Class Descriptions

All 'classroom' sessions are now taught at Pasqua Rec Centre,
263 Lewvan Drive, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada; except for the University of Regina Seniors Education courses which are at SEC, College Avenue and Cornwall 585-5816.
 To find these locations, click on the following link - www.regina.ca and look for Interactive Street Map
 

 Unpuzzling Your Past                                                                           U of R Seniors Education Centre courses

Saskatchewan Archives                                                           Genealogical Magic from On-line Canada                                      

Family History Centre                                                                            Research Service               

Family History Library                                                                           Consultation Services                                                                                     

                                                                                      
INTERNET Courses:  Family History Library   and   Genealogical Magic from On-line Canada. Registrations are by email.                                        

These courses are offered in the following sequence for an important reason. The knowledge gained in one course will give you the tools and wisdom needed to proceed, with confidence and understanding, to the next course. Following these suggestions offers you your greatest chance of successfully tracing your ancestors and subsequently doing the 'genealogy happy dance'. Of course this is Pat's suggestion only, but she really doesn't want to see you overwhelmed in a course you weren't quite ready for. These classes are very different that any you may have previously taken. They are comprehensive, loaded with detail, and have been described by many students as 'intensive', but fun. Obviously you will be the best judge of where your skill level is at. Alternatively, you are welcome to discuss your needs with Pat.


poem.                Click on  See what previous students have said                     Photos

 

Unpuzzling Your Past                using the Internet   
This course always fills quickly. Registrations are being accepted for the Sept. 2008 course. Email Pat

Genealogy is the #1 hobby in the world!

Celebrate and preserve your own history by building your family tree. At some point in life, people feel compelled to learn more about the individuals in their family who came before them. What makes genealogical research even more interesting is seeing the impact that your ancestors had on history, and on your own life. And just what did you inherit from your ancestors? Your physical appearance, likes or dislikes, health, even your occupation may be traced back to your ancestors. Every person is a part of history. Just by living their lives, they created history. What about you? You, too, are creating history, even as you live it. While you are a descendant of the past, you are a parent of the future.

Records are history's best storytellers. It is therefore necessary to develop research skills and become a good 'detective'. It is also a great deal of fun!   These classes are designed to develop your research skills & teach you to think like a researcher. The classes enable you to decide what records to search for, why you need each  of these records, how to find them, and then how to use them.

Unpuzzling Your Past is the course you SHOULD start with - whether a beginner or a seasoned researcher! You won't believe what you've been missing! You will NEVER regret building a strong foundation!! What if you had to prove a major event in *your* life? How would you do it? With records. Your ancestors also created records. They did many of the same things you do. Later in their lives they may have married and had children. Some of them hunted for gold, others worked in mills or farmed, still others left their homeland to make a new life in North America. If you had to prove your ancestors had these experiences, that they actually lived, how would you do it? Well, you would become a family history detective.

This class is suitable for beginners and the advanced who’ve hit that ‘brick wall’. This is a good 'starter' class, and the one you should start with, but it is also designed to assist more experienced researchers who are at a stand-still with their current 'brick wall'.  I will say again - You will NEVER regret building a strong foundation!!

For most of us the great fun of genealogy & family history research is in the thrill of the chase - the search for new details. We gather reams of photocopies. We have copious numbers of binders full of hard copy. We have too many notes scribbled on too many scraps of paper, and we carry impossible numbers of facts/dates/locations in our heads. Sometimes we are overwhelmed by the amount of information we have collected or inherited. Sometimes we have nothing. Obviously the more we know, the more we have to work with. BUT, Pat started with her parents and grandparents names, two locations (on two different continents), a couple unconfirmed dates, and that was it!! It *is* possible.

This course has been thoughtfully developed to help those with too much or too little information. If your research has progressed over a long period of time, do you still have some spaces you've had to leave blank or are uncertain about? Learn how to start, organize, document and cite your source(s)  properly. Discover those missed clues or miscellaneous errors, and learn about new sources recently made available to the public (including many on the Internet - some that are available only on the Internet).  Learn how to do all this in the most cost effective manner possible! There are times when you must pay for an official search. There are many *more* times when you can perform that search yourself, if you just knew how. This course will teach you those 'how's'.

Experienced genealogists

Take a look at all the work you've done or inherited and think of what you might yet accomplish! Is part of the reason you do family history research so it will be preserved, passed on and added to? Is your work clear, concise and presented in an organized, understandable format? Will the next person who looks at, or inherits it, be able to understand exactly what you found, and exactly where you found it? Will they be able to, and want to, continue your work? Do you have any recorded information, but are unable to remember where you found it or who told it to you? Have you been given any names, dates, locations but you have no idea where that information was found? If you knew, you could go back to those records, double check for accuracy and perhaps add some new details the original researcher, or story-teller, missed, misread or misinterpreted!

