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

Thursday, January 29, 2015

LAC updates city directories online

Montreal Directories 1842-1843 page 213

WOW! I went to genealogy heaven this morning with news from Library and Archives Canada (LAC)!

The LAC now has the digitized directories for the following Ontario cities and counties in PDF format -
  • City of Hamilton 1853-1895
  • City of Kingston 1865-1906
  • City of London 1875-1899
  • Southwestern Ontario counties (the counties of Haldimand, Lincoln, Welland, Wentworth, Huron, Middlesex, Perth, and so forth) for various years from 1864 to 1899.
They are listed on this webpage http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/directories-collection/Pages/directories-collection-available-editions.aspx#a

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Check the Canadian Week in Review every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed this week’s edition, it is at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/01/canadian-week-in-review-26-january-2015.html

It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in Canada!

It has been a regular post every Monday morning since April 23, 2012.

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Library and Archives Canada: Announces two new guide



The following is the notice that I received from the Library and Archives this morning –

“Canada is pleased to announce the launch of two new guides: Guide to Sources Relating to the Canadian Militia, 1855–1988 and Guide to Sources Relating to Canadian Naval Vessels, 1909–1983. The guides were originally compiled over many years by the late Barbara Wilson (1931–2014), an archivist with the former National Archives of Canada, now Library and Archives Canada. 

Guide to Sources Relating to the Canadian Militia, 1855–1988 

This guide is an indispensable starting point for researching the records that document Canadian militia units. It is a unique finding aid that brings together, by militia unit name, references to records and files scattered throughout several different archival fonds held at Library and Archives Canada.

Guide to Sources Relating to Canadian Naval Vessels, 1909–1983

This guide is an indispensable starting point for researching the records documenting Canadian naval vessels that served with the Royal Canadian Navy. It is a unique finding aid that brings together—by ship’s name—references to records and files scattered throughout several different volumes of archival fonds of the Department of National Defence."

The Website is located at http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/Pages/guide-sources-canadian-naval-vessels.aspx 

Thursday, September 25, 2014

The Library and Archives Canada has digitized the War Diaries of the First World War

As the LAC say, these dairies of the “Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) units were required to maintain a daily account of their "Actions in the Field." This log was called a War Diary. 

This database contains the digitized War Diaries of CEF infantry, artillery and cavalry units, Brigade, Division and Corps commands and support units such as Railway and Forestry troops. The site also includes the War Diaries of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment and several British units that served under Canadian command.”

To read about the war diaries, go to http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/first-world-war/Pages/war-diaries.aspx#b 

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

LAC has updated the 1861 Census

Library and Archives Canada has upgraded the 1861 Census because there were apparently a “number of missing records and misplaced images were reported by Library and Archives Canada clients and staff". 

They have corrected over 133,000 entries! 

According to their blog, there were definite issues with the Canada West and Canada East.  

“In Canada West, the records for the cities of Hamilton, Kingston, London, Ottawa and Toronto were previously reported missing but the records did exist. The five cities, although enumerated separately in 1861, were tucked away amongst their neighbouring rural districts. For example, the city of Ottawa was listed under the district of Carleton and the city of Kingston was listed under Frontenac. The five cities are now correctly identified as districts and their respective wards are identified as sub-districts. 

Additionally in Canada West, the rural districts of Renfrew and Russell were also reported as missing. The records for those two districts and their sub-districts can now be searched. In the rural district of Kent, the sub-districts of Camden and Gore, the town of Chatham, and the district of Chatham have been correctly identified. The images in the districts of Brant and Dundas are now correctly linked.

In Canada East, several image linking errors were corrected, particularly in the districts of Argenteuil, Montcalm and St-Jean”.

It is good to see that the LAC is listening to our comments, complaints and they are correcting their databases. 

To go to the 1861 census, you can go to 

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Ancestry Update: South African War Land Grants, 1908-1910

Ancestry.ca has added a new historical record -

“During the South African War (or Boer War) of 1899–1902, for the first time, Canada sent troops to fight in a war overseas. About 7,300 Canadian troops and 12 nurses served in South Africa. Veterans of the war were became eligible for 320 acres of Dominion Land (or a payment of $160 in scrip) under the 1908 Volunteer Bounty Act.

This database contains applications for these bounty land grants. Applications typically include the following details:

· name

· gender

· service start date, location

· residence

· death date

· place of death

· age at death

· birth date

· birth place

· regiment

The applications are two pages long, so be sure to page forward to see the entire record.” 

