGS President Interviewed

Read Shirley Sturdevant’s interview in the 21 June edition of the Chatham Daily News at http://www.chathamdailynews.ca/2012/06/20/connecting-ancestors-to-the-present called “Connecting ancestors to the present.”

She gives her own story of how she became president after joining the OGS five years ago, and the OGS thoughts on the current Library and Archives Canada situation.

It’s worth a read - quite a good interview.

Friday, June 15, 2012

Cuts at Library and Archives Will Affect Genealogists

In May of this year, the OGS put this on their blog. It reads - 

Cuts at Library and Archives Canada will Affect Genealogists
May 18th, 2012

Recently several cuts were announced by Library and Archives Canada (LAC). These cuts will affect the ability of LAC to provide a high level of service to researchers and will affect the public’s ability to access records housed at LAC. Additionally, LAC has announced cuts to programs that support archives throughout Canada, which will affect the ability of these organizations to continue to make Canada’s documentary history accessible.

What do these cuts mean?

Our access to Canada’s documentary history, as well as its continued preservation, has been put in jeopardy.

How will these cuts affect genealogical researchers?

1. LAC will be reducing their hours, restricting the public’s access to knowledgeable archivists and reference staff, and genealogical inquiries will require appointments.

2. The inter-library loan program will be cancelled as of February 2013. Previously researchers could request that documents be sent to their local library, free of charge. Examples of these documents included microfilms of passenger lists and census records, or published books held in the library collection. The cancellation of this program means that researchers must travel to Ottawa to view these records, or hire a researcher in the Ottawa area to access the records for them.

3. The number of staff employed at LAC is being reduced by approximately 20%. Not only does this mean a reduction in service to researchers, it will also affect LAC’s ability to catalogue books, describe archival collections, and digitize the collection.

4. LAC’s collection mandate is changing. Previously LAC’s role was to preserve Canada’s cultural and historical heritage, but now the focus has shifted to preserving the documents of the federal government. This means that private business records and the documentary history of ordinary Canadians are no longer being actively collected. Already several important pieces of Canada’s Aboriginal and military history have been acquired by private collectors both inside and outside of Canada.

5. Small and medium-sized archives throughout the country have been dependent upon funding administered through LAC. The elimination of this funding puts their ability to preserve their collections at risk. This funding, in the past, has allowed these institutions to properly describe archival records, digitize collections, create archival exhibitions, and hire new archival professionals.

If these changes concern you:

Write a letter to: your MP, the Minister of Canadian Heritage & Official Languages, the Prime Minister, and/or your local newspaper. Outline how these cuts will affect your ability to research and access Canada’s documentary history.
Members of Parliament:
http://www.parl.gc.ca/MembersOfParliament/MainMPsCompleteList.aspx?Language=E

Have you written your letter today?

 

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Ancestry.com Webinars

Monday night, I listened to a webinar given by Ancestry.com called “Ready, Set, Go! Family History How-To Everyone Should Know”.

Although I don't usually write on Ancestry.com (I try keep my remarks to their Canadian website, Ancestry.ca, on my blog), I made an exception this week, and listened to an introductory webinar. I wanted to hear what they had to say about researching, and Crista Cowan (the girl who lead the webinar – she is behind The Barefoot Genealogist's blog on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/notes/crista-cowan/why-am-i-called-the-barefoot-genealogist/3140686791615) gave some good tips that anyone can use – be they a beginner or an experienced genealogist.

She gave a list of what she calls “Genealogy Conventions”. I picked three conventions to write on -  

When dealing with a married couples, always put the woman's maiden name with her married name in the family tree. I always put (if I know it) her maiden name in the family tree, or in the search box. That is, if I know what it is. If you don't know what it is when searching, leave that field blank. In French-Canadian genealogy, it is preferable (because of Quebec civil laws listing all of a female's records under her birth name) to use the woman's maiden name when looking up civil records, as it will greatly increase your chances of finding her records vice finding them under her married name).

In a family tree, put the surname that you are researching in CAPS (capital letters), and leave all other names in non-caps. Now this is interesting, but it make perfect sense. The surname will leap out at you when it is in caps, and you can easily find the name you are looking for. An excellent idea!  

The trouble with place names — which seems to be a constant complaint I hear with my research work in Canada — is, how do I approach this? Crista says that it is a problem everywhere – just think about the problems in Europe!

