Field of Stones

Have you ever hit a brickwall in your family research in trying to find inforamtion regarding a family member's death. You have searched everywhere you can think of to try and find the inforation, but have come up empty handed.  I would suggest looking in some of the cemeteries of the area you know your ancestors have lived to see if they might be buried there.  This can be helpful, but at times, there are cemeteries that are located on homesteads and/or private propterty, making it difficult to research.  Have you ever wondered about the inaccessible cemeteries located all over the world? Cemeteries which are located on private property, or long lost cemeteries?  In my search for new resources for everyone, I came across a website Field of Stones - Homestead and Inaccessible Cemeteries located in Ontario Canada.  The site is hosted on roots web, which has always been a favorite place for me while researching my family lines.




The Field of Stone site provides links to various cemeteries in a variety of locations in Ontario Canada and the side administrators  encourage you to return frequently as they update the site with new images routinely.  The site provides you images of various grave markers located on Homestead and Inaccessible cemeteries. Some of the stones are easily readable as the one noted to the left. Others are more difficult to read, but the people who have posted them to the site provide you information about the stone including the names and dates like the stone to the right.  Yet other stones have become damaged through the years are and cracked or broken.  If you have Canadian roots, or would like to view some of the grave markers, click Field of Stones - Homestead and Inaccessible Cemeteries.

Summer 2011 Genealogy Virtual Conference

The 2011 Summer Virtual Conference is going on this weekend. The genealogy conference runs from 9am August 19, 2011 to 11:59pm August 21,2011.  This conference is available for you to view at your convenience. Some of the instructors include Maureen Taylor from PhotoDetective, Lisa Louis Cooke from Genealogy Gems Podcast, and many others.  The cost for the Virtual weekend is $190.00, which gives you unlimited access to the conference over the weekend.  If you join the Family Tree Magazine VIP program for $49.99, you can get a discount on the Family Tree University courses, a one year subscription to Family Tree Magazine. The VIP program is also available for Canada and Internationally. If you are interested in the attending the confernce, click this link. Summer 2011 Virtual Conference | FamilyTreeUniversity.com

Saskatchewan Homestead Records

Now that I have more time to relax (because of my broken foot) I thought that I would post some interesting sites that I have come across lately. This site SHIP, Saskatchewan Homestead Index Project driving force comes from the Saskatchewan Genealogical Society (SGS). Phase I of the project consists of the extraction and indexing of over 300,000 entries that are easily searched on this website. Phase II of the project involved incorporating this data base in to the index into a larger website that provides valuable information regarding maps, copies of typical homestead paperwork which could include letters and photographs to name a few. Both Phase I and Phase II are currently in place and operational at SHIP. Phase III has yet to be launched, but it is undertaking the monumental task of digitizing all of the records and making them available for research online. No time frame has been set for the release of phase III, but I am grateful for the volunteers that have taken on this task and to assist those of us researching our Canadian Roots.

The people that settled in the Saskatchewan area were encouraged to do so by the Dominion Government offering 160 acres for free along with a $10.00 registration fee. The individaul applying for the land had to qualify by being at least 21 years or older, be a British subject or naturalize British subject, had to reside on the homestead for a period of 6 months to 3 years, and make improvements to the property by cultivating at least 30 acres and by constructing a home worth a minimum of $300.00.

You may wonder what type of documentation would be included in the homestead applications. The site informs us that each application has the name and signature of the applicant, the birth place and nationality and the location of the homestead and some of the later applications included the ages of family members. Wills, letters, naturalization certificates, and inspector reports can also be found in these documents. Currently this information is only available upon request for a modest fee of $15.00 per homestead location when the name of the homesteader and the legal land description is provided. If the name of the homesteader is known, but the homestead location is uncertain and you can only provide a general area/location, the search will cost $17.00 per homestead location. The cost of both searches include up to six pages of information.

If you have Canadian ancestors and would like to check out more, please visit Saskatchewan Homestead Index Project (SHIP).

