 |
| Horseshoe Falls by Ad Meskens |
The end of June and the beginning of July have brought welcomed news about new record sets and databases for Canadian family history.
New databases released by Ancestry.ca include:
"Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, Honeymoon and Visitor Registers, 1949-2011." This new database is fantastic for those researching post World War II ancestors and relatives.
Niagara Falls, Ontario is the Honeymoon Capital of the world. Thousands of newlyweds and tourists visit the city every year from South America, Europe, Asia and Australia as well as North America. Many sign their names in the register books at the Niagara Falls Tourism Office. It's these register books that are now available.
It's worthwhile taking a few minutes to enter a surname or two into the database search engine. You might be surprised at what turns up. What's so terrific about these registers is the information requested, and recorded in your ancestor's or relative's actual handwriting. Information included date of visit, name, current address, and place and date of marriage.It's important to know most women in these registers are only known as "Mrs." Try searching with the man's name to get better results. As you move closer in time, women's first names are recorded along with their husband's names.
"Canada, Photographic Albums of Settlement, 1892-1917" is a browsable database of photo albums containing photographs primarily taken by photographers John Woodruff and Horatio N. Topley, who were employed by the Canadian Department of the Interior. These photos will add to your understanding of your migrant and/or immigrant ancestors, especially those who settled in the Prairie Provinces. Although not searchable by name,each photo album contains a table of contents with brief descriptions of the photos.
"Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, Canada, Homestead Grant Registers, 1872-1930" is the searchable database of registers of homesteaders who applied to the Dominion Lands Office for land grants in the Prairie Provinces. You can search by name, date, homestead number and homestead coordinates.
Two updated databases include Biographical Dictionary of Jewry, 1897-1909, and Biographical Dictionary of Jewry, 1909-1914. These are great resources for researching early Canadian Jewish families.
Find My Past is expanding its record sets by including Canadian databases! The first offering is Canada Census 1911. Those of us having Canadian ancestors originally from the UK will appreciate the ease of researching all in one place. I anticipate more Canadian offerings will be released from Find My Past in the months to come.
© Copyright by Kathryn Lake Hogan, 2016. All Rights Reserved
