Handy Sites of the Month for August 2007
While our first edition was generally well received, many readers suggested that we "start helping people
find sites that will help them with their research". To that end, we are pleased to present
our new section: "Handy Sites of the Month."
These sites have been handpicked by our editors. We feel that they provide excellent
information and hope that you will feel the same way too.
Links to our "Handy Sites" will also be added to our Other Links page and carried there going forward.
To recommend a site for review and possible inclusion in our "Handy Sites of the Month" list
please send an email to newsletter@familyhistoryplace.net with the subject line being "handy sites".
Handy Sites for August 2007:
1) Library and Archives Canada - Passenger Lists from 1865 - 1935
2) Convicts to Australia - A guide to researching your convict Ancestors
3) Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System
4) The National Archives of Great Britain - Military History
More about the sites:
Library and Archives Canada - Passenger Lists from 1865 - 1935
http://www.collectionscanada.ca/genealogy/022-908.003-e.html
The Government of Canada publishes some excellent information if you're trying to find your ancestors. One such website
is run by Library and Archives Canada and contains information on how to access and search ship passenger lists from 1865 - 1935.
Passenger lists were the official record of immigration in Canada during this period as there were no immigrant applications or files.
The lists will contain information such as name, age, place of origin, occupation, and destination. They are generally arranged
by port and date of arrival. You can also search an online database from 1865 - 1922 at:
http://www.collectionscanada.ca/archivianet/passenger/001045-130-e.html
Passenger Lists exist for the following ports of entry (as provided by Library and Archives Canada):
- Quebec City and Montreal (Quebec), 1865-1935;
- Halifax (Nova Scotia), 1881-1935;
- Saint John (New Brunswick), 1900-1935;
- North Sydney (Nova Scotia),1906-1935 (these include mostly ferry arrivals from Newfoundland and St-Pierre-et-Miquelon, with a few passengers in transit from other countries);
- Vancouver (British Columbia), 1905-1935;
- Victoria (British Columbia), 1905-1935;
- via New York, 1906-1931; and other eastern United States ports, 1905-1928 (these lists include only the names of passengers who stated that they intended to proceed directly to Canada).
Some Research Tips for Using the Site (as provided by Library and Archives Canada):
- The lists recorded the names of all passengers regardless of their country of origin or nationality. This included visitors, students, returning Canadians and passengers in transit to the United States.
- Lists for the port of Quebec include passengers who disembarked at Montreal between 1865 and 1921. Those ports were closed during the winter months when the St. Lawrence River was frozen.
- Passengers from mainland Europe usually sailed to Great Britain, where they boarded trans-Atlantic ships at ports such as Liverpool, London and Glasgow.
- Some immigrants to Canada arrived at American ports. For example, many ships sailed directly from Italy to New York.
- Immigrants from Europe destined for western Canada landed at ports on the East Coast, then continued their journey by train. The names of train passengers were not recorded.
- Ships arriving on the West Coast carried passengers from Asia, Australia and Honolulu.
Convicts to Australia - A guide to researching your convict Ancestors
http://www.convictcentral.com
This site provides some excellent history and information on convict immigration and Australia.
You can search for information by ship. You can learn about the history of Australia. Convictcentral.com appears
to be a must see for anyone looking for ancestors in Australia.
Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System
http://www.itd.nps.gov/cwss/
An online database run by the United States National Park Service that will allow you to search
for ancestors who fought on either side in the American Civil War. The database contains over 6 million records.
We found it a little slow to respond, but it is well worth the wait. Follow the "the system" links
on the right side of the screen to begin your search.
The National Archives of Great Britain - Military History
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/militaryhistory/
This site provides a guide into researching military history records in the United Kingdom.
It provides several links to searchable databases. In most cases searches of the databases are free,
although it appears this site does charge a nominal fee to download the documents. The good news is,
you won't need to download anything unless you find something in your searches. This is a must see
for any genealogist with ancestors in the British Military or anyone who is a military history buff.
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