Crossing the Border Into Canada

It might be surprising, but you just may have several ancestors who originally lived in Canada, our neighbor to the north, during sometime in their lives. This could have happened in the 18th, 19th or 20th centuries.

To assist in learning more about any Canadian ancestors the Ancestry.ca database is making available from now until Monday, July 2nd, free access to several of the Canadian records. This is  to celebrate Canadian Day.  There will be offered census, immigration, military and vital records, some 40 million records to investigate.

Such information can help find a birthplace, what job a person held, any military service, where they lived and if they came from another country.

The Canadian Census Collection covers from 1851 to 1916.  There is a list of soldiers and information, who served in the Canadian Military during World War I (1914-1919).  An interesting note is that you might find an ancestor who lived in the United States, but selected to enlist early by serving in the Canadian Army. Two of my own great uncles did just that, enlisting in the Canadian Army, leaving their hometown of Massachusetts. I located some wonderful information on both of them.

For ancestors from Ontario or Quebec there is also available births, deaths and marriage records. Since many ancestors either came from Europe and first settled in Canada or later crossed the United States and Canadian border to work or live, the passenger lists and border crossing databases will be very useful.

Use the search box and click the section to view the Canadian Records Only. If you find item of interest you can then register with your name and email address to view the free records with a free account. To view these Canadian