Only you know how much time, expertise, money, frustration, and intense happiness you will or have invested in researching and preserving your family history. Wouldn't it be terrible if it was all disposed of because it's value was not readily apparent? It happens every day. How many precious old photos, books or other memorabilia  have you seen in second hand shops or garage sales? Your talents and your hard work need to be preserved and your descendants will thank you - after all, how much would you appreciate even one piece of well documented research?

If you are just getting started, congratulations, as you have no bad habits to break and this class will teach you all the good habits. For those of you who have spent decades doing research, isn't that research worth the investment of a little more time in order to preserve it for future generations? Do not despair if you're body of work needs attention - you are certainly not alone - but  Do Not Delay any longer. Get into this class - quick! Student enrollment is kept low to accommodate student/instructor interaction. Students work on their own family research.

These courses are not designed to be the cheapest in the world - we all know that you usually get what you pay for. They *are* designed to be the BEST. Pat is most concerned with giving you the best and most recent tools available [including those on the Internet], and equipping you with the knowledge you need to take your research as far as you'd like. She also believes in having fun, and there is always much laughter shared by all. Additionally, following each one of the four class sessions, you will receive a set of complete and comprehensive notes covering the details taught and discussed in that class. This means you will not have to attempt to take notes during the class. Instead, you can devote your full time and attention to listening, learning, participating, and sharing in your own successes. Students continually express their gratitude and appreciation to Pat. They realize her knowledge is vast, and that she goes 'above and beyond' for her students. They also realize that her notes alone are worth hundreds of dollars - and appreciate that they can continue to refer to those notes, forever! Pat clearly loves what she does ... and it shows. Instructor Pat Ryan MCCSG.
 

.poem                see what previous students have said

To pre-register send Pat an email now.
Wed.  10 Sept. 2008                             6:50 - 9pm                        Pasqua Rec Centre
Wed.  17 Sept. 2008                             6:50 - 9pm                        Pasqua Rec Centre
Wed.  24 Sept. 2008                             6:50 - 9pm                        Pasqua Rec Centre
Wed.  01 Oct. 2008                               6:50 - 9pm                        Pasqua Rec Centre                                            $99/4 sessions

Have you had a kindness shown? Pass it on;
'Twas not given for thee alone, Pass it on;
Let it travel down the years,
Let it wipe another's tears,
'Till in Heaven the deed appears-- Pass it on.               --- Rev. Henry Burton


 

Saskatchewan Archives       

Class size is limited. Pre-registrations are now being accepted for the Oct. 2008 course. Email Pat

Provincial Archives are often viewed as intimidating places, and as a result many genealogists do not go. BUT, provincial archives hold a myriad of original records  always necessary to our research! Most of this course takes place on-site at the SK. Archives  located in Regina, where Pat shares her vast knowledge and experience using these mostly original, one-of-a-kind records.

Western Canada was settled primarily by homesteaders. A file was created about each, even those who only farmed briefly. Even if you believe your family never farmed, do not overlook homestead files as homesteaders included not just those who came for the 'free' land, but also school teachers, business owners, and church leaders. Files may include such personal information as former residences, family, dates, house & land details - plus there is much more in these files than meets the uninformed eye. In the past, we have discovered birth/death/marriage/divorce documents, pages of personally written correspondence, photos, and even Wills.

Each student will be performing research on their own ancestors. The best part? Pat is with you every step of the way to assist you, and more importantly to explain your findings to you so you will not miss important details that often are overlooked or misunderstood by others.  You will also learn to use old newspapers, directories, photos, special maps, births/deaths/marriage indexes, citizenship, naturalization, ships passenger lists, and military records to name just a few. Pat also arranges for her students to be taken on a personal tour of the Archives 'hidden treasures' - those records hidden from the public and kept behind locked doors. After all, if you don't know what's available how do you know what to ask for? This is an opportunity not to be missed!

Students will also learn to use the very best FREE web sites for land research, not just in Saskatchewan, but for all of western Canada. This allows you to start your research before even arriving at the SK. Archives. The Internet work will be completed from your home computer where you will follow very detailed and comprehensive lessons emailed by Pat to each of her students. You will be working on your own family research throughout this entire course. Even those without Saskatchewan connections will benefit. Class size is limited. Completion of Unpuzzling Your Past would be MOST beneficial and is strongly encouraged by Pat. Instructor Pat Ryan MCCSG.   

