Search Alternates to Ships Passenger Lists to Canada Before 1865

Barbara asked the following question about her great-grandmother Elizabeth Hayes, born 1841 in Newcastle, England

My great grandmother emigrated from Staffordshire England between 1851 and 1861. She was found in the 1851 of Staffordshire and I can’t find her in the 1861 of either England or Ontario.  I’ve spent years trying to find records of who she might have come from, the ship, and where she entered Canada.  In 1862 she was in Toronto and married my great grandfather in 1863 in Toronto. She was a witness to her Aunt’s marriage in 1862.

 Barbara - You have a challenge ahead of you. Before 1865 ships passenger list to Canada did not have to be archived. There are some lists but the challenge is finding them as they are few and far between. However there are substitute lists such as Shipping Company Records, Immigration Agent Records, St. Lawrence Steamship Records, etc. 

See Filling in the Gaps at http://www.olivetreegenealogy.com/ships/canada/ for links to alternate records for pre 1865 immigration AND for details on any that are available only offline.

You may also wish to purchase the e-book which contains much more information than found in the links provided above

 Filling in the Gaps: Finding Pre-1865 Ships Passenger Lists to Canada on Amazon.com also available as Filling in the Gaps: Finding Pre-1865 Ships Passenger Lists to Canada  on Amazon.ca

It is also available as
Filling in the Gaps: Finding Pre-1865 Ships Passenger Lists to Canada is available in paperback format on CreateSpace

Filling in the Gaps: Finding Pre-1865 Ships Passenger Lists to Canada Paperback version on Amazon.com

Look for Obituaries & Death Records of Everyone in the Family

Diane asked for help with William Henry Leitch

Son of John E Leitch and Sarah Blagborough in Brantford, Ontario.  He is my grandfather.  I found reference to him in the 1924 Brantford City Directory, working as a salesman for Met Life Insurance.  After that……..nothing.  I know he and my G.mother separated shortly after that date……any suggestions on how I might find out what happened to him?  Have not been able to locate him in any local cemetery or find an obit or death record for him.  His sister emigrated to Mass, USA and I found her but he was not with her.

Diane

1953 Voter's List

I did a little digging and found William born ca 1887 and often going by his middle name of Henry in the records. In 1891 he is 4 years old in Brantford with his parents and sister Florence May. In 1901 he is a lodger in Brantford with his wife Nellie. In 1921 he and Nellie and their son Harold are still in Brantford.

In 1953 his wife Nellie is listed as a widow living in Brantford with their son Harold and a Mavis Leitch who I suspect is a daughter.

Nellie may have lied about her matrimonial status but it is also possible she was telling the truth. I would look for cemetery records in and around Brantford between 1924 and 1953. Also you might check newspapers for an obituary of either his sister in Massachusetts or William Henry himself. Try death records and obituaries of his children as well.

Could this be your Nellie Leitch celebrating her 90th birthday? Brantford Expositor Index:

Leitch Mrs Nellie 90th

Birthday

Jul 16, 1980

P20

Leitch Nellie 90th

Birthday

Jul 26, 1980

P19

Perhaps this is her death?

LEITCH, NELLIE ADA

Death

Jan 25, 1992

You can search for yourself at http://brantford.library.on.ca/localhistory/bmd/search-the-bmd/ 

Obituaries and death records of all family members may prove to be very helpful

Extend Your Search When You Find Discrepancies in Ancestor Records

Linda M. asked in an email titled "Naturilisation [sic] records for Canada for Leo Mason"

My siblings and I have been trying for years to research our paternal grandfathers birthplace. He was supposed to have been born in Germany but became a Canadian citizen and fought in the First World War with the CEF. We have applied to the Canadian government but because we do not live in Canada and my surname is not the same I have been unsuccessful. I would be grateful if you could advise me as to my options. I have been on their website but the database does not open.

Olive Tree Genealogy responds: Linda, I'm sure it was just a typo but the word should be "naturalization". The first thing you should do is check the online CEF (Canadian Expeditionary Force) database for World War 1 Soldiers.  Library and Archives Canada is busy digitizing all the personnel records but even if Leo's has not been completed you will still be able to view his Attestation form.

Because there were several Leo Mason names (and variants) on the CEF database I asked Linda for more details. She replied

His name was Leo William Mason birthday 5/8/1880. He married our grandmother Elizabeth Marion Newington on 4/4/1911 in Stonewall. He died in Vancouver on 26/5/1955. He remarried in 1932 without divorcing our grandmother who had returned to England with our father in 1922.

Linda added that she thought he put Ohio on his Attestation papers because he was afraid to put Germany. I am not sure I believe that but she needs to find other records for Leo (census, vital registrations, etc) to verify his country of birth.

Also an index to Naturalization Records from 1915 to 1951 are online and the full record (if a name is found in the index that is of interest) can be ordered. These records can be searched by name up to 1939.  See http://www.naturalizationrecords.com/canada/ for the link

Read Documents Carefully to be Sure You Understand What is Being Asked

Brenda recently wrote to AskOliveTree with this question:

My grandmother [Daisy McKean] was born in  Preston, Ontario [in 1912].  Her Ontario birth place is listed at a Hospital on Jacob Street.  Would you know the name of that hospital so I can update my records

This is a very good example of a slight misinterpretation of a document. I checked  Ancestry.com for Daisy's birth registration so that I could verify Brenda's statement "her birth place is listed AT A HOSPITAL ON JACOB STREET" (upper case mine for emphasis)

See if you can spot Brenda's misinterpretation of little Daisy's birth record below. It was an easy mistake to make.  It's  to read documents carefully. Read the instructions to the clerk/minister/whoever filling out the document. Read the small print on the document.

Daisy's birth registration shows the instructions to the left of the field where "Jacob Street" is written in.

In the spot where the place of the child's birth is to be recorded, we see "If in a hospital give its name" The clerk has entered "Jacob St." which would almost certainly indicate that Daisy's birth was not in a hospital but was instead a home birth.

It was most likely her parents' home on Jacob St. but we do not know that with certainty. Her grandmother was the informant and  genealogists must keep an open mind as to whose house the child was born in. Perhaps Grandma lived on Jacob St. and Daisy's mother went there to have her child.

I suggest looking at 1911 census and 1921 to see if the family was living on Jacob St. I would also check Voter's lists to see if the parents can be found there.