Why You Can't Find an Ancestor in the 1851 Canadian Census

Sharon recently wrote to AskOliveTree@gmail.com

My ancestor John Davis was born in Whitechurch in 1820.  So were his children.  I can not find any census of Whitechurch, was the name changed, if so, to what?


Hello Sharon,

Here is a link to Library and Archives Canada (LAC) where the list of surviving census returns for 1851 are listed. Many did not survive.

I'm afraid Whitchurch was one that has not survived the years. You may want to look for alternate records for that time period.

Perhaps land records might prove helpful. See Ontario Land Records.

Finding an Upper Canada (Ontario) Marriage Bond Before 1867

Walter asked about Protestant marriages in Ontario in the early 1860s.

My ancestor married in Ontario around 1861. How can I find his marriage when there aren't any Marriage Registrations online before 1869? They were Protestant.

ASK OLIVE TREE RESPONSE: Hi Walter - That's a challenge. It can be difficult to find a marriage that took place in a Protestant church in Quebec (Lower Canada) or Ontario (Upper Canada) before 1867.

Marriage bonds were prepared for Protestant marriages by licence. After obtaining the bond, a licence was issued and the marriage took place a few days later. The good news is that Library and Archives Canada holds the following:

* 2960 marriage bonds for Lower Canada (Quebec) issued between 1779 and 1858

* 7899 marriage bonds for Upper Canada (Ontario) issued between 1803 and 1865

A typical bond has the following information:

* Name of the future husband
* Name of the future wife
* Their place of residence
* Names of the sureties (people who knew the groom and would
guarantee that no legal reasons existed why the couple could not marry)
* Date and place where the bond was issued

These bonds are freely available online at Library & Archives Canada

Finding Your Ancestor on Canadian Ships Passenger Lists

Elaine asked

My grandfather immigrated to Canada from Denmark in 1908. I imagine it was by ship but I know nothing more than he lived for a while in Hamilton, Ontario. Where would I find Canadian immigration records for that time? Any place online?

Olive Tree Answer: Elaine you are in luck. Ships Passenger Lists to Canada from 1865 to 1935 have been put online. The images of the manifests up to 1922 are available for free at Library & Archives Canada. There is NO index by passenger name at the LAC website.

But more good news - these ships passenger lists have been indexed by Ancestry.com. Each passenger name found in the index links to the actual manifest page.

Have fun!

FInding out if your ancestor was a Home Child

Jean asked

I would like to know whether my Grandfather christened John William Handford but also known as William Handford (Handord) went to Canada from England around 1900 as a Home child born in 1880.

Hello Jean - Between 1869 and the early 1930s, over 100,000 children were sent to Canada from Great Britain during the child emigration movement. You can search the online database for Home Children (1869-1930) to see if your grandfather is on any of the lists that have been transcribed.

You can also search Ancestry.com database of Ships Passenger Lists to Canada 1865-1935 to see if he appears on those lists.

You might also want to visit the website The British Home Children

Also you can search the 1901 and 1911 census records for Canada to see if your grandfather's name is found. These are indexed at Ancestry.com and AutomatedGenealogy.com with images of the actual pages held at Library & Archives Canada (LAC).