To pre-register send Pat an email now.
Wed.  08 Oct. 2008                              7 - 9pm                               Pasqua Rec Centre
Wed.  15 Oct. 2008                              emailed lessons                       
Wed.  22 Oct. 2008                              9:30am - noon                SK Archives 3303 Hillsdale
Wed.  29 Oct. 2008                              9:30am - noon                SK Archives 3303 Hillsdale                                            $99/4 sessions

Family History Centre (FHC)                                                

Using the Internet, access the largest genealogical library in the World. This course has been totally re-written for this course to reflect the newest and most advanced search methods possible.
Brand new in Nov. 2008 - an early access pilot site helps you identify your ancestors by letting you search millions of indexed records and by letting you browse actual images of records that have not yet been indexed.

This course always fills quickly. Pre-registrations are now being accepted for the Nov. 2008 course. Email Pat

Session 1: using an Internet connection and your home computer you will follow the first four emailed lessons that will teach you how to access the World's largest genealogical library, located in Salt Lake City Utah. Following step-by-step detailed instructions, provided by your instructor, you will perform real searches from the 1700's & 1800’s plus a whole lot more. Locate ancestors and their families using a wide variety of record types from numerous localities around the world. If you do not have a home Internet connection you can do this research from a library computer. You will already now have enough knowledge to begin to research your own ancestral and collateral families!

Session 2: the next four lessons take you deeper into the records. You will learn to examine and understand the results of your Session 1 lessons. It is great to find records to search, but it is imperative that you understand: what you have found; where the record came from (i.e. it's source); the reliability of that source; what you can do next; & how to find even more. Following this session, you will receive another four emailed lessons.

Session 3: the next four lessons teach you some significant research methods that few people know or understand.

Session 4: before our on-site visit, you will receive your last set of four emailed lessons that will enable you to use ALL the tools available from the Family History Library web site which catalogues the largest collection of genealogical records in the World. On-site, at the Regina Family History Centre, you will participate in a tour of the facilities. This is a working tour so you will also learn to examine the vast array of resources available at this facility - which is one of 'the best' in this instructor's opinion. You will also locate, view & examine the 'original' records identified in Sessions 1 and 2. In other words, you will be looking at records originally written in the 15, 16, 17 & 1800s.

All sixteen lessons come with detailed, easy to follow instructions - even if you are not entirely computer literate. You can anticipate spending approximately three to six hours completing each set of lessons.

Following the completion of this course you will be aware of how to open up even more research doors which will allow you to perform combination searches you would never have believed possible! And the best part is that you can do these searches knowledgeably, effectively, and inexpensively - without ever having to leave Regina. Do as much research as possible BEFORE you make that visit to your ancestral home. This will allow you to spend your time and vacation dollars enjoying the sights, sounds, smells, and joys of your homeland, ensuring you are walking in your ancestors footsteps ...  and only doing specific research there when and if you choose to.

Having just returned from visiting Scotland and Northern Ireland for a month [and Germany, Austria, Czech Republic last year], Pat is glad she followed her own advice and had her research well under control before traveling. She was able to visit her ancestors homelands, locate their personal home addresses, and literally walk in their footsteps. She also saw and experienced the churches where ancestors births and marriages were performed - some back to the late 1600s. Cemeteries were easily located, as were family monuments. There is no feeling to compare this to - and tears were shed, and shared. Pat did manage to spend some time in archives and libraries, and learned how to research the records only available locally. She is excited to share with you the various record types you *should* be looking for - most of which have been filmed by the LDS church.
  
The Family History Library in Salt Lake City:

The Family History Library contains a variety of records that can help with family history and genealogical research. First there are vital records; these include birth, marriage, and death records from both government and church sources. The library collection also includes census returns; court, property, and probate records; cemetery records; emigration and immigration lists; printed genealogies; and family and county histories. The Family History Library’s computer system also contains several large databases. You can access these databases, which have over 1,000,0000,000 (1 BILLION) names ... using the Internet. The Family History Library’s collection concentrates on records of deceased persons who lived before 1930. All records are obtained legally with the approval and cooperation of the government and local authorities who have jurisdiction over the records.

• The collection includes over 2.5 million rolls of microfilmed genealogical records; 742,000 microfiche; 300,000 books, serials, and other formats; and 4,500 periodicals.
• The Ancestral File database contains approximately 35.6 million names that are linked into families.
• The International Genealogical Index database contains approximately 600 million individual names. An addendum to the International Genealogical Index contains an additional 125 million names.
• The Pedigree Resource File database contains over 36 million names that are linked into families.
• Records available are from the United States, Canada, the British Isles, Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa.
• In 2000, the collection increased monthly by an average of 4,100 rolls of film and 700 books.
• A majority of the records contain information about persons who lived before 1920.
• Approximately 242 cameras are currently microfilming records in over 40 countries. Records have been filmed in over 110 countries, territories, and possessions.

