Thursday, February 2, 2017

Research Resources

Image: Oshawa Town Hall and Williams Piano Works, ca 1900. Source: Ontario.ca
Oshawa Town Hall and Williams Piano Works, ca 1900.
Source: Ontario.ca Public Domain: Copyright expired
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Research Resources


Other than paying for some photocopying at the Land Registry office, I have done all my research for free. I thought I would collect my sources in one spot - to make it easier for both you and me to find the links when we need them.

To help you get started and avoid costly mistakes, be sure to read Genealogy for Dummies, or The Complete Idiot's Guide to Online Genealogy. The titles might sound condescending, but they really are excellent guides for people just getting started in genealogy, family trees, and house histories - who want to get started quickly and easily.


SEARCH: Birth Records | Marriage Records | Obituary Records | Death Records | Cemetery Records


Top 100 Genealogy Sites
-- Top 100 genealogy websites from around the world. This list has become the gold standard for the genealogy industry. It profiles and ranks the best ancestral websites based on their internet traffic.

Resources for Military Families
-- This comprehensive collection of armed forces and conflict records provide a great resource to assist you in searching for your military ancestors. Discover more about your family's military past and learn more about your brave ancestors' achievements and efforts during wars around the world.

Genealogy and the Law
-- Because much of the genealogy hunt involves sifting through court and county records, marriage licenses, certificates of birth and death and other official documentation, it’s important you're familiar with some of the terms you will encounter.

A Beginner's Guide to Building a Family Tree Online
-- For beginners just getting started with conducting genealogy online, building their online family tree and doing it accurately are usually the main goals. With these things, you will find Ancestry.com truly excels more than any other site on the internet.

Military Indexes
-- This website is a directory of links to online military indexes and records for USA genealogy research. Included are rosters, databases of soldiers, draft card databases for World War I and II, and listings of military and war casualties.

1954 Southern Ontario Air Photos
-- Click on the index layer to download geo-referenced air photos of that location.

Maps, Gazetteers and Directories Resources
(free resource)
-- York Research Resources is a compilation of online references, books, articles, and useful addresses to assist with research in York Region. Books can be located using your favourite online library catalogue search, borrowed through interlibrary loan, or purchased directly from the publishers.

Genealogy Today
(Both free and paid resources)
-- Discover your Ancestors in this unique collection of Family History records and photos.
Over 6,350 transcriptions -- including Masonic lodge rosters, funeral notices, school catalogues, telephone directories, insurance claims, directories, church member lists, prison records, etc. -- from original documents. 4.35 million names + 28,490 images

Billion Graves
(free resource)
-- Our goal is to preserve precious records found in cemeteries throughout the world. We use modern technology to capture images of headstones with their GPS locations so users worldwide can access those records anywhere. BillionGraves strives to do just that: preserve at least one billion graves.

Find A Grave
(free resource)
-- Find the graves of ancestors, create virtual memorials, add 'virtual flowers' and a note to a loved one's grave, etc. 101 million grave records

Canadian Headstones
(free resource)
-- Browse over 656,000 gravestone photo records from across Canada!

1866 Directory of Ontario County

(free resource)
-- Durham Region Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society

1869 Directory of Ontario
(free resource)
-- Durham Region Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society

Stephen Wood: Scotland Resources - containing many Web links.
(free resource)

Ontario Genealogical Society - Local Repositories
(free resource)
• Durham Region Branch, O.G.S.
• Ontario Genealogical Society
• Durham Region Repositories
• Family History Centre [LDS]

OGSPI - 1891 Census Project
(free resource)
-- a web based library established in 1997 as a volunteer project to index an unlimited range of Genealogical information on Ontario families.

Obituary Network
(free resource)
-- designed to easily and quickly archive obituaries from any country in the world. The obits are recorded by country, province/state, surname and given names which are fully searchable - 16539 Obituaries

Gendex Network
(free resource)
-- 6,000 datasets containing 31,000,000 names linked to family history websites across the Internet. Simply follow the links in your search results for more detailed genealogical information about them.

Branch Web Links Collection
(free resource)
-- focuses on resources located in the Durham Region, as well as genealogical portals and short cuts to government sites.

