|
|
 
What resources are available for Aboriginal genealogy or family trees?
There are several helpful general sources for those researching their Aboriginal ancestry. They are a good place to begin, and will give you an idea of how time-consuming such a search can be and how wide the range of sources is. Types of sources available include websites with internal search engines, genealogy handbooks, census records, genealogical societies, newspapers (usually in microfilm or online formats, for obituaries and birth and marriage announcements) and provincial archives (for birth, marriage and death registrations). Some specific tools are as follows:
Canadian Genealogy Centre at Library and Archives Canada
www.collectionscanada.ca/genealogy/022-200-e.html
From the Canadian Genealogy Centre, the guide, "Researching Your Aboriginal Ancestry at Library and Archives Canada," available at: www.collectionscanada.ca/genealogy/022-607.002-e.html
- The Library and Archives Canada brochure, "Tracing Your Ancestors in Canada", has a section on genealogy for Aboriginal Peoples. You can request a free copy of this brochure by calling the toll free number: 1-866-578-7777 (Genealogy Reference Desk), the Ottawa and area phone number, 613-996-7458 or by downloading it from the following URL:
www.collectionscanada.ca/04/0420/docs/genengbro.pdf
(an Adobe Acrobat pdf file). Some sources specific to Aboriginal Peoples listed here are:
- Census records
- RG (Record Group) 10 for Status Indians
- RG 85 for Inuit (Eskimo Record Books, 1947-1959)
- RG 15 for Métis families of the Prairie provinces (applications for scrip)
- The Ontario Genealogical Society's guide, "Records of the Federal Department of Indian Affairs at the National Archives of Canada: A Source for Genealogical Research".
- The online interface to the National Union Catalogue, known as AMICUS Web, available at: http://amicus.collectionscanada.ca/aaweb/aalogine.htm. Once here, click on "Search," then choose an index (such as "Subject Keyword"), and then type in your search term. This could be "genealogy" accompanied by a particular tribe or group, such as "genealogy indians" or "genealogy métis" (but without the quotation marks).
Handbooks and guides, such as the following:
- Cosgriff, John Cornelius and Cosgriff, Carolyn H. -- "Turbo genealogy: an introduction to family history research in the information age". -- Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1997. -- 200 p. ; 22 cm.
- Hatcher, Patricia Law. -- Producing a quality family history. -- Salt Lake City : Ancestry, 1996. -- 278 p. , 23 cm.
- Kavasch, E. Barrie. -- A student's guide to Native American genealogy. -- Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press, 1996. -- vii , 168 p. ; 24 cm.
- General searchable Internet sites, such as the following:
- Listings of Canadian contacts for vital statistics offices, such as:
- A listing of Canadian genealogical societies, available at:
- A listing of Provincial Archives in Canada, available at:
There are other sources which are more specific in nature. Many of these sources are specific to a particular geographic area. Please note that the following is a selection of sources that attempts to cover a wide range of geographic areas in Canada.
- The British Columbia Cemetery Finding Aid - a searchable website available at:
www.islandnet.com/bccfa/
- Mi'kmaq Holdings Resource Guide, Nova Scotia Archives and Records Management - Genealogy Section, available at:
www.gov.ns.ca/nsarm/virtual/mikmaq/genealogy.asp
- The Ontario Cemetery Finding Aid - a searchable website available at:
www.islandnet.com/~jveinot/
- The online interface to the National Union Catalogue, AMICUS Web, available at:
http://amicus.collectionscanada.ca/aaweb/aalogine.htm.
Once here, you can search for more specific kinds of records, such as community and family histories, specific cemetery listings, etc. For example, some specific results found through this kind of searching follows:
- Bernard, Pierre. -- Répertoire de naissances L'Annonciation d'Oka, de 1721 à 1942. -- Kanesatake, Québec: P. Bernard, 1996. - 269, 269 ; 28 cm.
