Thank you for registering for the online seminar, Tides of History: Tracing Family History in Atlantic Canada!
Surrounded by beautiful rocky shores on the Eastern Canadian coast, Atlantic Canada is home to a unique patchwork of cultures and histories including those of indigenous, French, British, Scottish, and Gaelic populations. The region comprises the provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island. This five-week online seminar will provide a detailed overview of essential record sets, repositories, and research strategies for exploring your Atlantic Canadian roots. We will also discuss the historical context of the changes and events that transformed the region and influenced the lives of your ancestors.
This course includes five 90-minute classes and exclusive access to handouts and recordings of each presentation. These recordings and all course materials will be available for the foreseeable future.
JOIN THE LIVE BROADCASTS
Click here to join the live broadcasts:
Mondays, August 3, 10, 17, 24, & 31, 6:00-7:30 p.m. Eastern Time.
If you are unable to attend the live sessions, you will be able to view recordings on this course page.
CLASS TOPICS
August 3 - Class 1: Introduction to Atlantic Canada, presented by Judy Lucey
This first class will cover the foundations of Atlantic Canada research, providing a historical overview of the region’s settlement and its early populations, including First Nations, Loyalists, Planters, Acadians, and immigrant groups. We will also discuss key repositories and resources for Atlantic Canada research.
August 10 – Class 2: Census and Census Substitutes, presented by David Allen Lambert
Canada has census records dating back to 1640, however, these records can vary in their availability, the information collected, and in populations and regions covered. In this class you’ll learn how to use these Canadian census records in your research, as well as important census substitutes.
August 17 – Class 3: Church and Vital Records, presented by Melanie McComb
Canadian baptisms, burials, and marriage records date back to the early 17th century for some parishes, though there is no central repository for these records making it difficult to know where to look. This class will help you understand where to find these church records as well as civil vital records which have been recorded since the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Vital record substitutes, such as newspapers and cemetery records, will also be discussed.
August 24 – Class 4: Immigration and Naturalization, presented by Rhonda R. McClure
Atlantic Canada has long been a region comprised of distinct populations in cultures, due in part, of course, to immigration to the region. This class will provide an overview of immigration to Atlantic Canada from the 17th through the 20th centuries, and we’ll discuss essential records and repositories for tracing your immigrant ancestors.
August 31 – Class 5: Land Records, presented by Melanie McComb
There are a variety of records available that can help you research land ownership of your Atlantic Canadian ancestors, including land board records, land grants, land petitions, land patents from the Indian and Inuit Affairs Program, maps, and more. This class will help you understand how to navigate the many record sets available and how to apply them to your research.
COURSE HANDOUTS
To come.
RECORDED PRESENTATIONS
To come.
INSTRUCTOR BIOS
David Allen Lambert, Chief Genealogist, has been on the staff of American Ancestors since 1993. David is an internationally recognized speaker on the topics of genealogy and history. Lambert has published many articles in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, the New Hampshire Genealogical Record, Rhode Island Roots, Mayflower Descendant, and American Ancestors magazine. He has authored and or co-authored in the published genealogies presented to David McCullough, Ken Burns, Angela Lansbury, Michael and Kitty Dukakis, Nathaniel Philbrick, Doris Kearns Goodwin, and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino. He has also published eleven books including A Guide to Massachusetts Cemeteries (American Ancestors, 2018), and Vital Records of Stoughton, Massachusetts, to the end of the year 1850 (Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants, 2008). David received his B.A. in History from Northeastern University. David is an elected Fellow of the Massachusetts Historical Society in Boston, Mass., and a life member of the New Hampshire Society of the Cincinnati and the General Society of the War of 1812. David also serves as the tribal genealogist for the Massachusett Tribe at Punkapoag in Massachusetts. His areas of expertise include New England and Atlantic Canadian records of the 17th through 21st century; American and international military records; DNA research; and Native American and African American genealogical research in New England.
Judy Lucey, Special Collections Manager oversees the management and preservation of American Ancestors Special Collections. She received a B.S. in Education from Northeastern University and an M.S. in Library Science from Simmons College. She is co-author of the Genealogist's Handbook for Irish Research and frequently contributes to American Ancestors magazine. Her areas of expertise include Irish genealogy, the Atlantic Canadian Provinces of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, and New England.
Rhonda R. McClure, Senior Genealogist is a nationally recognized professional genealogist and lecturer specializing in New England and celebrity research as well as computerized genealogy; is compiler of more than 120 celebrity family trees; has been a contributing editor for Heritage Quest Magazine, Biography magazine and was a contributor to The History Channel Magazine and American History Magazine. In addition to numerous articles, she is the author of ten books, including the award-winning The Complete Idiot's Guide to Online Genealogy, now in its second edition, Finding Your Famous and Infamous Ancestors, and Digitizing Your Family History. Her areas of expertise include: Immigration and naturalization, Late 19th and early 20th Century urban research, Missionaries (primarily in association with the American Board of Commissioners of Foreign Missions), State Department Federal Records, New England, Mid-West, Southern, German, Italian, Scottish, Irish, French Canadian, and New Brunswick research as well as Internet research, genealogical software (FTM, RootsMagic, TMG, Reunion), digital peripherals, and uses both Mac and Windows machines.
Melanie McComb, Senior Genealogist, assists library visitors, both on-site and online, with their family history research. She is an international lecturer who teaches on a variety of topics. Melanie holds a B.S. degree from the State University of New York at Oswego. She previously served as the social media coordinator for the NextGen Genealogy Network, a non-profit that creates a community for younger genealogists, where she managed the Facebook and Twitter accounts. She continues her interest in helping younger genealogists get involved at American Ancestors by assisting with educational programs from local schools, scout groups, and universities. Her areas of expertise include Irish genealogy, DNA, Atlantic Canada, Jewish genealogy, and military records.