But we have problems in Canada, too. Right now, I am researching a place in Ontario that had a name change in 1800s, plus a township name change.  

So, you must put the exact name where the event took place.  

Remember that in order to find out all the information which is on the 1851 Canada Census, you must check with the Library and Archives Canada (LAC) website www.lac-bac.gc.ca – and you must have the correct name in the search box, or else the search engine will say, “No Results Found”. Ancestry doesn't show everything on a record, so you will have to go to the LAC to find the information.

I must say that it was very good. If you missed it on the 14th, it is going to be placed in their onsite archives in the Learning Center at www.ancestry.com/cs/HelpAndAdviceUS.

Postscript: One place to check first on Ancestry.ca to see if they have a certain record is the Card Catalog http://search.ancestry.ca/search/CardCatalog.aspx#ccat=hc%3D25%26dbSort%3D1%26sbo%3D1%26. They have all the records there, and you can check that first before deciding to subscribe to Ancestry.ca. And it's FREE!

Friday, March 30, 2012

1921 Canadian Census

The 1921 Cenadian Census will be released to the Library and Archives Canada (LAC) on June 1st, 2013 from Statistics Canada. According to the legislation, 92 calendar years must have elapsed before the census is releaded to the LAC. The records will be transforred to the LAC, and it will opened for public use.

The LAC says that it is their intention to make the 1921 Canadian Census available to researchers online, in the same format as previous censuses, as soon as possible after that date.

Here are a few facts about the 1921 Canadian Census -

It was taken on June 1, 1921

It is the sixth comprehensive decennial census to be taken since the creation of the Dominion

There will be five schedules with a total of 565 questions

241 commissioners and 11,425 enumerators were employed

The most important growth of the population was in the prairie provinces with 47% since the 1911 Census

and

the overall population of Canada was 8,788,483 individuals.

If you would like to see the other census records, go to http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/genealogy/022-911-e.html

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

BIFHSGO Special Meeting Event


On Monday April the 2nd there will be a Special Meeting Event from 7:00-9:30 pm at the Auditorium, Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa with English researcher Simon Fowler who will give two FREE lectures.

 Called "An Evening with Simon Fowler" he will give lectures on - Researching your Military Ancestors Online, and British Emigration Records.

Simon Fowler is one of Britain’s most experienced family history teachers, writers and researchers. He specializes in military family history, with a particular focus on the First World War, and is the author of numerous well-regarded research guides and articles. Simon worked on and off for The National Archives/Public Record Office at Kew for over thirty years and edited their family history magazine Ancestors. He also teaches online military history courses for Pharos Tutors.

Come and meet experienced researchers, enjoy some refreshments and listen to this noted family history expert give two FREE lectures. The BIFHSGO website is http://www.bifhsgo.ca/.

See you there!

Monday, March 26, 2012

Immigration to Canada

The following are FREE databases online from the Library and Archives Canada (LAC) which can be used to check the immigration of your ancestor to Canada. They are -

Immigrants at Grosse-ÃŽle http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/grosse-ile-immigration/index-e.htmlThis database includes information on 33,026 immigrants whose names appear in surviving records of the Grosse-ÃŽle Quarantine Station between 1832 and 1937.

Passenger Lists, 1865-1922 http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/passenger/index-e.html Passenger lists (RG 76) were the official immigration documents from 1865 to 1935.

Passenger Lists, 1865-1922 http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/passenger/001045-130-e.html The database provides access to 21,840 references to passenger lists held at LAC.

List of Head Tax Certificates Held at Library and Archives Canada http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/genealogy/022-905.002.02-e.html It gives the person's name, plus particulars of the Head Tax.

Immigrants from China http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/chinese-immigrants/index-e.html It provides access to 98,361 references to Chinese immigrants who arrived in Canada between 1885 and 1949.

Port of New Westminster Register of Chinese Immigration http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/chinese-immigrants/index-e.html

Newfoundland Register of Arrivals and Outward Registrations
http://www.blogger.com/goog_1118683899

Home Children http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/home-children/index-e.html Between 1869 and the late 1930s, over 100,000 juvenile migrants were sent to Canada from Great Britain during the child emigration movement.

Montreal Emigrant Society Passage Book (1832) http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/mes/index-e.html  This research tool provides access to 1,945 references to people who received aid from the Montreal Emigrant Society between May 12 and November 5,1832.




