Manitoba Ancestors: Issues of "The Commercial" on Canadiana

Records for your ancestor's personal life are the back bone of genealogy research. Looking into their professional life can be harder. If they were in public service, such as law or politics, there are many sources that are a matter of public record. Business owning ancestors don't leave as much behind. Of course, if your connection is to the Christies, Redpaths, Molsons, Bombardiers, or Ganongs, then no problem. These iconic Canadian business families have mention everywhere. But what if your ancestor was a smaller business owner? If they lived in Manitoba in the late 1800's, then you should look through the pages of The Commercial. You can find over 1000 issues on Canadiana. Geared toward business owners, they stated that they were "A journal devoted to the financial, mercantile and manufacturing interests of the Canadian North-west."

The journal ran from 1882 to 1922. Canadiana has issues up to 1903. The main body of the journal is filled with articles that talk about market trends and news of interest to business and industry owners. It was a fore runner to industry magazines you see today like Canadian Business Magazine. They may not be the most interesting reading for someone not in, say, the business of selling farm machinery. But, these articles can give you an insight into the working world of your ancestor. These outside factors can tell you why they changed careers, sold their business, or why their business prospered when others didn't. For instance, there is a rather scathing article admonishing The Montreal Witness. The article basically says that their opinions on the quality of Manitoba crops is doing harm.

Another feature of the journal was snippets throughout about specific companies. In the very first issue, you can see that there was a huge fire at a HBC mill, and several changes in ownership of companies.

The journal focuses mainly on Manitoba, and Winnipeg in particular. However, other parts of Canada do get mention now and then. Here's an example from 1895 of Assiniboia and Saskatchewan.

Here's mention of Alberta in 1902.

Lastly, any publication needs advertisement revenue. If your ancestor was a business owner, don't over look the advertisement pages. They made have placed an ad. I think they're interesting to look at regardless, but I'm a genealogist and we're a special breed. Here's some from 1893

Here's some examples from 1889

And finally, some from 1903. Notice the one for lead paint in the bottom left. 

Canadiana lets you download whole issues by clicking on the PDF icon next to the "+" sign. 

Alternatively, you can right click on the image and save a single page.

As you can see above, you can also search keywords within a document. I used dry goods" and it told me which pages I could find that phrase. Just click on the page number and it will take you to that page. Keep in mind though that the keywords won't be highlighted.

Ontario Ancestors: School and Teacher Directories on Internet Archive

 I can't say enough good things about Internet Archive. For the genealogist on a budget, it is a great resource for finding sources that go beyond Census records and BMD's. The trick to using it though is patience. Because of the huge amount of material on there, you will have to try various search terms to find what you want.

The recent reopening of schools in Canada are in news headlines. I consider myself thankful that I don't have to make the hard decision on whether or not to send a child to school. So I decided this week to see what I could find on Internet Archive relating to schools. As always, I was able to find an interesting resource. If your Ontario ancestor was involved in education, then you'll want to look at Internet Archive's selection of School and Teacher Directories.

Similar to City and County Directories, these publications were put out by the Ontario Department of Education. Internet Archive by no means has a complete collection, but they range from as early as 1911 and as late as the 1950's. What a gold mine of information these can contain on your ancestor! Take a look at this page for principals and assistants for Lindsay, Ontario in 1931

Just look at the information for Edith F Gerrish

• Graduated with a B.A. from McMaster University
• Specialized in Classics
• Elementary/Intermediate certificate in Physical Culture
• Appointed in 1930
• 1 year of teaching Experience in a High School or Collegiate Institute
• Her annual salary was $2100

There is no standard formula for each year, so not all years contain so much information on an individual. As well, it would be good to look at the first few pages to understand any abbreviations used. If you take a look at 1918, they use these abbreviations

So then if we look at some Hamilton, Ontario schools, you can see what level of teaching certificate they have and their salary

You can also find general information on School Districts, as well as the District Secretary's names. Here is a page from 1949 showing Attendance, Assessment, and Secretary's name. As you can see, a few schools weren't opened as of yet on the list.

These publications, depending on the year, can give you a lot of information. But what they are best for is to provide a stepping stone to further research. Taking this information, you can then know which collections at the Archives of Ontario you need to consult. The Archives of Ontario doesn't have the same wealth of information online that some provincial archives do. However, they have some of the best finding aids around. By consulting their main finding aid Research Guide 216- Student and Teacher Records, you'll know where to look next to find more detailed records of your ancestor. This main finding aid contains links to more specific collections.