• About 100,000 rolls of microfilm are circulated to Family History Centres each month!

• Recently, certain census records are now available to be searched, for FREE, on-line! There are also forms, charts, maps, videos, guides and other research helps available.
  
  The Family History Department maintains a climate-controlled, underground storage facility to safeguard master copies of all it's microfilm records. The storage facility, built literally into a mountainside, is located about 25 miles from downtown Salt Lake City, Utah.

You or your ancestors need NOT be members, current or past, of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, (often referred to as Mormons), to find records about your ancestors in the FHL. The Church or it's members will never contact you for religious reasons.

This course is an absolute ‘must’ for all genealogists. Class size is very limited and always fills quickly. Completion of Unpuzzling Your Past would be MOST beneficial and is strongly encouraged by Pat. Pat Ryan MCCSG

see what students have to say                    Photos

Wed. 05 Nov. 2008                        emailed                                                                                       receive detailed lessons
Wed. 12 Nov. 2008                        emailed                                                                                        receive detailed lessons
Wed. 19 Nov. 2008                        emailed                                                                                        receive detailed lessons
Wed. 26 Nov. 2008                         7 - 9pm                                                                                         Regina Family History Centre                                            $99/4 sessions [16 lessons + on-site tour, lesson, & hands-on research]

Using the Family History Library (FHL) [on-line distance education]

    INTERNET COURSE       
 

These lessons have been totally re-written for this Nov. 2008 course to reflect the newest search methods available.

This course has been designed for English speaking researchers living anywhere in the World. It is a totally on-line distance education course using the 'information highway'. Those unable to attend the above Family History Centre (FHC) classes in Regina now have the opportunity to learn how to use the largest genealogical library in the World - from their own home, at their convenience. It may be helpful to read the FHC course outline above as this course follows much the same format.

You will learn about the compiled databases and how to use them.  More often than not, the Family History Library has got the courthouse, census, vital (birth, marriage, death) or church records on microform that your research requires - no matter what country that research takes you to. In this course you learn to use the FHL  databases and their catalogue. Because there is no substitute for original document research, you will also learn how to order the exact film required. This allows you to view the original documents at a Family History Centre - just as if you were sitting in that musty old library in whatever country your research takes you to. These microforms (film and fiche) can save you literally hundreds of research dollars and research hours.  You will also learn how to find the locations of all FHC's so you can choose the most convenient one for you.

The Family History Library in Salt Lake City:

• The collection includes over 2.5 million rolls of microfilmed genealogical records; 742,000 microfiche; 300,000 books, serials, and other formats; and 4,500 periodicals.
• The Ancestral File database contains approximately 35.6 million names that are linked into families.
• The International Genealogical Index database contains approximately 600 million individual names. An addendum to the International Genealogical Index contains an additional 125 million names.
• The Pedigree Resource File database contains over 36 million names that are linked into families.
• Records available are from the United States, Canada, the British Isles, Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa.
• In 2000, the collection increased monthly by an average of 4,100 rolls of film and 700 books.
• A majority of the records contain information about persons who lived before 1920.
• Approximately 242 cameras are currently microfilming records in over 40 countries. Records have been filmed in over 110 countries, territories, and possessions.
Recently, certain census records are now available to be searched, for FREE, on-line! There are also forms, charts, maps, videos, guides and other 'research helps', all of which will be discussed in this course.

You or your ancestors need NOT be members, current or past, of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often referred to as Mormons, to find records about your ancestors in the FHL. The Church or it's members will never contact you for religious reasons. 

Course Content
Lessons, assignments, questions, and answers will all be emailed (dates below). Lessons & assignments come with very detailed, easy to follow  instructions. You will perform real searches, for real people, who lived in previous centuries. Your instructor will provide explicit explanations of: what you find; what the source was for the entry (extremely valuable); how to ascertain the reliability of the source; what your findings tell you; and how to search for what other records are available to you. By following the assignments you will next learn how to search for your own ancestors. You will receive over SEVENTY pages of lessons that will guide you through the entire LDS website (it's HUGE). Many people who have been using this website since it's beginnings are still not using everything that is available - only because they don't know it's there and how to find it.