One thing I did notice is that in some applicant’s forms, there are notes that you may finding helpful, and the date range of service is there also. 


The records are in the Library and Archives Canada, under the citation of Department of Veterans Affairs. Soldiers of the South African War, Land Grant Applications. Record Group 38 (vols. 117-136). Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa, Ontario.

Friday, July 11, 2014

LAC: Soundex - How to find spelling variations of a surname


The Library and Archives Canada explains how to use the JOS Soundex code to find information on names that are difficult to find because of the way that they are spelled. 
They say that “Many American archival records have been indexed using this system. It’s a way to search surnames while ignoring minor differences in spelling. The code uses the first letter of the surname, followed by three numbers associated with the sound of the name. 
Letters of the alphabet are assigned a number (0 to 9). Vowels (A, E, I, O, U and Y) and the letters H and W are not considered. Also, if the same letter occurs twice in a row in the name, it is counted only once (e.g., Lloyd becomes Loyd). If there are fewer than 3 letters in the name, 0 is used for the last digit.” 
To help you identify different spellings of surnames, we suggest that you use the following Soundex indexing site: Avotaynu Consolidated Jewish Surname Index at http://www.avotaynu.com/csi/csi-home.htm. It can also be used for non-Jewish surnames. To help you identify the Soundex code, you can use the JOS Soundex calculator found at http://www.jewishgen.org/JOS/jossound.htm.
So, speaking of ways to make genealogy research easier for you, have you entered the Canada Day Brick Wall Contest? This is the second year that I have had the contest and it closes at 6:00 a.m. EST on Tuesday, July 15th.
You can go to the website and get the details http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2014/07/happy-canada-day.html and get the details.
GOOD LUCK!  

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Library and Archives Canada releases an updated version of the Immigrants from China database


Credit: Library and Archives Canada

Last month was Asian Heritage Month, and the Library and Archives Canada (LAC) updated their database to include references to the C.I.9 certificates issued to people of Chinese origin born in Canada and wanting to leave Canada for a limited time without losing their Canadian status.

If your ancestors are from China, you may want to view the adjusted database.

Here is the press release that was released by the LAC at the end of May -

“May is Asian Heritage Month in Canada, during which we acknowledge the long and rich history of Asian Canadians and their contributions to Canada. Asian Heritage Month also provides an opportunity for Canadians across the country to reflect on and celebrate the contributions of Canadians of Asian heritage to the growth and prosperity of Canada.

To celebrate Asian culture, Library and Archives Canada (LAC) is pleased to announce the addition of references to its Immigrants from China database. It now includes references to the C.I.9 certificates issued to people of Chinese origin born in Canada and wanting to leave Canada for a limited time without losing their Canadian status. The actual records include a photograph and provide information such as the individual’s name, age and place of birth, as well as the port and date of departure, and the ship’s name.”

Chinese immigrants who arrived in Canada between 1885 and 1949 are in the database is fully explained on the website at http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/immigration/immigration-records/immigrants-china-1885-1949/Pages/introduction.aspx

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Underwater Canada: A Researcher’s Brief Guide to Shipwrecks

If you are researching a shipwreck in your genealogy, the Library and Archives Canada (LAC) has released pointers on how to use their records to do the research - 

Shipwrecks, both as historical events and artifacts, have sparked the imagination and an interest in the maritime heritage of Canada. The discovery of the War of 1812 wrecks Hamilton and Scourge, found in Lake Ontario in the 1970s, and the discovery of the Titanic in the 1980s, served to heighten public awareness of underwater archaeology and history. 

Whether you are a wreck hunter on the trail of a lost vessel, or a new shipwreck enthusiast eager to explore images and documents that preserve the epic tales of Canadian waters, Library and Archives Canada (LAC) has something for you.

Starting your research 

First, gather as much information as possible about the shipwreck(s) you are researching. Specifically, you will ideally want to obtain the following information (in order of importance):

· Name of Vessel

· Location of accident

· Date of accident

· Ship’s port of registry

· Ship’s official number

· Year of vessel’s construction 

The Ship Registration Index at http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/ship-registration/index-e.html?PHPSESSID=7g9h5km4d9l7l0krorlhh9n9s5 is a helpful resource. The database includes basic information about more than 78,000 ships registered in ports of Canada between 1787 and 1966. 