Preserve Our Cemeteries

Preserving cemeteries is a pursuit that benefits the genealogist, providing the valuable information of birth and death dates of their deceased family members. Many projects around the world are in existence today as genealogists attempt to preserve the past. I came across the website "Preserve Our Cemeteries" where the primary goal of the group is to preserve, restore, and protect abandoned pioneer and family cemeteries in Canada. The author of the site points out the main reasons for preservation of these cemeteries is the fact that the cemetery may be the only primary source of information for a person's life. Birth, Marriage, and Death certificates have only been used routinely for less than 70 years. My maternal grandfather did not have a birth certificate until later in life when he applied for a "Delayed Birth Certificate". You may think that it is not that common of a problem, but I was reading in an online paper called Journal Gazette about an individual last year who was 70 years old trying to get a passport utilizing a Delayed Birth Certificate. He found out that he could not get a passport unless he had a "real" birth certificate which the Delayed certificate was not considered real. He finally received his passport but had to be assisted by his local senator in obtaining the necessary documentation. If you would like to read about his story click here.

I digressed a little, but I wanted to share with you the reason why it is important to preserve cemeteries. The website "Preserve Our Cemeteries" provides a searchable index for the following areas: Hastings, Northumberland, Prince Edward County, Peterborough, and Victoria Canada. Once you have navigated to the index page of the site, you will be able to select the area of research by utilizing the drop down box for the county. Once the county has been selected, you will then be able to select the specific township you would like to research. The information that is available for viewing varies for each location.

If you would like to research in this area, click Preserve Our Cemeteries. Have fun!

Ontario Canada obituaries

I have several readers that visit this site from Canada so I thought that I would dedicate this post to them for their continued support and friendship. I found Ontario obits website where you can research for your ancestor that has passed away in Ontario. The site provides an index for you to research within. Once you have located your ancestor, you then contact one of the volunteers to assist you with your request.

The webmaster, Janet Jones provides the following instructions to utilizing the site:
1. Perform your search
2. Copy and paste the exact index line into your email request - Please DO NOT retype the index line into your email as it may result in errors.
If the index you are looking for contains *JFLH please visit "Jude's Family & Local History" to obtain that obituary.
3. Send your email along and it will be processed as soon as possible.
4. A maximum of 5 requests per email is requested

I would suggest that you check out the FAQ section where Janet discusses answers to common questions regarding the site and how it is set up. I found the site to be easily navigated and the FAQ section answered many of my questions. If you would like to research on this site, click Ontario Obits. Have fun searching!

Wiltshire Downton Parish Mass Exodus to Canada

In the 1836 the Downton Parish sponsored a mass immigration to Canada. Approximately 220 individuals from Downton Parish and approximately 60 individuals from the Standlynch and Whiteparish set sail for Canada on the King William ship left on the 380 ton King William. According to the webmaster of this site, the number of people leaving was approximately ten percent of the population of this parish. You might wonder why a parish would sponsor such a bold move as assisting with the immigration of their parishioners, but if you review the history of the community at the time the reason for the mass exodus is clear. During the 1830's, the Downton Parish geographical area was experiencing a severe economic depression with several of the laborers unemployed. The unemployed laborers resulted from the introduction of new threshing machinery for the farming community. The Parish leaders did not see an obvious solution for the unemployment, so they came up with the idea to send the poor laborers to the colonies where they could find work and land.

The Wiltshire to Upper Canada, The Downton Story website provides one with more information regarding the circumstances and immigration process for this small group of immigrants. The site also includes an extracted ships list for the King William ship that is available for review. If you would like to see if your ancestor is located on this list, please click The Downton Story and then click on emigrant list. Have fun!

Family Bible Transcriptions of Canada

Family Bibles have to be one of the most precious historical and fragile items that can be passed down through families. Canada GenWeb has developed a website where you can search through extracted information from various family bibles. The site can be searched by using the search engine or by browsing through the surnames using the alpha browse feature. Please note that some of the transcribed information contains viewable images.

The site also allows you to submit a transcription and image of the family bibles that you may have in your possession. Another nice feature of this site is it allows you to post to a message board regarding the family bible that you might be seeking or willing to give to someone.

If you would like to search for a family bible click Canada Family Bibles Projects.

Chinese - Canadian History & Immigration

I would share with you a link that was sent to an email list that I participate in. I have always loved wiki websites and this one "Chinese - Canadian History and Immigration" wiki is one more reason why I love wiki pages. Wiki pages are a wonderful resource that is constantly evolving and improving with each contribution by it's members.