Students are encouraged to email their FHLC questions to the instructor who will share her responses (to the entire student body) following each lesson. Students names will NOT be included - only the questions along with her response. The huge benefit to all students is often found by reading answers to questions they may not have thought to ask...... yet. Because your individual names will not be associated with your question, you can feel comfortable asking anything and getting the answer. :-) As all of these classes are designed to foster learning, remember: there are NO silly or foolish questions!

During this course you should anticipate spending about 5 to 10 hours of research time on-line working your way through the lessons. You do not need to be on-line at any particular day, or even any particular time. You can work your way through the assignments, the lessons and the answers, at your convenience. Everything will be sitting on your computer waiting for when you have time.

This course is an absolute 'MUST' for all genealogists unable to attend the course in person in Regina. Registration is only available by email pryan@sasktel.net  & registration fees must be received before course begins.  Instructor: Pat Ryan MCCSG  

I can set up lesson delivery dates to accommodate your needs                           $89.00/16 lessons

See what students had to say                                          
 

Note: ordering films & visiting the Family History Centre of your choice will be the responsibility of each student and cannot be instructor led due to distances involved. Typically, this course has students enrolled from places such as Texas, California, Virginia, Michigan, Ohio, Brazil, England, Scotland, New Zealand & Germany as well as individuals all across Canada. People living in Regina, but unable to enroll in the above Family History Centre course have also registered in this course - some are away on a holiday or unable to come out at night. Groups that can travel to Regina are invited to contact Pat to discuss a personally conducted hands-on session at the Regina Family History Centre.

Genealogical Magic from On-line Canada

        INTERNET COURSE                   
 

This has to be the best opportunity researchers have ever had!  All you need for this Internet course is a computer and an Internet connection.

Canada is a country of immigrants. We are all immigrants, just with varying degrees of seniority. Some of us are first generation Canadians, while others can trace their Canadian roots back sixteen generations or more. Do not worry. There were records created through each ancestral generation - recording names, dates, locations, family relationships and more. Now that we have home computers and access to the Internet, all we need is the knowledge to find and use those early created records ... many of which are also on the Internet. This is truly a new and exciting opportunity to search through new, trusted and free online resources including genealogical and family history content - maps, research tools, & dozens of free databases: census, land, military, passenger lists, newspapers, photographs, immigration records and others too numerous to mention in full. Additionally this course will teach you how to find those numerous 'hidden' links and databases that are not easily located.

The main site, funded by the Department of Canadian Heritage through its Canadian Culture Online initiative, tells the exciting story of immigration to Canada from the early 19th century to the outbreak of the Second World War through documents held in our Nations capital. Not only will you see first hand the trials of immigration through narratives enhanced by manuscripts, diaries, publications and visual material, you are encouraged to find your own family's history through the databases of digitized documents that are provided, such as passenger lists, and muster rolls.

You can page through books, flipping pages on your computer the same as if you held the book on your lap. You can find photos of places your ancestors may have lived in. Enlarging maps is a breeze. Many of us are interested in producing a quality family history, to be shared with other family members ... many of whom are not yet born. You will be able to produce a family history that includes names, places and dates ... but now we can use materials available through this course that will add historical drama and unique perspectives to our stories. And it will all be factual, and historically accurate without scouring for decades to locate the interesting details. Details such as advertising pamphlets used to entice people to come to Canada. You'll find and read through diaries written by real people during a specific time of their immigration - things such as waiting for the boat; life on board the ship; what happened upon arriving in Canada; their personal experiences and what they advised their friends and families to do, and where to go, as well as what they should, and should not, bring with them. 

There are so many opportunities for us to extend our family research using the Internet - IF we know where to look. This course will offer numerous NEW web sites - all free, many of which are all packaged neatly in trusted databases. In brief we'll be learning to research our families through records such as BMDs, marriage bonds, censuses, immigration, home children, land, court records, military, naturalizations, dictionaries of people, Government of Canada files [you will be amazed at what you can find here], passenger lists [with the associated images that can be printed off], books, newspapers, local histories, church and cemetery indexes, family histories, city directories, genealogy society journals, libraries and archives across Canada, and believe it or not, MUCH more. This course allows users to find genealogical resources available in Canada, searching by geographical area, time, or type of resource. As a bonus you will also find certain links and databases to numerous records located in various other countries.

Records we will be concentrating on include all parts of Canada with some records starting in the 1700s. One example is a database containing over 3,000 digitized images of distressed soldiers or their widows applying for a pension in 1839. The petitions contain much detail on the history and life of the old soldiers or their widows because applicants were required to relate how long they had been in New Brunswick, their economic condition, military service and, in the case of the widows, when and where they married the soldier. Another example is the database including divorce cases heard between 1759 and 1963 in Nova Scotia. In the two centuries following Nova Scotia's first recorded divorce nearly 7000 divorce cases were heard by this court. Individual files may contain marriage records, divorce petitions, and other documents recording court proceedings and decisions. That's just two - there is so much more!

