Genealogists researching their ancestors in Canada have an exciting new
resource to add to their cache. The National Archives of Canada and the National
Library of Canada recently announced the creation of the Canadian Genealogy
Centre. These two organizations, in partnership with the Canadian Culture Online
program of the Department of Canadian Heritage, have created a new website for
those researching their ancestors. The website is available at http://www.genealogy.gc.ca/.
According to the site, the purpose of the Canadian Genealogy Centre is to act
as a single portal for electronic access to genealogical resources in Canada.
The mission and vision statement of the center is as follows:
Facilitate the discovery of our roots and family histories as a basic
part of our Canadian heritage.
Encourage the use of genealogy and the
resources available in libraries and archives as tools for life-long
learning.
The site is divided into ten different sections: The Centre; What’s New;
Surveys; Discussion; Boutique; Genealogical Research; How to; Links: Partners;
and Educational Resources. Throughout this easy-to-navigate site are
illustrations culled from the collections of the National Archives as well as
individuals and other organizations. There is a site search as well as online
help. As with all government websites in Canada it is available in both and
English and a French version. Not all of the information in the databases is
fully bilingual however.
The Centre section shows visitors the
purpose and mission statement of the Centre and a description of the overall
activities of the site. The Centre works with a network of organizations to
provide assistance to genealogical researchers. In addition to genealogy groups,
participating organizations include libraries, universities, private firms, and
volunteers. The Centre holds partnering organizations to certain standards when
providing information for the site, ensuring that materials provided will be of
the highest quality. Among the partnering organizations are the Jewish
Genealogical Society of Montreal and the Jewish Genealogical Society of Ottawa.
Those who are just starting to research their Canadian ancestors can benefit
from the How To section. It is separated into six areas
intended as a step-by-step introduction to research: Introduction, Gathering
Information, Let’s Go to Work!, Sources, Guides, and Courses. The introduction
is a simplistic explanation of the concepts of tracing ancestors, tracing
descendants, and family history. Gathering Information gives suggestions for
where to look for information, focusing primarily on home sources but also
stressing the importance of other sources such as directories and local
histories. Mention is also made of the necessity to be proficient in geography
to make research easier.
Let’s Go to Work urges beginning genealogists to start their
research at genealogical societies and libraries rather than the Internet. Links
are given to the Canadian Library Gateway (http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/gatepasse/) and
the Canadian Council of Archives (http://www.cdncouncilarchives.ca/) to find
additional information on manuals, guides, newsletters, journals, etc.
The Sources area contains brief descriptions of the major
types of sources used by genealogists: census records, vital records, land
records, estate records, military records, immigration, citizenship, justice,
notarial records, newspapers, and cemeteries. Sample images are provided for
each type of source. An additional area contains links to information on each
province or territory, which include brief histories and suggestions for
researching in other repositories, such as the various provincial archives.
Guides list two booklets available for the researcher: The
National Archives of Canada pamphlet Tracing Your Ancestors in Canada and
the National Library of Canada’s Genealogy and Family History at the National
Library of Canada. There are links to online versions of these works.
The Courses area notes that most genealogical societies
offer some type of educational opportunities. It also names the National
Institute for Genealogical Studies as an excellent opportunity for learning.
NIGS is affiliated with the University of Toronto.
The largest section, and the one with the most obvious appeal to family
historians, is the Genealogical Research section. There are
currently five databases on the site — two of these contain searchable data on
ancestors, while the other three are catalogs. The two searchable databases are
“1915–1932 Canadian naturalization” and “Immigrants at Grosse-île.” The first
was produced with the Jewish Genealogical Society of Montreal and the Jewish
Genealogical Society of Ottawa. It contains naturalized immigrants whose names
were published in the Canada Gazette between 1915 and 1932. The second
database contains information about immigrants who stayed at the Grosse-Île
Quarantine Station between 1832 and 1937. This data is derived from nine
different sources: List of Major Denis Mahon’s sharecroppers; Births at sea;
Deaths at sea; Hospital Registers; Baptisms at Grosse-île; Marriages at
Grosse-île; Burials at Grosse-île; Memorial; and Inventory of the personal
belongings of deceased immigrants.
Both databases are documented exceedingly well. There is much explanatory
text showing the nature of the database, sources of the original materials,
where to find the original materials, how to search, how to interpret results,
etc. It is rare to find such well thought out documentation and assistance for
online databases.
One improvement that could be made to this excellent documentation would be
to provide information to users on how to cite the database in their research as
a source, such as one can find on the NewEnglandAncestors.org and
Ancestry.com databases. It would also be beneficial if one could search
both databases at the same time, instead of having to search them individually.
As there are currently only two databases, this is not a major issue at the
present time, but as the site continues to grow it will prove cumbersome to
users if they must search each one on its own.
The three catalog databases provide access to untold riches in repositories
throughout Canada.
• AMICUS Web is the online catalog for the National Library of
Canada
• ArchiviaNet is the online catalog for the National Archives
of Canada.
• CAIN is the online catalog for the Canadian Archival
Information Network, containing information from over 800 organizations
throughout the country.
The Genealogical Research area is also home to the Directory of
Resources, an invaluable directory to hundreds of databases held by
organizations throughout Canada. These databases were created by many
individuals and groups from genealogical and historical societies, colleges and
universities, and other organizations of importance to genealogical research.
The directory can be searched or browsed. The listings contain the name of each
database and the organization affiliated with it. The directory also provides
detailed information about the database, links to each organization or
individual, and direct links to those databases searchable via the Internet are
also available. This is one of the largest collections of links to Canadian
genealogical databases available anywhere, and completely searchable by subject,
locality, etc.
The What’s New section is divided into two areas. The first
contains news about the Centre and its activities, as well as an archive of
press releases from the organization. The second area lists conferences of
interest to the genealogical community in Canada.
The Educational Resources section is geared to assisting
educators in teaching genealogy. While still under development, it already
contains two very valuable areas. The first is a glossary of genealogical terms.
The glossary contains a large number of basic terms necessary for those new to
genealogy (such as genealogy, given name, maiden name, heraldic symbols, and
hereditary), but it is missing basic terms such as pedigree, pedigree chart,
family group sheet, and ahnentafel that everyone doing genealogical research
should know from the very beginning.
The other area under Educational Resources contains a complete teaching
curriculum for the third and fourth grades. The team that developed the lesson
plan took into account curricula requirements for all of the provinces in
developing the plan. The plan is focused around photographs and oral history
interviews. There is a fourteen-page handout for students with an adorable
cartoon character named EuGENEus – the Galactic Genealogical Genius – to act as
a guide to learning basic steps in genealogy. There is an interactive online
activity to help students create their own timeline as well as an online quiz to
help students measure their learning. A full evaluation matrix for grading is
included as well.
The Boutique section includes links to two online stores
with materials useful to genealogists: that of The Friends of the National
Genealogical Society and The Ontario Genealogical Society, Ottawa Branch. The
Centre is actively soliciting suggestions for other materials that can be added
to this section.
The Surveys and Discussion sections are still under construction, but plans
are underway to utilize these sections to solicit feedback from users and to
facilitate communication between genealogists researching their Canadian
ancestors.
All in all, this is one of the most valuable websites available for Canadian
genealogical research. The partnership between the government and private
organizations is a refreshing combination, and one that appears to be working
quite successfully. It is certainly making great strides towards its goal of
being a single-window portal for genealogists. Check back often to see the new
additions and upgrades to the site. This is definitely a website to
bookmark!