The Chinese - Canadian History Wiki is a cooperative effort between the Vancouver Public Library and the archives of Canada. It includes a vast array of information including immigration lists which have been extracted and the corresponding documents that are viewable online free of charge. Other documents such as birth, marriage, and death records are also available to view for specific people on the site, but they are limited to the few people that have contributed the information.

Another interesting aspect of this site if the Chinese - Canadian Genealogy section that is included on this site. Under this tab, you can learn about the traditional Chinese naming conventions or patterns, how the Chinese names were adapted once they immigrated to Canada and other helpful hints.

If you have Chinese ancestry that immigrated to Canada, or you would like to learn more about Chinese research, I would suggest you check out the Chinese - Canadian History and Immigration Wiki. Have fun learning!

Saskatchewan Vital Statistics Database

I stumbled across another useful database for genealogical research for those researching their ancestors in Canada. The Saskatchewan Health Department has a searchable database for the Vital Statistics Index.

The information provided on this database is in an extracted format which means that you can not actually visualize the document online. Having said that, you are able to order a copy of the document but the cost is expensive at $50.00 per document. If you just view the extracted information, it will cost nothing. The extracted information for the births include the names of this child and parents, the birth date and place, the sex of the child, and the registration number. The birth information that is available for searching has to be at least 100 years ago as directed by the legislature in Saskatchewan. Marriage indexes of 75 years or older, are not available for searching at this time, but will be available in the future. The Death index information is available for those who have died more than 70 years ago beginning in 1917. The death index contains the name of the decedent, the date of death, occasionally the parents name and oddly enough the death place is not generally present on the index.

If you would like to research or browse in this data base, click Saskatchewan Vital Statistics Index Database. Have fun searching.

Niagra Falls Canada Cemetery

More and more cities are going digital and providing services to their communities online. One of those services at times can be a searchable database for cemeteries.

The Official City of Niagara Falls Canada has such a site for those researching their ancestors from the Niagara Falls Canada area. The database contains 23 different cemeteries that have been transcribed and are available for searching. The database also includes pictures of each of the tombstones that are clear and easily read.

The website is user friendly requiring you to just put in the first and last name in order to search the databases. I have no ancestors from Canada so I tried searching with just the first two letters of a surname and the search engine pulled up many possibilities. If you are interested in researching in this area for death and burial information this site would be one that I would search. If you would like to browse or search this site clickCity of Niagara Falls Canada Genealogy and Family Search. Have fun!

Winnipeg City Cemetery Online Searches

I have had several readers from Canada visiting my blog lately, so I thought that I would do a little research to see what I could find on the internet for them. I came across the City of Winnipeg's website where they have developed an online database avilable for three of the municipal cemeteries including St. Vital Cemetery, Transcona Cemetery and Brookside Cemetery. The three cemetery databases combined have information contain over 107,000 internments dating from 1878 to the present time.

The information provided at the site includes the following information: person’s name, burial order number, lot/plot/unit number and section or columbarium niche name, their date of death and their date of interment. The databases are organized under the individual cemetery name. Once the cemetery is selected you can then browse the entries for the various cemeteries alphabetically by the surname. The original documents are not available for viewing but an email contact address is provided and they may be able to assist you in ordering a copy of the interment information which is a valuable tool for the genealogist and family historian. Searching in the databases are free to the user of the site.

If you would like to research this site, click Winnipeg City Cemetery Online Search. Have fun!

Automated Genealogy?

When I first came upon this site a few weeks ago, I was very curious as to how the name "Automated Genealogy" related to the site. When I think of Automated, I imagine something being done for me with out much effort on my part. As I have investigated the site further, I have come to understand that this site truly does have Automated Genealogy for the genealogist and family historian. The Automated Genealogy website databases are free to search. It has wonderful databases that are available to be searched with a click of button for those with Canadian ancestory. The site contains the following databases:

1901 Census - The transcription is complete and 60% completed on proofreading. This census has a surname search box that can be used to search the entire 1901 Census database.

