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14 May 2008

 

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Local Calgary Sources

by Brian Hutchison, B.Comm., C.M.A.
Gen-Find Research Associates
Date: February 1, 1998 (Edmonton, Alberta)

There are several sources in Calgary where you can get information on how to research your family tree as well as sources of information on numerous families

Commercially Sold "How-To Books"

If you are going to make an investment of time, energy and money, please make an investment in a couple of 'How-To' books available at your local bookstores. Without being too biased, one can recommend highly as starters any of the books authored by Canadian, Angus Baxter. You will lead yourself into ongoing grief if you don't have a basis for thought and constant referral when it comes to genealogical research. Seek out publications in areas where your research is to be conducted as these will provide you with strategies, sources, and names of repositories to conduct your genealogical search.

University of Calgary MacKimmie Library

A second local major source is the MacKimmie Library on the University of Calgary campus. It is open to the public and contains a wealth of information, in most cases, not found at the Calgary Public Library. Most usage will be found on floors two through six of the Tower and floor two of the Block. regarding genealogical works. At this library, source material can be found dealing with:

Search the University of Calgary Library for the following types of collections:

  1. published family histories;
  2. handbooks and guides for doing genealogy, including bibliographic sources;
  3. official records information held by local, national, and international institutions;
  4. specific manuscripts dealing with births, marriages, deaths, passenger listings, etc. associated to specific time periods and world areas;
  5. printed directories, gazetteers, atlases and indexes for obtaining background information about locations, social events or societies;
  6. an exhaustive collection of material on microforms such as historical issues of Canadian newspapers, the Peel and Henderson Bibliographies/Directories, Canadian Institute of Historical Microreproduction material (dealing with pre-1900 Canada), the Victoria History of the Counties of England, and the personal name index to the New York Times Index (1851-1974);
  7. An extensive collection of government publications;
  8. genealogy and family history serials/periodicals;
  9. an extensive collection of maps, current and historical, for areas around the world, including aerial maps/photographs and fire insurance maps of Calgary.

Do not underestimate the potential of this library, in particular, the microforms material.

W. R.Castell Public Library

Not unlike the MacKimmie Library, the Calgary Public Library's Main Branch contains a wealth of information generally not held by other local institutions. Of prime interest to the genealogist is the Humanities Section on the fourth floor, the Business/Directories/Government Publications Section on the third floor, and the Newspapers Section in the basement.

In the Humanities Section will be held the majority of material being accessed by the genealogist. It contains information on such areas as:

  1. microfilm reels of all Canadian census returns for the years 1842, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891 and 1901;
  2. microfilm reels of all ships passenger lists (1865-1920) of entering vessels into Canadian ports and Filby's Passenger and Immigration Lists Index for immigrants to North America;
  3. microfilm reels of border entry lists;
  4. a microfilm index/finding aid to the Alberta Homestead Records (held by the Provincial Archives) and the Ontario Land Records (held by the Ontario Archives);
  5. many published family and local histories in the Local History (Canadiana) Room on Alberta and the Prairies;
  6. handbooks and guides for doing genealogy and heraldry, and to some extent, a smaller collection of bibliographic sources in this area dealing with Calgary, Alberta as a whole, and minor collections of the Prairie Provinces, Ontario & Nova Scotia;
  7. books and compiled lists dealing with specific births, marriages, deaths, and burials associated to specific time periods and world areas however, primarily restricted to Alberta, Ontario, and the Eastern Provinces;
  8. the Canadiana Room also holds a significant collection of personal directories for Calgary, Alberta and parts of Western Canada dated as early as 1881 to the present in some cases;
  9. gazetteers of Canada, historical county atlases of Eastern Canada, and indexes as well as Cummins Rural Maps on microfilm for Alberta and Manitoba (1923) all in regards to obtaining background information about locations, social events, societies and individuals within;
  10. genealogy and family history serials/periodicals;
  11. a moderate collection of location atlases;
  12. national and international biographical dictionaries;
  13. the Canadiana Room also holds the indexes to Alberta cemetery monumental transcriptions compiled to-date. This room also houses the Calgary Voters Lists (1912-1971), Federal Voters' List for Calgary (1974), Calgary Telephone Books (1903-1991), the NWMP/RCMP reports (1874-present), and naval/militia lists for various period dated as early as 1919;
  14. and as with any major library, material for 'inter-agency' loan can be arranged to access such things as Canadian Parish Records, U.S. Census Returns, Monumental Tombstone Inscriptions, etc. from various institutions around North America.