Can’t locate all of the information listed? There’s no cause for concern! Not all of the information is necessary, but it is essential that you know the name of the vessel. All Government records relating to shipwrecks are organized according to the ship’s name.

What is Available?

Using Archives Search at http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/lac-bac/search/arch , you can locate the following types of material:

Photographs

· Consult the How to Find Photographs Online article for more help.

Maps

· In Archives Search, under “Type of material”, select “Maps and cartographic material” to narrow your results.
Government Records 

All records listed are found in the documents of the Marine Branch (Record Group 42) and/or Transport Canada (Record Group 24). Official Wreck Registers, 1870‒1975

· Wreck Reports, 1907‒1974

· Register of Investigations into Wrecks, 1911‒1960

· Marine Casualty Investigation Records, 1887‒1980

Important: Government records contain information about shipwrecks that occurred in Canadian waters, and include all accidents involving foreign vessels in Canadian waters.

Please note: this is not an exhaustive list of resources, but rather a compilation of some of the major sources of documentation available on shipwrecks held at LAC.

Helpful Hints 

You can find a number of digitized photographs, maps and documents on the Shipwreck Investigations virtual exhibition at http://www.lac-bac.gc.ca/sos/shipwrecks/index-e.html. More specifically, check out the collection of digitized Official Wreck Registers in the Shipwreck Investigations Database. Simply check if the name of the vessel you are researching is listed.

Another excellent source of information on shipwrecks is local public libraries. There are many maritime histories and bibliographies that offer reference points to begin your shipwreck research.


Tuesday, March 25, 2014

LAC’s new code of conduct/ Nouveau code de conduite de BAC

Some good news this morning -

Political pressure sometimes works. In a victory for staff, Library and Archives Canada (LAC) has withdrawn its controversial Code of Conduct put into effect in early 2013. The code contained severe restrictions on staff behavior, both in their public and personal lives.

The restrictions on LAC employees garnered media and public scrutiny and, in the wake of intense public pressure, LAC administrators placed the code under review. In December 2013, a revised Code was introduced.

This new code represents a significant improvement. Employees are still encouraged to report on their colleagues for any failure to comply with the code, a shameful policy that contributes to an unhealthy workplace. However, restrictions on employees’ professional development activities have been substantially reduced and references to discipline for personal opinions expressed in limited access forums have been removed.

At a time when Canadian culture institutions are being decimated, it is easy to become overwhelmed and forget to celebrate our victories, however small. The changes to the LAC code of conduct were only made because we spoke out collectively, an example of how we can make a difference. Our current government may be attempting to rewrite the past, but together we are in control of the future. 
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Les pressions politiques portent parfois leurs fruits. Bibliothèque et Archives Canada (BAC) a retiré son controversé Code de conduite entré en vigueur au début de 2013, une victoire pour le personnel de l’institution. Le code imposait de sévères restrictions aux activités tant publiques que personnelles des employés. 

Les restrictions imposées aux employés de BAC avaient suscité l’intérêt des médias et du public, et donné lieu à des protestations publiques qui forçaient les administrateurs de BAC à le réexaminer. En décembre 2013, BAC adoptait une version révisée du Code.

Le nouveau code constitue une nette amélioration par rapport à la version antérieure. Les employés sont toujours invités à signaler à l’employeur les activités de leurs collègues contraires au code, une mesure honteuse qui contribue à la détérioration des relations de travail. Cependant, BAC a considérablement assoupli les règles régissant les activités de perfectionnement professionnel des employés et a éliminé toute mention de mesures disciplinaires pour l’expression d’opinions personnelles dans des forums à accès public. 

En cette période où les institutions culturelles canadiennes sont décimées, on oublie facilement, dans notre accablement, de célébrer nos victoires, aussi petites soient-elles. Si BAC a modifié son code de conduite, c’est parce que nous avons protesté collectivement. Voilà un exemple de notre capacité à faire bouger les choses. Le gouvernement actuel peut bien essayer de réécrire le passé, mais ensemble, nous forgeons l’avenir. 

Rosa E. Barker 

Professional Officer / Agente professionnelle 

Canadian Association of University Teachers / Association canadienne des professeures et professeurs d'université 

2705 promenade Queensview Drive 

Ottawa ON, K2B 8K2 

Tel / tél 613-726-5166

Fax/ télé 613-820-7244

Friday, March 21, 2014

Soldiers of Song

The Stirling Festival Theatre in Stirling, Ontario will present the play Soldiers of Song on Sunday April the 12th at 2 pm. 

