The Scots and Irish in Canada

We've got some of the best resources for searching for early Scottish and Irish immigrants in Canada: Some Early Scots in Maritime Canada and Erin's Sons: Irish Arrivals in Atlantic Canada both compiled by Terrence M. Punch.

Punch searched newspaper announcements and passenger lists as well as cemetery, probate, and land records to find references to Scottish and Irish immigrants in Canada. The volumes focus on early populations in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, and Prince Edward Island.

Many of these record are only available in Canadian archives and difficult to find so these books provide a valuable resource for early Scottish and Irish research in North America.

Tour de l'Acadie

In August 2014, the World Acadian Congress (Congrès Mondial Acadien) is meeting in New Brunswick,
Québec, and Maine. If you have Acadian or French Canadian ancestry, there will be plenty of opportunities to explore Acadian history and culture and to research your Acadian roots. You can learn more about the congress and start registering for events at their website.

But if you cannot wait until next year to explore your Acadian heritage, bicycle tours are being organized around the region from now until the Congress in 2014. Join the Tour de l'Acadie Pre-Congrès Tour 2013 and discover your roots and experience a great road trip. Vive le Tour!

Canadian naturalizations

Are you searching for ancestors who moved to Canada?

The Library and Archives Canada (LAC) has posted a new version of the Canadian Naturalization 1915-1932 Database.

It includes the names of 206,731 individuals who applied for and received status as naturalized Canadians in that time period, and is one of a few Canadian genealogical resources designed to benefit researchers with roots outside the British Commonwealth.

References in the database can be used to request copies of the actual naturalization records, which are held by Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

Canadian Census

Do you have Canadian ancestors?

Tracing your Canadian roots past 100 has been a struggle. But now there are indexes to all of the pre-1900 Canadian censuses.

FamilySearch, in partnership with Ancestry.ca and the Library and Archives Canada (LAC), has added the 1851, 1861, and 1871 Canada Census indexes to its online collection. The new indexes can be searched for free at the FamilySearch Record Search Pilot.