Because Canada was settled from east to west, the earliest records available will be for eastern Canada. That does NOT mean there are not early records for western Canada - there are - just not as early as in the east.

Land Records
Canada's system of land descriptions are vastly different, east to west. Each will be discussed, but those with ancestors who originally farmed in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and along the railroad belt of British Columbia are in for a special treat. Land records, called Homestead Files, have been found with birth places, former residences, year of arrival on a specific piece of western land, age, makeup of family, size of first house/barn/shed and what they cost, minerals found, and numbers and types of livestock are all normal. Additionally, wills, divorce papers, and hundreds of pages of personal correspondence have also surfaced within Homestead Files. In this course you learn how to search a variety of databases now available on the Internet, AND learn to find much more by using the expert guidance of your instructor. Things such as numerous land grants, sometimes in more than one province; specific land maps and books; unknown dates; lost papers, and more.  Lessons will include very detailed instructions on locating and using land records.

The Internet can be a magic place - for those who learn how to use it responsibly and knowledgeably.  Does it hold all the answers? Emphatically "No". Are all surviving records neatly packaged in searchable databases? Emphatically "No". I'm sure you all know by now that answers to ALL our family history research will never be found in any one location or by using any one tool, not even the Internet. This course cannot guarantee you will find what you are looking for. It can only offer dozens upon dozens of new and trusted web sites, databases, and clues to further your efforts. Sometimes you may find that records do exist, but are not on-line. In these cases you will also learn the addresses of where to write for such Canadian records. There are still times when the best, and only successful, method is using the old fashioned ways of snail mailing your request. That's not so bad when you have the correct address, is it?

Come join me on a journey of discovery! Who knows what success stories we will have to share once this course is under way! All twenty-four lessons will be by email in attachments, and will include detailed notes, assignments (to assist you in learning), suggestions, hints and tips on using these FREE and TRUSTED web sites. You will have one week to work your way through each set of lessons before the next ones arrive. The real advantage of this Internet course is that you can work at your own pace. Unforeseen circumstances can happen to anyone, at any time. With this Internet course the lessons will be delivered each week and can be delved into at your convenience. Even if you are out of the country when the course is on - the lessons are yours to keep, so you can start, stop, and start again right where you left off, with the most recent lessons waiting patiently until you have the time. There are no examinations, and no papers to hand in. You get to keep the lessons, AND the knowledge, without the unnecessary workload of 'due' dates. Registration fees must be received before you will be accepted in this course. Completion of Unpuzzling Your Past, and the Family History Centre courses would be most beneficial. Instructor Pat Ryan MCCSG.

Following is the format this course will take. There are three Parts with eight lessons in each part! A full and ambitious course for you to enjoy, at your leisure.

PART 1

Lesson 1
1. Introduction
2. Administrative divisions
3. Atlas of Canada
a) Maps
· Environment
· People & Society
· Economy
· History
· Climate change
· Fresh water
· Health
· Reference maps
· Map archives
· Topographic maps
b) Learning resources
· Lesson plans
· Facts about Canada
· All resources
c) Data & services
· Wall maps
· Free data
· Web services
4. Provinces & Territories
5. Symbols of Canada
a) 1497
b) 1534
c) 1760s
d) 1801
e) 1867
f) 1904
g) 1945
h) 1965
6. Canadian place names
a) Origins of
b) Provinces
c) Territories
d) Capital cities
e) Aboriginal community names
f) Major centres
g) Generic terms
h) Gazetteers
i) Dual names
j) Abbreviations & symbols
k) Search & locate

Lesson 2
1. Canadian Biographies
2. National Library and Archives of Canada
3. Introduction
4. LAC collection
5. Services to the Public
a. tools
b. ask a question
c. borrowing
d. visiting
e. photocopies
f. conditions of access
g. services
6. Archives
7. Libraries
8. Publishers

Lesson 3
1. Online Collections
2. Special Collections
3. Newspapers
4. Ethics
5. Directories
6. AMICUS
7. Search Strategies
8. Computer Tips & Tricks
9. Database

Lesson 4
1. ArchiviaNet
2. What is it?
3. How do I find it?
4. Databases
5. AVITUS {from ancestors}
6. Who was where?
7. Patents
8. Hints and tips

Lesson 5
1. Land Grants
2. Introduction - western/eastern
3. Survey system
4. Meridians, Ranges, Townships. Sections
5. Legal land descriptions
6. Patents
a) what are they?
b) What do they contain?
c) Who got one?
d) Who didn't & why?
e) How can they help me?
f) How do I find them?