The play will honour the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War with a special show that pays homage to one of the most distinctive musical acts in Canadian history – The Dumbells.

The Dumbells were a group of Canadians who were soldiers during the day and entertainers at night during the First World War. 

As the Library and Archives Canada site says “They were a makeshift stage of packing boxes in First World War France to become the toast of the nation for over a decade. They became arguably the most famous of the Canadian Army "concert parties," those entertainment units that were devoted to building the morale of the troops on the front lines”.


For background information on the Dumbells, go to the Library and Archives Canada site at https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/gramophone/028011-1007.1-e.html

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Library and Archives Canada and Canadiana.org partnership starting to appear online

This notice came from the LAC this morning -

"The partnership between Library and Archives Canada and Canadiana.org over the next ten years involves the digitization, indexing and description of millions of personal, administrative and government documents. It will triple the LAC's digital content on the Web, and allow Canadians to access tens of millions of additional images regardless of where they live, at no charge".

They have divided the holdings into Genealogy, Aboriginal History, Military History, and Landmark Papers.

Be forewarned before you start working with these fonds though, I have found with the ones that I have worked with, they ARE NOT INDEXED. And it has can cause headaches to me – a researcher. So has anyone used these online digitization fonds yet? How have you found them? And some of them are dark - almost too dark to read. `1q

So if you can deal with that all that, they are great research material to have online, and combined with the report s

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

NEWS FLASH! Library and Archives Canada to Digitize 640,000 First World War Service Files



As part of the commemoration of the centennial of the First World War, Library and Archives Canada (LAC) announced in its News section that it is undertaking the digitization of 640,000 personnel service files of the First World War’s Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) members with a view to ensuring the long-term preservation of these frail paper documents.

The first quarter, beginning with the letter A through D, will be closed as of March 2014 and will be available on-line as of Summer 2014.

At the end of the project, expected in 2015, Canadians will be able to research high-quality digital copies of the 640,000 newly digitized service files from the comfort of their own home.

To read more about the project, go to http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/Pages/digitization-cef-service-files.aspx

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Pre-1865 Immigration to Canada

Library and Archives Canada has just issued a reminder on pre-1864 immigration to Canada -

Validating your ancestor’s arrival in Canada before 1865

“So you have searched the records, and still no trace of your ancestor? If you didn’t find your ancestor’s arrival before 1865, Library and Archives Canada (LAC) has other genealogical resources that can assist in confirming an ancestor’s arrival in Canada.

Where did he or she settle?

Is he or she listed in census returns? LAC’s collection of census databases, which can be searched by a person’s name, can confirm an individual’s presence as early as 1825. Perhaps a reference exists for one of the parents (recorded as the head of the family) or for a sibling.

Many early settlers submitted petitions to obtain land where they could establish their family in Upper Canada or Lower Canada. LAC’s databases provide references to land transactions that give the person’s name, the date of the application and the county or township within a province.

Life events in records

The date of arrival in Canada can be estimated by searching birth, marriage, and death records for first occurrences such as the birth of a child to confirm the presence of the family in a location. Consult our previous blog on how to search for Birth, Marriage and Death Records.

Published sources and the genealogical community

Family histories, historical atlases and other published works can be searched in AMICUS, LAC’s online catalogue. It is also possible that your ancestor lived in a location that published a city directory.

Many genealogical societies have resources specific to where your ancestor settled. Finding aids that describe a location are valuable tools when searching for ancestors”.

Go to the Library and Archives Canada site at http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/Pages/default.aspx

In the end, it all boils down to local records at local archives, local libraries, local museums, local genealogical societies.

Just as a coincidence, I have a column on this very subject in next month’s free magazine In Depth Genealogist at http://www.indepthgenealogist.com .

It will appear in the February issue.

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Kingston Penitentiary: Home to Canada’s most notorious criminals

The four men are Albert McKeowan, James McDonald, Philip Benoit, and George Marles. These photos were taken in 1915.  Credit: Library and Archives Canada, RG73-C-6 

The Library and Archives Canada has just released the ledgers from the Kingston Penitentiary for you to research if your ancestor spent time there when it opened in 1835.   

Located in Portsmouth, now part of Kingston, this institution was designated for the incarceration of prisoners from both Upper Canada and Lower Canada.