 

Quebec Ancestors: Prison Registers at BAnQ

Some people are rather taken aback when they find their ancestor listed in a criminal register. Then there are those of us who get excited, because it means there's an interesting story to add to our family tree. If you have Quebec ancestors that may not have been totally straight and narrow, BAnQ has several criminal registers digitized on their site.

The collection, Prison de Québec - registres 1813-1964, is only partly digitized. They've digitized from 1813 to 1903. The titles on the BAnQ website are in French, but I've given Google's English Translations below.

• P1 Detention register (admitted prisoners) of the Quebec prison (women and men), 1813-1823
• P2 Quebec prison prison register (women and men), 1823-1837
• P3 Quebec prison prison register (women and men), 1838-1843
• P4 Quebec prison prison register (women and men), 1844-1847
• P5 Quebec prison prison register (women and men), 1848-1855
• P6 Quebec prison prison register (women and men), 1856-1865
• P7 Detainee register (admitted prisoners) of the Quebec prison (women and men), 1865-1866
• P8 Quebec prison prison register (women and men), 1866-1873
• P9 Detainee register (admitted prisoners) of the Quebec prison (women and men), 1874-1880
• P10 Detention register (admitted prisoners) of the Quebec prison (women and men), 1881-1903

You can access the digitized images for each book by clicking at the links on the right side of the screen

If your knowledge of French is sketchy, don't worry. These digitized registers are in English. They are all set up the same way, with the exception of the first volume, P1 Detention register (admitted prisoners) of the Quebec prison (women and men), 1813-1823. This book gives an index by surname at the front of the book, but part of the A surnames are missing. The entries for each person run across 2 pages, so make sure you look at the next image as well. The columns are:

1. Prisoner Name and Description
2. Committed When & How, By What Authority & for What Cause
3. Bailed, When and by what Authority
4. Recommitted, When, How, By What Authority & for what Cause
5. Delivered When and by What Authority
6. Remarks

The very first entry involves a snapshot into the War of 1812, with John Hill. Mr. Hill was taken into custody on suspicions of being an American.

The other registers are much more in ledger form. As well, look to the back of the volume for the index. Some of the volumes have double pages scanned as one image, while others do not. They contain any of the following headings

1. Name
2. Age
3. Native of
4. By whom Committed
5. Crime with which charged
6. Education level
7. If committed before, No. of times
8. Date of Commitment
9. Period for which Summarily Committed
10. Sentence
11. Date of Discharge
12. By what authority
13. Conduct in Gaol
14. Married
15. Single
16. Temperate
17. Intemperate
18. Size (feet and inches)
19. Complexion
20. Religion
21. Occupation
22. Residence

Some of the registers have additional codes, so it's always good to look at the first few pages of the books to see what the codes mean. For instance, here's a legend from P4 Quebec prison prison register (women and men), 1844-1847. 

Don't forget to look at the names around your ancestor's name. People arrested at the same time and for the same charge may have been friends or relatives, and can offer new avenues of research. Sometimes looking at the other names can give you a pretty good picture of the circumstances surrounding your ancestor's arrest. Take a look at the names and occupations of these people from book P8 Quebec prison prison register (women and men), 1866-1873. 

 Now if you look at the corresponding arrest details, you get the feeling that maybe a "house of ill repute" was raided.

So what happens if you find your ancestor listed and you want to find out more? BAnQ also holds court records in their collection. These are not online that I could see. Because of COVID, it may not be possible to do an onsite visit. However, BAnQ is still handling research requests. You can make a request through their online form. There are several different facilities around the province. If you know which facility the records you want are located in, then you can also contact that branch. The contact information for each BAnQ facility can be accessed here.

Prince Edward Island Ancestors: Looking for Ancestors in Probate Records on Family Search

 Thanks to the pandemic, travelling to Archives has been severely restricted. This makes finding online sources to search all the more important. Some provinces already had a good online presence pre pandemic, while others did not. If the pandemic has been good for one thing, it's been making Archives and Museums rethink their strategies.

FamilySearch has always been ahead of the curve in bringing genealogy into people's homes digitally. But what a lot of people don't realize is that only a fraction of what they have on line is indexed. It's always good to check their catalogs for digitized materially that hasn't been indexed. Those searching in Prince Edward Island should bookmark the collection Probate records, 1807-1958; indexes, 1786-2000. This collection of 213 microfilm reels covers almost 200 years of wills and estate records in the province. Most but not all the reels are available to be viewed from the comfort of your own home. There are a few that can only be viewed at a Family History center, or one of its affiliate libraries. 