Lesson 6
1. Western Land Grants
2. Index to townships
3. Maps
4. But what year was it?
5. Obtaining copies
6. Land Petitions
7. Veterans
a) French
b) British
c) War veterans

Lesson 7
1. Census
2. Background
3. What is available?
a) Newfoundland, Acadia, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island,
New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan,
Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut
4. Microfilm reels
5. New names; shifting borders
6. Enumeration dates
7. Closed censuses

Lesson 8
1. Census Research Tools
2. Microfilm reels 1666 - 1901
3. Catalogues
4. Schedules
a) nominal
b) agricultural
c) others
5. Consulting censuses
6. Geographic
7. Census 1666
 

PART 2

Lesson 1
1. Census 1851
1. Significance
2. Where?
3. Who?
4. What?
5. Anomalies
6. Pitfalls
7. Exercise
8. Indexing
9. Census 1861

Lesson 2
1. Census 1871
2. Significance
3. Head of household
4. Strays
5. Schedules
6. Maps
7. Districts
8. Database searches
9. Hints, tips and other online helpful & necessary resources

Lesson 3
1. Census 1881
2. Significance
3. Who was included?
4. How to locate them
5. Database
6. Hints, tips
7. Too much information?
8. Household
9. Neighbours
10. Index vs orginal
11. PRDH

Lesson 4
1. Census 1891
2. Significance
3. Who was included?
4. How to locate
5. What is available?
6. Hints, tips
7. What is indexed?

Lesson 5
1. Census 1901
2. GEOGRAPHY
3. Database
4. Basic
5. Detailed
6. District
7. Sub-district
8. Schedules
9. Maps
10. Mr. SID
11. Online indexes
12. Blank forms

Lesson 6
1. Special census 1906
2. Significance
3. Who was included?
4. Geography
5. Districts
6. Maps
7. Database
8. Name indexes

Lesson 7
1. Census 1911
2. Significance
3. Database
4. Basic
5. Detailed
6. District
7. Sub-district
8. Schedules
9. Maps
10. Mr. Sid
11. Online indexes
12. Name indexes

Lesson 8
1. Post 1911
2. Census substitutes 1940-46
3. Compulsory registration
4. What is included?
5. Ordering
6. Alternate resources
7. Diaries
8. Art - databases
9. Film, video, sound

PART 3

Lesson 1
1. Government files
2. Introduction
3. Database
4. Search techniques
5. What can I find?
6. Access codes
7. Cabinet Conclusions
8. Métis Scrip Records
9. Order-in-Council
10. Red & Black
11. Treaties, Surrenders

Lesson 2
1. Military
2. French Regime
a) Carignan-Salieres
b) companies franches delamarine
c) troupe de terre
d) militia
e) ILL
3. British Forces
a) background
b) war office hospital, books, births, muster & pay lists
c) Admiralty
d) military & naval
e) medal registers
f) other institutions
g) research online
h) research outline
i) research in public sources
4. Loyalists
a) military & naval
b) land petitions
c) loyalists lists
d) provision lists & muster rolls
e) claims for losses
f) British headquarter papers
g) Book of negroes
h) Ward Chipman
i) Pension claims (wills, birth certificates, personal papers)
j) IIL
5. German troops
a) war office
b) Colonial office
c) Haldimand
d) Hessian & other documents
e) ILL

Lesson 3
1. Canadian forces before 1914
2. British military & naval
3. Muster rolls & pay lists
4. Officers registers 1808-1902
5. Rebellions of 1837-1838
6. Red River rebellion 1870
7. North-West rebellion 1885
8. Canadians in USA Civil War 1861-65
9. ILL

Lesson 4
1. Soldiers of the South African War 1899-1902
2. Background
3. South African Constabulary, British
4. Service files
5. Canada Orders, Decorations, medal registers
6. Land grant applications
7. Databases
8. How to search, interpret results
9. Killed in action
10. Obtain copies of documents

Lesson 5
1. Soldiers of the First World War
2. CEF
3. Attestation papers
4. Enlistment forms
5. Personnel files
6. Database
a) search screen
b) tips
c) interpret results
d) identifying correct file(s)
e) acquiring file
7. War Diaries
8. Courts-martial
9. Oral histories
10. War Brides
11. Tons of awesome web links
12. Extensive bibliography

Lesson 6
1. Special Groups
2. Home Children
3. Chinese Immigration
4. Acadians
5. Aboriginal
6. Métis
7. Russians, Poles, Jews, Ukrainians, Finns
a. Background
b. US collection
c. Canada collection
d. Database
e. Passport/identity papers [including photos]