- Bernard, Pierre. -- Répertoires autochtones Ste-Brigitte-de-Maria, Comté de Bonaventure, Diocèse de Gaspé. -- Kanesatake, Québec : P. Bernard, [1994?]. -- 1 vol. (multiple pagination) ; 29 cm.
- Blake, Max. -- Central Labrador's Métis. -- [Rigolet, Labrador]: M. Blake, [1999]. -- 138 p. ; 29 cm.
- Chadwick, Edward Marion. -- A genealogy of the Brant family from Ontarian families [microform]. -- Toronto : Rolf, Smith, 1894. -- 1 microfiche (12 fr.)
- De Ville, Winston. -- The East Coast of Acadia in 1708. -- Ville Platte, La. : Provincial Press, 1999. -- 59 p. ; 28 cm.
- Duck Lake History Committee. -- Their dreams - our memories: A history of Duck Lake and district. -- Duck Lake, Sask. : Duck Lake History Committee, 1988. -- 2 v. ; 29 cm.
- Hill, Yvonne B. -- Alberta District Indian Agency Enumerations. -- Lethbridge, Alta. : Ancestor Answers, 1998. -- 224 p. ; 28 cm.
- Keith, Lloyd and North West Company. -- North of Athabasca: Slave Lake and Mackenzie River documents of the North West Company, 1800-1821. -- Montréal: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2001. -- xviii, 504 p. ; 24 cm.
- Lafortune, Hélène. -- Histoire d'Oka : des origines à l'an 2000. -- Montréal : Société de recherche historique Archivo-Histo, [2000 ?]. - 276 p. ; 29 cm.
- Macpherson, Elizabeth. -- The Sun Traveller: A History of the Callihoos in Alberta. -- St. Albert, Alta. : Musée Héritage Museum, 1998. - vi, 120 p. ; 21 cm.
- McLeod, Ann, Aitken, Mona J., and McLeod, Byron. -- Indian cemeteries of the Chippewa Indian Band: on Muncey Reserve, Caradoc Township. -- London, Ont. : London Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society, [1985]. -- 49 p. ; 28 cm.
- Micmac-Maliseet Institute. -- Maliseet & Micmac vital statistics from New Brunswick church records. -- Fredericton, N.B. : Micmac-Maliseet Institute, 1998. -- xxiii , 346 p. ; 28 cm.
- Morin, Gail. -- Manitoba Scrip. -- Pawtucket, R.I.: Quintin Publications, 1996. -- iii , 368 p. ; 28 cm.
- Ontario Genealogical Society, Brant County Branch. -- Indian burial sites in Tuscarora, Onondaga, and Oneida townships. -- prepared by Angela Files. -- Brantford, Ont. : Brant County Branch, O.G.S., [1983?]. -- 4 , [1] ; 28 cm.
- Ontario Genealogical Society, Nipissing District Branch. -- An index of First Nations people from the Nipissing & Parry Sound census of 1901: an extraction of persons labelled ”R” in the Colour column. -- North Bay, Ont. : Nipissing District Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society, 2002. -- 65 p. ; 28 cm.
- Paquette, Michel ; Collette, Jean-Yves, and Société d'histoire et de généalogie de Salaberry. -- Mariages de la Mission iroquoise de Saint-Régis, Akwesasne, 1900-1992. -- Salaberry-de-Valleyfield [Québec]: Le Société, 2000. - 165, 165 p. ; 28 cm.
- Plain, Aylmer N. -- A history of the Sarnia Indian Reserve based on the personal reminiscenes [i.e. reminiscences] of the author. -- Bright's Grove, Ont. : G. Smith, 1975. -- 19 p. ; 28 cm.
- Sidney, Angela. -- Haa Shagoon: Our Family History. -- Whitehorse, Yukon: Yukon Native Languages Project, 1983. -- xxv, 60 leaves ; 22 x 36 cm.
- Thompson, Albert Edward. -- Chief Peguis and his Descendants. -- Winnipeg: Peguis Publishers Ltd., 1973. - 86 p. ; 23 cm.
Back to FAQ
|