The fact that there are over 200 films can be daunting for an unindexed collection. However, they can be divided into sets. You can narrow your search down just to a comparable few. Just pick a microfilm, then click on the camera to the right. If the camera has a key above it, then it is one of the reels that can only be viewed at a Family History Center.

Indexes

There are 4 reels of indexes. Two have access restricted to the Family History Centers, but two do not. They are:

• Index no. 1 (original index) to wills and administrations, 1786-1900 (also includes index to wills not recorded, and some "exemplifications, partitions and sundry, other documents filed prior to first January A.D. 1901") - restricted

• Indexes no. 1-4 to wills and administrations, 1786-1983 (index no. 1 is a reorganized and partially-typed copy of the original index)

• Index no. 5 to wills and administrations, 1984-May 2000

• Index, letters of administration 1897-1901; index, letters of probate 1897-1901 - restricted

Depending on the time period, the pages are set up in different ways. The indexes can give any of the following information

• name
• residence
• whether will or administration
• will number
• inventory number
• Liber
• Folio
• Date of Grant
• Remarks

Some are typed and some are handwritten. Here's a page from the l860s and 1870s

Will Books

This set also has some restricted reels. Some of the wills are on the same reels as the indexes, but further along in the images. They are:

• Will books, v. 1-2, 1807-1833 - restricted

• Will books, v. 3-5, 1833-1858 - restricted

• Will books, v. 6-7, 1858-1868 - restricted

• Will books, v. 8, 1868-1875 - restricted

• Will books, v. 9, 1875-1880 - restricted

• Will books, v. 10-11, 1880-1887 - restricted

• Will books, v. 12, 1888-1891 - restricted

• Will books, v. 13, 1891-1894 - restricted

• Will books, v. 14-15, 1894-1900 - restricted

• Will books, v. 16-17 (to p. 582), 1902-1909

• Will books, v. 17 (from p. 581)-20 (to p. 360), 1909-1917

• Will books, v. 20 (from p. 359)-23 (to p. 140), 1917-1923

• Will books, v. 23 (from p. 140)-25 (to p. 420), 1923-1929

• Will books, v. 25 (from p. 419)-28 (to p. 134), 1929-1934

• Will books, v. 28 (from p. 133)-30, 1934-1939

• Will books, v. 31-33, 1939-1944

• Will books, v. 34-37 (to p. 881), 1944-1950

• Will books, v. 37 (from p. 880)-41, 1950-1958

These are copies of the wills. There is not always 1 will to a page. As one ends, the next will continue underneath. Here is an example from 1904

Estate Files

This is by far the biggest section. The reels are listed in the following way, so that it is actually fairly easy to find the ones you want to look at:

• First letter of surname
• Year Range
• File number range

Estate files are the pot of gold for a genealogist/family historian. You can find a huge amount of information in these. Some details are purely for insight into your ancestor. While knowing that your ancestor owned 2 lame cows (yes I did find that in a listing) is amusing, it doesn't add a lot to your research. However, other details can help you further your research. Estate files can contain

• copy of the will/ letter of administration
• birth details
• death details
• coordinates of land owned
• family members
• inventories of possessions and cash

Here's a great example of grandchildren inheriting in the will of Thurza Ford in 1894. It even shows their ages and residences!

Here's an example from 1921. One of the executors for Frederick Anderson has made an affidavit to the court to be sole executor. The other named executor could not perform their duties because they are currently an inmate of the Provincial Asylum

And here is newspaper clipping of a notice paid for by the executor of the estate of James Waite. The notice askes for anyone who has a claim against the estate to appear before the Court on February 23 1911.

Some things to keep in mind with the collection:

1. You should look at the indexes first. If your ancestor is listed, it will give you the will/estate file number. This can help narrow your search even further.
2. The Estate Files microfilms have "testate" or "intestate" labelled on them. However, I found intestate files in among the testate rolls, and vice versa.
3. The handwriting on some of the documents can be rather cumbersome. Give your self a quick refresher on the "boiler plate language" in wills. Look for phrases such as "by the Grace of God', "being of sound mind", and "I give and bequeath". This can give you an insight into how the writer formed letters, which in turn can help you decipher the rest of the handwriting.
4. Keep the main list in one window, and then right click and open individual rolls in new tabs. It's much more efficient.

FamilySearch's image viewer allows you to zoom in and out, print and download specific images. I find it's much easier on the eyes to download the image and crop it before printing. A printed page that you need a magnifying glass to read doesn't help your paper files much. Whether your system is digital or paper, make sure you include not only the reel information but the image number in your source citation. Imagine how frustrated you'll be a year from now when you have to wade through hundreds of images on a reel if for some reason you need to find that image again.