Resources Canadian Resources National Archives of Canada
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Address: 395 Wellington St., Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0N3 The National Archives of Canada provides a genealogical reference service for members of the public in the third-floor reference room. Everyone is welcome to visit the Archives and undertake research. Staff provide an orientation and advice on availability of relevant records. First, to get a research pass (valid for a year), you need to make a personal visit during office hours bringing identification, such as a driver's licence. If you can't visit Ottawa, you can access the microfilm copies of many of their collections. Any institution that participates in an inter-institutional loan arrangement can submit a request. They can also supply a list of local researchers. Their holdings include: Census RecordsCensus records contain the official enumeration of the Canadian population. For most provinces, the returns of 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891 and 1901 are nominal, listing each person individually, with details as to age, sex, country or province of birth, religion, racial origin, occupation, marital status and education. The 1901 returns also include date of birth, year of immigration and address or location of land. For 1851, 1861 and 1871, there are some agricultural returns, which give lot and concession numbers of farms, and provide detail such as acreage, livestock and agricultural products. To search census records, you must know the approximate locality (they are arranged by township or parish within each county). Small towns and villages are enumerated within their townships; larger towns and cities are listed separately. For cities, particularly the larger centres, it is very helpful to know the ward in which the person lived. Microfilm copies of census holdings are available in some public libraries and provincial archives, or they can be borrowed from the National Archives through an inter-institutional loan. Their genealogy staff can supply you with relevant microfilm reel numbers, by telephone or written inquiry. Their holdings are listed in two checklists:
Many libraries hold copies of these publications. Most census returns have not been indexed. However, the Ontario Genealogical Society has published a head-of-household index to the 1871 returns of Ontario. Passenger Lists
Passenger Lists 1865 – 1935 (many also at Archives of Ontario & North York Central Library) Note: there are no records kept of people emigrating FROM Canada. |