OurOntario.ca
(free resource)
-- Search across hundreds of sites – digital collections of libraries, archives, museums, historical societies, community groups, government agencies, and content organizations – in seconds.
Oshawa Archives image database
Whitby Archives image database
Ajax Archives image database

The Archives Damage Atlas
(free resource)
-- This slim volume is intended as an aid for identifying and classifying damage to archive documents. It facilitates the recognition of different types of damage and the identification of the causes of damage and can also serve as a basis for drawing up a conservation plan.

Directories:

Lovell’s Province of Ontario Directory for 1871
(free resource)
-- containing names of professional and business men, and other inhabitants, of the cities, towns and villages, throughout the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, and Prince Edward Island,...corrected to January, 1871 (1871)

Free resources:
Canada Directory 1851
Conner and Coltson's Directory of the Country of Ontario for 1869-70
The County of Ontario Directory 1869
Province of Ontario Gazetteer and Directory 1869
Lovell’s Province of Ontario Directory for 1871
Ontario Gazetteer and Business Directory for 1884-85
Ontario Gazetteer and Business Directory for 1886-87
Directory of the Counties of Grey, Ontario and Simcoe 1887
Ontario Gazetteer and Business Directory for 1888-89
Ontario Gazetteer and Directory for 1892-93
Ontario Gazetteer and Directory for 1895
Business and Professional Directory of All Cities in Ontario, 1899-1900

National Archives UK
(free resource)
 -- These are naturalization petitions completed by individuals applying to become British citizens between 1801 and 1871.

Census:
(free resource)
Canada, Upper Canada Census, 1842
1851 Canada Census
1851 Whitby Twp, Ontario
1861 Whitby East Twp, Ontario
1871 Canada Census
1881 Canada Census
1891 Canada Census
1901 Canada Census of Canada Indexing Project
1911 Census of Canada Indexing Project

Obituary Depot
(free resource)
 -- Invites genealogists and family researchers around the world to take a few minutes every day to transcribe the obituaries from their local paper. The result is a database that receives several hundred new submissions a day. At last count, there were over 590,000 listings.

Download a Free Blank Family Tree Template
(free resource)
 -- great 6-Generation family tree that you can download and print out

Facebook Favourites:
Ancestry.com
Durham Region Area Archives Group
Oshawa Community Museum and Archives
Olive Tree Genealogy


SEARCH: Birth Records | Marriage Records | Obituary Records | Death Records | Cemetery Records

Paid Resources:

Archives.com
(Free 7 Day Trial)
-- Find your ancestors' historical records quickly and simply. Search their extensive database of images, newspapers, vital records, and more!

Ancestry.com
(Free 14 Day Trial)
-- We've spent more than a decade building the world's largest online family history resource - including historical records, photos, stories, family trees and a collaborative community of millions. Start a tree with just a few details about your family and they will help you discover more. Search 11 billion historical records, photos, and family trees with a free 14-day trial. Discover a lifetime told in records.

Genealogy Beginner
-- Personal Support from In-House Genealogists. You’ll have members-only access to their community forums. Their resident genealogists will be available to provide guidance and resources. The services of a genealogist can cost up to $1800 on other sites. With your Genealogy Beginner membership, this unlimited resource is included.
-- Weekly Lessons, delivered to your inbox. Each week for eight weeks you’ll receive a genealogy lesson. The lessons are designed specifically for the beginning genealogist. As you complete each lesson, you’ll gain the tools you need to discover your family’s history. Each lesson includes specialized, member only community forums, where instructors are standing by to answer your questions and give direction, guidance, and advice.
-- Family Tree Starter Kit. You’ll receive a full Family Tree Starter Kit, which contains all the charts, graphs and resources you’ll need to document your family’s history. Download and print as many copies as you like.


Catherine McDiarmid-Watt, author of OshawaJournal.com~*~ by Catherine McDiarmid-Watt, author of OshawaJournal.com, researching her 1850's house, the history of old homes, the genealogy of the founding families in Oshawa - as well as citylife and farm life in the 1800's, with old news clippings, well-researched articles, and "then and now" photos with the help of her "history dogs", Denny and Dexter.

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