Saturday, March 10, 2012

Canadians Who Fought in the Boer War

Forces War Records (a British website) has just added an additional 250,000 searchable military records.

Boer War records have been added to the Forces War Records database, and these records contain data about members of the British and Commonwealth Forces who were issued campaign or gallantry medals during the second Anglo Boer War 1899-1902.

The war ended with the Treaty of Vereeniging, signed on 31 May 1902.

The website is at http://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/default.asp

Canada sent 7,368 soldiers and 12 Nursing Sisters to the Boer War.

The personnel records include medal registers, land grant applications, and correspondence relating to those who served.

One interesting thing I found was that L. Beverly Webster from Kentville, Nova Scotia (a distant relative of mine), served with the British Army, and he is recorded in the Forces War Records as having died in England.

But a legal reprensentative made an application for land grantis on his behalf, but he didn't live long enough to enjoy the benefit of being awarded the grant of land. His body was sent back to Nova Scotia, and he is buried in Kentville.

The website at the Library and Archives Canada is www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/south-african-war/index-e.html

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Ancestry Search at Library and Archives Canada Blog

In their blog today, they had hints for doing ancestry research in their databases by simply using the ancestor’s name. I have used this method before on my Webster line, and it has worked for me, so give it a try, and see what you can find.

They also give hints under the title of "Did you know?", and some of them are -

Databases can have indexing errors because of poor handwriting, poor legibility, or the fading of ink over time in the original records. If you find an error in the index, use the “Suggest a correction” feature.

Some databases allow for wildcard searching, that is, you can substitute a letter with a symbol to allow for more search results. For example, use “Sm*th” for Smith or Smyth, or “Fred*” for Frederick or Fredrich.

In the past, many names were written phonetically by the person recording them, such as the priest for a Parish Register or an enumerator for the Census. This resulted in various spellings of the same name.

To read the rest of the hints, go to http://thediscoverblog.com

To search for your ancestor, go to www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/lac-bac/search/anc_adv .

============
I have just published two booklets -

The War of 1812: Canada and the United States, and Migration: Canada and the United States.

They are available for purchase through Global Genealogy at http://globalgenealogy.com, and the National Institute of Genealogical Studies at www.genealogicalstudies.com

For more on the booklets, please visit these links -

War of 1812 - http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2012/01/booklet-1-war-of-1812-canada-and-united.html, and

Migration - http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2012/01/booklet-2-migration-canada-and-united.html

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Some Canadian Archival Resources

Douglas Brymner (Dominion Archivist) July 3, 1823 - June 18, 1902

Douglas Brymner became Senior Second Class Clerk in 1872, and was responsible for the creation of a national archives in Canada. The government had voted for $4,000 to be spent in overseeing the collection of records, and in undertaking "general archival responsibilities".

Two archives that I use on a regular basis are the Nova Scotia Archives www.gov.ns.ca/nsarm and the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick http://archives.gnb.ca/archives because I have relatives in both Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

The NS Archives astounds me every time I go to it – there is always something new. I have searched their vital records and have found births, marriages, and deaths there; I have searched through one of their virtual archives, 'Seeing Yarmouth': Celebrating 250 Years of Community Life, and have found areas there that interest me; and I have spent hours reading the Nova Scotia Historical Newspapers from Shelburne, finding my family name (Barclay) in them.

Go to www.gov.ns.ca/nsarm/virtual to get a complete listing of their Virtual Archives.

The archives in New Brunswick holds Nova Scotia newspapers, and I found things here that I couldn't find anywhere else, especially in their Daniel F. Johnson's New Brunswick Newspaper Vital Statistics webpage at http://archives.gnb.ca/APPS/NewspaperVitalStats/?culture=en-CA. So it is well-worth a look, as they are adding to it all the time.

If you go to the Archives of Manitoba website at www.gov.mb.ca/chc/archives looking for estate records, take a look at the Winnipeg Estate Indexes, 1870-1983 webpage at www.gov.mb.ca/chc/archives/probate/wpg_estate.html.

I was lucky to find what I was looking for (for many people did go "Out West" when it was opened to find their fortune), and you just may be lucky enough to find your people listed in the estate indexes.

