Canada Census, 1901 includes two columns which are unique to other Canadian censuses. They are colour (column 5) which only appears in this census and for Ethnicity (column 11) which contains unique answer options. ColourLibrary and Archives Canada defines the colour column as follows. “…the letter "w" or “b” for white, "r" for red (Indigenous peoples), "b" or “n” for black (Black Canadians), "y" or “j” for yellow (individuals of Asian descent). Individuals of mixed heritage were designated by their relevant non-white race.”[1] Ethnicity The ethnicity listed in column 11 is the same for other ..read more

A friend of mine asked me if I had an ancestor that really stood out for me? One that I wanted to get to know better. I said yes. For me, it is a several great aunt. For my friend Tracey, it is her twice great grandmother. She wanted to learn more about her. She gave me her name and mentioned she was Metis. I then went to the Red River Ancestry webpage where we found her ancestors. This search process is found on another blog post. On George Atkinson’s page on the Red River Ancestry page, it states the following.              &nb ..read more

FNMI is an acronym used in Canada to identify the three Indigenous (or Aboriginal) peoples of Canada.[1]  The three peoples are First Nations, Metis, and Inuit. Official government papers and documents often use the term Aboriginal but the current common term is Indigenous. This post will give the basic coverage of each People, as well as definitions and terminology, including their preferred name for themselves and website resources to help with genealogical research for each.  To learn more, refer to the sources in the endnotes.  Online Resources for Indigenous PeoplesLibrary ..read more

Many genealogical speakers have a mascot. I researched what mascot would represent Canada and my history. I picked a female Polar Bear. I then had to come up with a name. Hudson's Bay Company started in 1670 so it has been around for a long time of Canada's history. One of my daughter's came up with the name "Hudson Bear". I loved it.  Hudson's Bear has produced her first video Halloween in Canada. In this short video, she explains three different topics related to Halloween.  The 4minutes video is on my YouTube channel. The link is  https://youtu.be/oYrhkHxR35I The video ..read more

I received an email from Anuj, the Founder of Feedspot. They congratulated me on being selected by their panelists as one of the Top 20 Canadian Genealogy Blogs on the web. I was stunned, amazed, amused, and also honoured to be included with the others. I am honoured to be placed as number 19 on this list. I didn't post this to brag but to share with you the link of the article so you will go check out the list. I also wanted to share the group that put this article together.  Link to blog:    20 Best Canadian Genealogy Blogs and Websites. Number one is Gail! If you are ..read more

Documents are not stored in the blog. They must be stored online somewhere else. The best logical place is Google Drive.  This is the link to a Google Map which is stored in Google Drive.  I can have it look like a link. https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=17KgLlcHEpD_ACRNnnKihckVN41wSwjTf&usp=sharing or I can have it look like this    France Ancestors ..read more

Find a Grave is a site that might help direct you in the right direction but it should not be used as a source or the only information. Using what you learn from Find a Grave, more research should be done to prove or disprove they are family. This includes looking at the grave yard records and visiting the grave site in person. If it is not possible to go yourself, ask someone to go and take photos. You may learn more. In many of my BYU-Idaho Family History research courses, we were assigned to research six different families in a semester. For one assignment we were to pick someone from ..read more

You need a Google account to do any of the following To have a Gmail (Google email)  To upload files as a backup to Google Drive To create Google files on Google Drive  To save your own maps in Google Maps and more To create a Google account.  The following is a link to a PDF document with the instructions on how to create a Google account.  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1POEuvqCo5IJ9wFoiRLrIq7gq1UmpAO-F/view?usp=sharing Open it in a browser and follow along, or download and print it.  ..read more

Many genealogists are worried about who is going to do the genealogy in the next generations. They try to come up with ways to get the younger generation excited about genealogy.  Session Title Gen-Z and Genealogy Session Description "This class will explore GenZ's take on genealogy and how it shapes our lives. It will explore how older generations can help support us and how GenZ can become more involved in the genealogy world." Presenter: Sarah Day Link: https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/gen-z-and-genealogy ..read more

Y DNA is another test but only males can take the test. The results are from son to father to father to father.... way back. The results can be helpful with a Surname Study.  Session Title Y is for Y-DNA: What is Genetic Distance? Session Description "A brief overview of genetic distance as it relates to Y-DNA testing and determining the time to a most recent common ancestor for you and your patrilineal DNA matches." Present by  FamilyTree DNA Link: https://www.familysearch.org/rootstech/session/y-dna-what-is-genetic-distance ..read more