The 1916 Canadian prairie census films for Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba have finally arrived at the Cloverdale Branch of the Surrey Public Library in British Columbia.
FamilySearch.org now has a searchable index for this census (no census images). See the link below to do a name search to assist you in viewing the microfilm.
If you are doing Canadian research and living or visiting anywhere near Greater Vancouver in B.C., the genealogy department at the Cloverdale Branch Library is THE place to go. It's the largest collection of Canadian material in the west with knowledgeable staff and a good collection of genealogy guides as well. Both Ancestry Library Edition and Heritage Quest are available - in the library only.
For a look at the Cloverdale holdings and information about Canadian genealogical topics, download a free copy of the Canadian Genealogical Resources: A Guide to the Materials held at Cloverdale Library, 15th edition, edited by Laurie J. Cooke, Jacqueline Haines & Stephanie Kurmey.
If you cannot visit, Cloverdale's Genealogy department offers a limited look up service at a nominal cost for specific records on microfilm, in print or genealogy databases. See the webpage for details.
Genealogy Department, Cloverdale Branch Library: http://www.spl.surrey.bc.ca/Programs+and+Services/Genealogy/default.htm
1916 Canadian Prairie Census index search, FamilySearch.org: http://pilot.familysearch.org/recordsearch/start.html#c=1529118;p=2;t=searchable
3 comments:
The 1916 Canadian Prairie Census is not available at www.familysearch.org -- the Famil History Library doesn't have this census on microfilm.
The 1916 Prairie Census, Canada is not available at www.familysearch.org. The Family History Library also DOES NOT have a microfilm of this census.
You are correct - now. This post was written a long time ago.
FamilySearch does have films for the 1906 prairie census so I'm not sure why FS didn't get copies of the 1916. However, at the time I wrote this, FS had digital copies which were used for indexing, and there was indeed a nominal index of the 1916 Canadian prairie census on-line at FamilySearch. This was done by FamilySearch volunteers, but, I understand, through some arrangement FamilySearch made with Ancestry.com.
The index was soon withdrawn from FS, and has never been made free to the public again on-line. According to what's been said by Library and Archives Canada (LAC) which released the 1916 to Ancestry.com, a free public index was to be available long, long ago on the LAC website. This is a source of consternation and downright annoyance throughout the Canadian genealogical community - and why I do not approve of Canadian government bodies making exclusive arrangements with private companies and institutions regarding historical documents and resources.
FS patrons at Family History Centers have access to Ancestry.com though and the Canadian 1916 prairie index is available there, indexed.
Images of the 1916 census pages were (belatedly) made available free on LAC's website. But still no nominal indexes.
Post a Comment