Saturday, January 3, 2015

Top Seven Free Canadian Genealogy Sites



In keeping with the number 7, as in my 7th blogiversary I celebrated yesterday at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/01/genealogycanada-is-now-seven-years-old.html, the sevens continue on today ...

... so (and not in any particular order) here are my Top Seven FREE Canadian Genealogy Sites:

Library and Archives Canada – In addition to having the census online, they are publishing the service files of the Soldiers of the First World War: 1914-1918 at http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/first-world-war/first-world-war-1914-1918-cef/Pages/canadian-expeditionary-force.aspx.

They also have Facebook, Twitter, as well as announcements on their website about their collections, upcoming events, and news on the release of digital material.
 
Héritage – You can also go to the Héritage Site at http://heritage.canadiana.ca/?usrlang=en to see many digitized images of records and other fonds that have been published online over the past year. The one big drawback is that they aren’t currently indexed, but if you have plenty of time, it may be well-worth your effort to browse the site. I've been lucky enough to find some interesting material here.

Nova Scotia Archives – This site has come a long way since it first appeared online, and they keep adding to it.

They are most famously known for the Nova Scotia Historical Vital Statistics at https://www.novascotiagenealogy.com/.

To see what they have in the Virtual Archives site, go to http://novascotia.ca/archives/virtual/

The Alberta Family Histories Society and the Alberta Genealogical Society – Both societies have free databases that you can search.

The AFHS at http://www.afhs.ab.ca/ has a cemetery and BMD databases, and the AGS http://www.abgenealogy.ca/ has the 1885‒1897 Applications for Alberta Land Patents, 1870‒1930 Alberta Homestead Records, and the Post‒1930 Alberta Homestead Records.
 
FamilySearch – Canada and the provinces and territories have resources that you might find helpful and they are free at https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Canada.

Be sure to check the catalogue, as they are starting to put scanned books onsite.

The Prince Edward Island Public Archives and Records Office – They have a free database of such records as vital statistics records (including the former P.E.I. Baptismal Index), census records, and material from their archival collections, including photographs, maps, architectural plans, and textual records.


And, of course, if you haven’t been following my weekly Canadian Week in Review (CWR) blog posts published every Monday morning http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2014/12/canadian-week-in-review-29-december-2014.html over the past three years, maybe you should. It provides a weekly review of the news stories on Canadian genealogy, heritage, and history.

You can sign up to receive it your mailbox, FREE of charge, and it’s a good way to keep up-to-date with what’s happening in Canada.

Friday, January 2, 2015

GenealogyCanada is now seven years old!


It has been seven years now that I have been doing this blog, and although there have been days this past year that I have been super busy, I have always managed to post my Canadian Week in Review (CWR) every Monday morning. 
 
This past year, the most popular post was Ancestry.ca is offering FREE access at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2014/12/ancestryca-is-offering-free-access.html, and the next popular posts were the CWRs.
 
The people who are accessing the blog through their iPads, iPhones and other mobile devices are increasing, and I am proud to say that I have people from all over the world who come for a visit. So thank you for dropping by!

If you missed any of the other 1,865 posts published since 2008, drop by the archive (to the right-side of the page) to pick any ones you may have missed. Or, just use the search box.
 
As we, and the country, head into 2015, I will once again be offering my Canada Day Brick Wall Contest on July 1st, and I have some other surprises planned throughout the coming year. 
 
So 'Thank you!' once again for your support, and we'll see you throughout 2015!

Elizabeth