1911 Census - The transcription is complete and proofreading is progressing. The 1911 Census only allows for searches utilizing the surname search box by first clicking on the the province link that you would like to investigate and then typing in the surname you are researching.

1906 Census - The 1906 census includes the three provinces of Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan. The transcription is nearing completion and proofreading has yet to begin. This census has a surname search box that can be used to search the entire 1906 Census database.

1851 Census - According to the website: "Censuses were planned for 1851 for the then separate colonies of Canada (current day Ontario and Quebec), New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. The census of Canada was delayed until early 1852 so it is variously refered to as the 1851 or 1852 Census. Indexing of the 1852 census was started in August 2007. Indexing of the 1851 Census of New Brunswick was started in June 2007 and is over two thirds done. Indexing of the 1851 Census of Nova Scotia, which is a head-of-household-only census, has not yet begun."

The searching capabilities provided in the 1901 and 1906 census records database is more intuitive that in the 1911 census. I hope that this will change as the project progresses. Another nice feature of the site is that you are able to view the original documents from the census records. Once you have searched for a surname, you will be given the results like on the page to the right. If you notice there is a column to the far right that has numbers that are in blue. Clicking on these numbers will take you the extracted document. At the extracted document (which is easily read), you must click on the image link above the document to view the original. I would suggest that you view the document on the split screen or in a new window, but select the larger size. It took me a few minutes to figure out how to view the actual document but it is possible. The actual document is extremely important to view in my opinion, as extraction work can have mistakes as we are all human.


Another very unique, interesting and promising feature of this site is the Linking Projects. The website states:

"An interesting feature of the site is the ability to link various records associated with a person together. This is done through the Link Centre. Projects are underway to link records from several sources as well as between the censuses. If this project were to be fully realized a researcher would be able to look up any person in Canada (from the era that census data is publicly accessible for) and find all the person's census records, birth, marriage, and death records, as well as photographs, newspaper stories, and other online data. It is a very ambitious project but many hands make light work and we have already linked over one million records! Help us put together the pieces of our shared genealogical puzzle by linking records for people you have researched!"

Some of the linking projects are:

Soldiers of the First World War Linking
Canadian Virtual War Memorial Linking
Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online Linking
British Home Children Linking
Halifax Explosion Linking
The Illustrated Index to the 1901 Census
Uploaded Images Linking
Off-site Marriage Record Linking
Extracts from Publications

This site offers a treasure trove of information for the genealogist and family historian searching for their Canadian Roots. This is a very ambitious project which will only continue to grow and improve with time. They are accepting volunteers to assist in the extraction work if you are interested in helping to further the project. If you want to check out this exciting website, click Automated Genealogy.

Who are the Doukhobors?

If you are like me, you probably have not heard of the Doukhobors. I was doing some research today and found out that the Doukhobors or Dukhobortsi (translated to mean "Spirit Wrestlers", are a religious sect of Russians that broke away from the Russian Orthodox Church back in 1785. Being exiled, several members of this group settled in Finland, Southern Russian and the Ukraine. In January 1899, over 10,000 members of the Doukhobors sect began to immigrate to Canada being assisted by Leo Tolstoy and the Society of Friends (Quakers) settling in Saskatchewan setting up 61 settlements on the prairies. This group also settled in areas of Alberta and British Columbia.

If you have Canadian Russian Ancestors, you might want to check out Doukhobor Genealogy website. This site is full of information including the "how-to" sections regarding Doukhobor Genealogy, Maps of the Immigration, Research Sources including Immigration records, Village Indexes, and much more. This site is skillfully organized and easily navigated. Doukhobor Genealogy is a website worth checking out. Have fun!

Chinese Immigration to Canada (1887-1908)

Port of New Westminster of Chinese Immigration which was in operation from 1887-1908 is a clearinghouse containing the Chinese Immigrant names that registered and paid the head tax in British Columbia during the years 1887 to1898, 1907 and 1908. According to the the website, this is the only port register that is known to have survied. The database provides information about the country origination, age, last place of residency, occupation, port of arrival and much more. You are allowed to view, print the documents for your record, and/or save a digitized copy of the document to your computer without charging you a penny.

If you have Chinese ancestry that you could possibly have immigrated to Canada click here to be redirected to the site. Enjoy your search.