Lesson 7
1. Immigration
2. Terminology & abbreviations
3. Evolution
4. Time of arrival
5. Border Crossing records
6. Deportations
7. Naturalizations

Lesson 8
1. Passenger lists before 1865
2. Passenger lists, 1865 1935
3. Passenger lists, 1919 - 1924
4. Miscellaneous passenger lists, 1865 - 1922
5. Irish sharecroppers
6. Births/deaths at sea; marriages, burials, inventory of deceased
7. Memorials of over 8,000 people
8. Online web sites
9. Published sources
10. Canadian Indexing project - ships passenger lists

I can set up lesson delivery dates to accommodate your needs.                                          $99/24 lessons                                   
If it works better for you, the lessons can all be sent on any date(s) you choose. This is a home study course, so feel free to take as long as necessary to complete it - even a year or more! The lessons are yours to keep.

Research Service - look-ups & searches
 

Anyone wanting me to do research or look-ups can contact me direct for rates. I am a certified professional researcher, and a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists. I have access, and extensive knowledge to use numerous repositories, books, reference materials, and a full subscription to various Internet websites, including all Ancestry databases (Ancestry.us; Ancestry.canada; Ancestry.united kingdom; Ancestry.germany; Ancestry.australia; World Vital Records; and various Scottish, Irish, English sites).  My specific areas of expertise include Canada, USA, and the British Isles.

The following in only a small portion of what I have access to. I can search for your ancestor(s) and then print and mail, email or save to a CD the page(s) showing their unique entries.

Census records include USA 1790 - 1930 with indexes and images. England and Wales 1841 - 1901 with indexes and images. Scotland 1841 - 1901 Indexes. The Canadian censuses including  fully indexed versions and associated images of the 1851, 1881, 1901, 1906, and 1911 censuses.   

Birth, Marriage and Death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information. Main areas covered include USA, British Isles and Canada including Ontario BMDs with attached images and Quebec vital records.

Immigration records help the family historian to understand the movements of their ancestry as they relocated to different parts of the world. I can search through approximately 80.5 million new names including over 66 million between 1820 (long before Ellis Island) and 1957. There are extensive databases in this collection including USA, Canada, British Isles as well as Prussian, Dutch, Hawaiian, Chinese, Italian, Austrian, Polish, Ukrainian, and German. Also included are certain naturalization records.

Court, Land and Probate records are often overlooked by researchers. That is a serious mistake.

Newspapers and Periodicals are the diaries of local communities. They are excellent sources of family history details - often recorded nowhere else. I can look for obituaries, marriages, legal notices and more. Extensive coverage includes USA, Canada, and British Isles.

Mortality Schedules are essentially US nationwide, state-by-state death registers that predate the recording of vital statistics in most states. Questions asked include name, sex, age, color, whether widowed, place of birth, month in which the death occurred, occupation, cause of death, number of days ill, parents' birthplaces, place where disease was contracted and how long the deceased was a resident of the area.

Use my experience as a professional and experienced researcher to save you many dollars and years of frustration. Contact me directly - just click here to send me an email. Pat Ryan MCCSG

      

University of Regina - Senior's Education Centre
Pat will again be teaching at SEC in fall of 2008. Family History I begins September 16, 2008. This course will be found in the University of Regina Fall Program Guide and on the SEC website - and the course fills quickly. It is taught in the computer lab - each student is provided with a computer to work on. All that's necessary is basic computer skills. As Henry Ford said "Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young."
 For further information, and registrations, see   http://www.uregina.ca/cce/seniors or phone 585-5816. These registrations must be done through the Senior's Education Centre.

 
 

 

Vocabulary

Ancestor: a person from whom one is descended.

Consanguinity: the connection or relation of persons who are descended from the same ancestor.

 

Genealogy: the science of studying about our ancestor's, through names, dates and events.

 

Generation: the average span of time between the birth of parents and that of their children (often twenty to twenty-five years).

 

Family History: another name for genealogy that goes beyond getting the names and dates of ancestors. Family historians try to find out life stories and little, interesting details about their ancestors, such as what color eyes they had, or what kind of jobs they worked. The classes taught by this instructor deal more with family history than just genealogy.

 

Timeline: a way of charting historical events and dates, often including locations.

 

Record: a written account of a life event such as a birth, marriage or death.

 

 
NOTE: EACH class comes with extensive notes and a bibliography of related works that will extend your research education (books, CD's and website URL's).

Different classes are offered every semester. A listing of offerings may be viewed at workshops.



Index