And, of course, I always come back to the Library and Archives Canada's (LAC) website at www.collectionscanada.gc.ca

One area that is worth a look on their website is the Search All search box, found in the upper right-hand corner of the page. Just put the name of the person you are looking for in the box, and you can search through four of their portals - "Library", "Archives", "Ancestors", and "Website" to see if there's a match.

You may be as surprised as I was when I discovered that a relative in the Boer War received a land grant from Canada, even though he had fought with the British in South Africa instead of with the Canadians!

So there is lots of information to find at these archives, either through the Internet, or by inter-library loan. All that one has to do is ask!

Tomorrow's Blog: Ontario Genealogical Groups

Friday, December 9, 2011

Launch of a New Flickr Image Set: Hong Kong, 1941–1945


The press release was received from the Library and Archives Canada this week - 

"To commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the Battle of Hong Kong, a new Flickr image set was added, which focuses on the Canadian prisoners of war liberated from a prison camp at the end of the war.


Past Flickr image sets include Canadian participation and activities during the First World War, Irish immigration to Canada and immigration and quarantine facilities at Grosse ÃŽle. These collections highlight different periods of Canadian history and delineate the stages Canada has faced to become the modern nation it is today.

We invite you to explore other image sets on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/lac-bac, and encourage you to comment, tag, and share content".


Thursday, November 3, 2011

Save Library and Archives Canada!

Over the past years, we have gradually seen the decline of service at the Library and Archives Canada.

Now it has come to light that the government is thinking of closing some parts of the LAC that the public now uses, and turn the space into office space for government employees.

This also involves what has been considered as "public space" on the main floor, including the auditorium, and meeting rooms. The British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO) meets for their monthly meetings, and conference; the Ottawa Genealogical Society (OGS) use to hold (until very recently) their monthly meetings and conferences there, and various SIGs also hold their meetings every month.

Now, a new group The Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) has a website called "Save the Library and Archives Canada" at http://www.savelibraryarchives.ca/default.aspx.

They held a press conference yesterday where they laid out their concerns about the LAC, and they have set up a web page where you can read the open letter they wrote to the Daniel Caron, Librarian and Archivist of Canada. You can also leave your email address in order to be brought up-to-date with the latest news from CAUT.

John D. Reid on his blog Anglo-Celtic Connections http://anglo-celtic-connections.blogspot.com/ has been keeping us informed about the LAC. Read about what he has to say today about the LAC, and the government proposed cutbacks.

Friday, September 9, 2011

Canadian Women’s Army Corps (CWAC)

As we approach the 75th Anniversary of the beginning of the Second World War in 2013, there are a number of events coming up in the future that you may want to attend, or read about on the Internet.

One of them is the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Canadian Women’s Army Corps (CWAC).

Mr. Douglas Townend, an avid collector of memorabilia related to the Corps, will be displaying his extensive collection at the LeBreton Gallery, Canadian War Museum on Saturday, September 17, 2011 11:00 am to 3:00 pm.

Their Canadian War Museum is at http://www.warmuseum.ca/home

This event will be the same day as the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa Conference http://www.bifhsgo.ca/cpage.php?pt=22 which is being held just up the hill from the War Museum at the Library and Archives Canada http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/genealogy/index-e.html, so I will be unable to attend.

For a history of the Canadian Women’s Army Corps, these places have their history online -

The Canadian Encyclopedia http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0001342

The Juno Beach Centre http://www.junobeach.org/e/4/can-tac-cwa-e.htm

Canadian Women's Army Corps http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Women's_Army_Corps

Thursday, August 4, 2011

New version - Canadian Naturalization Database Online

Just received this press release -

(Ottawa, August 4, 2011) Library and Archives Canada (LAC) is pleased to announce the release of a new version of the online database Canadian Naturalization 1915–1951.

The nominal index has been extended with the addition of more than 91,000 names and now covers the years from 1915 to 1936, inclusively. Work is ongoing to extend the nominal index to 1951, and volunteers are welcome to help. Those interested should write to Cdn-Nat-Coord@jgs-montreal.org.

This database is one of the few Canadian genealogical resources specifically designed to benefit researchers having roots other than British. The reference numbers indicated in the database can be used to request copies of the original naturalization records, which are held by Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

The database is available at the following address:
www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/naturalization-1915-1932/index-e.html

Library and Archives Canada would like to thank the Jewish Genealogical Society of Montreal [http://jgs-montreal.org/] and its volunteers, especially Mrs. Ruth Diamond, without whom this project would not have happened.

