How to Use Geography to Unlock Canadian Genealogy
Length: 60 minutes
Summary: Unlocking your Canadian family history starts with geography. Discover how maps, gazetteers, land records, and migration routes can help you uncover lost places, understand your ancestors' movements, and gain valuable context. Practical tips and real-life examples will be shared to help you bring your ancestors’ communities and stories to life.
Audience Level: Beginner -Expert
Requirements: Projection for computer on a large screen; internet connection
Content: 4-page PDF handout
Outline
Geography plays a vital role in Canadian family history research, yet it's often overlooked. This presentation shows how being aware of geography can enhance genealogical work. Explore Canada’s physical and political geography, examine how rivers, transportation routes, and changing provincial boundaries influenced family settlement patterns and the creation of records. Learn about essential tools such as historical maps, gazetteers, directories, and atlases, as well as land petitions, deeds, and township papers. We'll focus on understanding the lot and concession systems in Ontario and beyond. We'll also explore migration pathways, including how canals, railways, and cross-border movements shaped ancestral journeys. Two mini case studies will illustrate practical applications: locating a vanished community in Middlesex County and recreating a Depression-era relocation. Step-by-step strategies for integrating geography into everyday research and a resource toolkit to get started will be shared.
Attendees will learn to:
- Locate ancestral communities using maps, gazetteers, and atlases.
- Understand how physical geography and political boundaries affect records.
- Use land records and township systems to pinpoint family property.
- Reconstruct migration routes with geographic evidence.
- Apply geographic strategies to enrich family history narratives.
Book This Webinar NOW!
Click HERE to have me present this webinar either through your group’s virtual meeting platform or my StreamYard platform. Includes 45-50 minutes of instruction plus 10-15 Q&A session, PDF handout and a limited time (one year) webinar recording.
