Ancestry.com launches 1891 Census of Canada

Ancestry has launched the 1891 Census of Canada, which is online for the first time. The 1891 Canadian census contains 4.5 million searchable names and 90,000 images of original census pages. Included is information from all 10 present-day Canadian provinces and its three territories. The 1891 census is fully indexed and searchable and can be accessed on Ancestry.ca, as well as on Ancestry.com at: http://content.ancestry.com/iexec/?htx=List&dbid=1274.


I have been searching for some of my ancestral surnames. Maybe I can find my great great grandfather's brothers!

Recent genealogical press releases

Project cooperation between FamilySearch (Family History Library) and Ancestry.com (The Generations Network) including reindexing of the 1920 U.S. census.

Thinking about becoming a certified genealogist? The Board for Certification of Genealogists now has a full application and judge's comments online. If you are attending the FGS Conference in Philadelphia this September, visit the BCG booth in the Exhibit Hall and check the sample portfolios there.

Speaking of the FGS Conference: if you have just registered or haven't quite done that yet, you might want to gather a group of your genealogical society's members and become eligible for a rebate. Full details are on the FGS Conference website and on the Conference Blog.

FamilySearch has been posting many new indexes and digitized records at its website.

The Utah Genealogical Association has posted overviews of its ten courses and nighttime lectures for the annual week-long Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy to be held January 12-16, 2009.

Alive and breathing!

Yes, I have been silent. Working all day, moving, unpacking, and working on things for my son's wedding -- just not any more hours left for blogging right now. I love my new home and have not unpacked all the books yet. I attended a shower for my almost daughter-in-law a few days ago and had a great time. We had dinner at a German restaurant in Stillwater, Minnesota (Gasthouse Bavarian Hunter) and it was fabulous as usual. She loved her gifts. My 14 year old granddaughter wrote a very sweet note to her almost step-mother and we all had tears when it was read.

I will do a posting above this with some links to recent press releases about wonderful things in the genealogical world. This time you will have to read the links to get the full stories I don't have time to discuss right now. They are exciting things!

Records Preservation and Access Committee

Where would we be without records to research? What if we lost access to the probate or land records of our ancestors? What if the birth or death records were suddenly closed to all except the person the record includes? What if the state legislature did not provide for retention of records before 1920 for your ancestral states?

The Records Preservation and Access Committee is a joint venture that helps preserve, protect, and advocate for access to records. The committee was started by the Federation of Genealogical Societies and today is a joint committee of representatives from FGS, the National Genealogical Society, Association of Professional Genealogists, Board for Certification of Genealogists, and the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies. These groups represent a total of 1.3 million genealogists. It's a case where our voices can be heard when access or preservation is threatened.

The committee has produced a meaningful brochure and you can view it at websites, including the FGS site. Instructions for ordering a quantity of these is included on the site. Order a quantity to distribute to records keepers and to fellow genealogists.

British Ancestry?

I was asked to share this press release:

The International Society for British Genealogy & Family History (ISBGFH) is sponsoring the 8th Annual British Institute in Salt Lake City, October 6-10, 2008. The Institute will be held at the Crystal Inn, 230 West 500 South.

The week-long courses and the instructors are: David Rencher, CG, AG, FUGA – Finding the Place of Origin for Your Irish Immigrant; David McDonald, CG – Ecclesiastical Records in British Research; Barbara Baker, AG – Scottish Research Basics; Diane Loosle, AG and her team – Using Family Search to Find Your British Ancestors.

The five-day tuition for the courses taught by Rencher, McDonald, and Baker is $335 (members), $320 (alumni of the Institute) and $360 (non-members). The tuition includes individual consultations with instructors and on-site assistance in the Family History Library. The tuition for the course taught by Loosle and her team, is $199. All tuitions include the banquet to be held on Monday evening, October 6.

For registration and course description details, visit the website at http://www.isbgfh.org; or write to ISBGFH, P.O. Box 350459, Westminster, CO 80035-0459.

School Records

One of the subjects I lecture and write about is the use of older school records in researching individual, family, and community history. A wealth of information waits in these records. School censuses can help fill in the gaps in federal and state census enumerations. In many cases, these records give detail on an entire family. A record of your ancestor's grades, days in attendance, and even books borrowed from the school library can fill in more on the life story of that person. Details on a teacher's own schooling or rate of pay can often be found.

Historic school records may be found in a variety of places today. They may still be in the actual school or school district offices. Perhaps they have been transferred to a county or state archive or historical facility. Two state archives with a bounty of school records from around their respective states are Minnesota and North Carolina. The Family History Library has not concentrated on filming school records, but some are in the library. The records from a religious or ethnic school may be with an archive for that religion or ethnic group.

Some records are stacked in box after box in warehouses and access is almost impossible. According to the July 1st edition of the Post-Journal, the Jamestown, New York, public schools now has its own archives to preserve such records in a controlled environment. If only more were preserved so well.