For more information, please contact webservices@bac-lac.gc.ca.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Library and Archives Canada - New Digitized Reels

The latest attempt by the Library and Archives Canada (LAC) to bring their records to the general public was sent out in press release last week which said they had digitized more records on their site for viewing.

It said that the " Library and Archives Canada (LAC) is pleased to announce the addition of 484 digitized microfilm reels representing 1,125,141 new images regarding British military and naval records (RG 8, "C" Series) to its website. These records include a wide range of documents related to the British army in Canada, Loyalist regiments, the War of 1812, the Canadian militia, and more. Both microfilm reels for the nominal card index and the archival documents have been digitized and are now accessible online. Through the research tool "microform digitization," you can browse the microfilm reels page by page".

It isn't as easy as it sounds, because you have to have the record number before you start, or else you will be hunting every record, and if you have not done this before by microfilm, it can be very tiring, and frustrating.

They have put a "Search Help" feature on http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/microform-digitization/006003-130-0005-e.html?PHPSESSID=bmihtd5h6irlfrkn8ihv61apj0, and I had to look at it because I wanted to check an immigrant who came to Saint John, New Brunswick in April, 1927. At least it gave me the the right place to search, although once again, it was a long process, and many pages were turned before I got to the right spot.

They have placed a "Brouse by Title", and have included 17 titles from Form 30, Border Entry Records, 1919-1924, to Passenger Lists: Saint John (1925 – 1935) to British Military and Naval Records (RG 8, C Series) - INDEX ONLY.

You can contact them at webservices@bac-lac.gc.ca.

They have given you a place to send your comments. They say "It is our hope to expand the selection of microform records available online. Please use the "Comments" form to provide feedback on this type of access".

Sunday, February 1, 2009

LAC Launches Black History Month

The Library and Archives Canada (LAC) launched Black History Month today (Sunday, February 1st), and they are calling it "The Courage to Make a Difference."

As Ian E. Wilson, Librarian and Archivist of Canada says, "I invite researchers, historians, educators, genealogists and students to delve into our vast array of material and resources to learn more about the rich heritage of Black Canadians."

This year, the LAC is paying special notice to Abraham Doras Shadd, who played a major role in the Underground Railroad, and to Rosemary Brown, the first Black woman to be elected as a member of a Provincial Legislative Assembly in Canada. The website is www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/black-history.

You can go online to to read about the Anti-Slavery Movement in Canada at
www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/anti-slavery/index-e.html. An article about this will be in the February issue of the Ontario Genealogical Society's newsletter, NewsLeaf.

The Port Roseway Associates Database at www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/port-roseway/index-e.html gives access to a listing of 1,498 Black Loyalists Refugees who settled in Shelburne, Nova Scotia.

As stated on the website at www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/northern-star/index-e.html, "Under a Northern Star presents seven unique collections held at Library and Archives Canada (LAC) that document the diverse historical experience of African Canadians."

There are other resources to check, including Achievements and Contributions, Literature, Music, and Sports.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Happy Chinese New Year!




The Library and Archives Canada (LAC) is celebrating the Chinese New Year with a collaboration of the information and databases they have compiled over the past years
in an exhibit entitled "The Early Chinese Canadians, 1858-1947" at www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/chinese-canadians/index-e.html

They have divided the site into five different areas of interest to genealogists, and they are -

- The history of Canada's early Chinese immigrants - explores why and how they came to Canada.

- Photos, government documents and letters that have been collected by the LAC

- Head Tax Records - You can search the General Registers of Chinese Registers online from 1885 to 1949.

- Chinese Canadian literature and historical research

- Coming soon will be educational resources for classroom study for secondary school teachers.

By the LAC's own admission, the General Registers of Chinese Immigration is the most important part of the history because it represents the payments made by the Chinese when they came to Canada. The Chinese were the only ones who paid the head tax when they came into the country.

Over 95,000 immigrants are recorded on these rolls.

There is also personal essays on the site, as well as family histories and suggested websites.

I have written about the Chinese-Canadian immigration in an article entitled "Uncovering Chinese-Canadian Records" in the January 2009 edition of Internet Genealogy, pages 20-21.

For an interesting look at the Chinese New Year, please visit www.chinapage.com/newyear.html