Kingston Pen, as it is commonly known, closed its doors on September 30, 2013.

These ledgers, which have been digitized and can be viewed on the Library and Archives Canada (LAC) website at http://collectionscanada.gc.ca/pam_archives/index.php?fuseaction=genitem.displayItem&lang=eng&rec_nbr=4292048

You will have to know the name of the person you are looking for in this instant.    

The ledgers provide photographs (mug shots) of inmates and information such as name; alias; age; place of birth; physical description; occupation; crime committed; and date, place and length of sentence.


Friday, November 8, 2013

Contribution of Aboriginal Peoples in the First World War (1914-1918)

Above is the Attestation Paper of Private Henry Norwest, a Métis from Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, was one of the most famous snipers.

The Library and Archives Canada has sent this email to me so that I could alert my readers that they have a new post called the Contribution of Aboriginal Peoples in the First World War (1914-1918).

In part, the post says that “Aboriginal peoples have a long tradition of military service in Canada dating back several centuries. Although not legally required to participate in the war, an estimated 4,000 Status Indians, and an unrecorded number of Métis and Inuit enlisted voluntarily and served with the Canadian Corps in the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF).

Almost all of the young men on many reserves enlisted for service. For example, approximately half of the eligible Mi’kmaq and Maliseet from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia volunteered for overseas duty. In other provinces, the number was even higher. In the small Saskatchewan community of File Hills, nearly all of the eligible men signed up to fight.

The exact number of Aboriginal soldiers who lost their lives during the First World War is not known. It is estimated that at least 300 men were killed during battles or died from illness, such as tuberculosis”.

Read the full blog post at http://thediscoverblog.com/tag/aboriginal/

Postscript: Am I correct in thinking that the LAC is changing the design of its website again? I am starting to get frustrated as I flip back and forth between the old-old site and the new site. Some records are still at the old-old site, and then some are on the new site, and …

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Top LAC job up for grabs

It appears that the government is starting to look for a person to assume the LAC top archivist and librarian job in the near future. Who will they pick, and more important, what will be the qualifications for the job?

If one looks at the requirements for the job, as people from the archivist and librarian community has done already, the news is not good for the Canadian genealogical community.

It says that it will be an “asset” and not a “requirement” for the successful person to have experience in the library and archivist field.

So, does this leave us with another person like the former LAC head Daniel Caron who was a career bureaucrat and not an archivist or librarian?

To read the story, here is a newspaper article, and a statement by The Canadian Association of Law Libraries -

Joint Statement on Qualities of a Successful Librarian and Archivist of Canada
http://www.callacbd.ca/en/content/joint-statement-qualities-successful-librarian-and-archivist-canada

Top librarian job up for grabs; head of Library and Archives Canada could bag a $226,500 salary http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/national/librarian+grabs+head+Library+Archives+Canada+could/9034221/story.html

Postscript: I would like to thank two of my readers for sending me the news story and the job description.

Saturday, August 31, 2013

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 23rd  “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.


Sunday, August 25, 2013

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

Friday, August 2, 2013

LAC Update: 1861 Canada Census available online

Once again, the Library and Archives Canada has released a census – this time, its the 1861 census. Information was collected for people living in Canada East, Canada West, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

You can search this new database by nominal information, such as the surname, given name(s) and age of an individual, as well as by geographical information such as district and sub-district names.
This wasn’t a uniform census – the questionnaires were different in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and in the Canadas (Canada West – Ontario and Canada East – Quebec).

Also, the enumeration day in the Canadas was January the 14th, March 30th in Nova Scotia, and August the 15th in Prince Edward Island.

The census was also divided among rural and urban centres of the country.

So if an ancestor lived in Toronto (an urban centre), the enumerator would drop off the form for the inhabitants to fill out themselves, and then they would stop by a couple of days later to pick up the form, or if your ancestor lived in a rural area, the enumerator would fill out the form.

Districts and sub-districts did not all survive. To see which district survived, go to www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/1861/Pages/census-districts-sub-districts.aspx



Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Lower Canada Census 1831

The Library and Archives Canada has just sent this notice out –

“The LAC is pleased to announce that the Census for Lower Canada, 1831 database is now available online. The Census for Lower Canada, 1831 is partly nominal and therefore only contains the names of heads of family, their occupation, and the number of residents for each family.

Users can search this new database by the name of heads of family, as well as by geographical information such as district and sub-district names”.