On the third floor of the library is the Business/Directories/Government Publications Section and it contains:

  1. the current telephone directories for most locations in the world as well as the current Peel Directories for major Canadian cities and the current Reverse Telephone Directory for Calgary;
  2. many business directories of one sort or another; and
  3. numerous publications printed by the Canadian government for public access and interpretation.

Finally, in the basement you will find hardcopy of current newspapers for major cities around the world (including Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Toronto). In addition, microfilm reels of historical newspapers for mostly the larger Canadian cities are available back as far as the past 15-20 years, generally speaking. The Calgary newspapers are extant in their holdings from the inception of the newspaper in 1884.

Glenbow Archives and Library

Another local major institution that concentrates on south Western Canada is the Glenbow facility. It houses an exceptional collection of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta manuscripts, periodicals and newspapers.

Here you can find information dealing with:

  1. a small collection of handbooks and guides for doing genealogy;
  2. directories for the Northwest Territories and rural Alberta, as well as historical Western Canada city directories;
  3. Cummins Homestead Maps and records on microfilm;
  4. published local histories for primarily, Alberta, but also some from Saskatchewan, Manitoba and British Columbia;
  5. newspaper clippings dealing with obituaries, anniversaries, marriages, awards, etc., mostly concerning prominent citizens and a very large holding of photographs on many aspects of Prairie life and settlement;
  6. genealogy and family history serials/periodicals;
  7. microfilm reels of historical Alberta and some major Western Canada newspapers most extending back to the early 1900's;
  8. Henderson directories on microfilm;
  9. local family histories/diaries and personal papers;
  10. microfilm reels of original records of the Federal Department of Immigration dealing with operations from 1884-1952;
  11. the Charles Denney Red River collection on microfilm dealing with Indian, Métis, and Fur- Traders;
  12. various manuscripts dealing with such diverse subjects as individual reminiscences, to C.P.R. land settlement records, to townsite and rural land volumes;
  13. information on the registration of United Mine Workers of America, West Canadian Collieries and Crows Nest Pass Coal Company, as well as other membership lists for local Calgary area;
  14. numerous cemetery transcription records (primarily for Alberta), photographs, and oral history interviews on Western Canadian pioneers.
  15. numerous government documents;
  16. Canada Northwest Land Company records; and
  17. an extensive series of fire insurance maps and general map collection.

Alberta Families History Society

Not to be left out, the Alberta Family Histories Society has an interesting collection of genealogy serials and periodicals dealing with various parts of the world, including Canada, and should be investigated before discounting it as a potential source.

The AFHS library contains about 6,000 items, a great many of which are periodicals exchanged with other genealogical societies. It is open to the public as a reference library free of charge as of fall 1997. Since it's hours of opening have not yet standardized, please call ahead (403) 214-1447 to find out the next mutually convenient time to stop in.

Increasingly, the AFHS is also extracting information from birth announcements and obituaries found in local newspapers. Indices of these are found online, along with reference to published listings of cemetery transcriptions and other historic works.

Latter Day Saints Family History Center

Without question, the most vital institution to access is that of the Latter Day Saints Family History Center.

Regardless of whether you are searching locally, nationally, or internationally the LDS Library contains a wealth of information on premise and on-order from Salt Lake City. Of the major sources to be consulted there on-hand are the:

  1. International Genealogical Index (IGI);
  2. Ancestral File;
  3. Family Register;
  4. Family Group Records Archives
  5. Temple Index Bureau;
  6. U.S. Social Security Death Index;
  7. U.S. Military Index;
  8. Scottish Church Records Index;
  9. Civil Registration Indexes (births, marriages and deaths) for England and Wales (1837-1910), Ireland (1845-1959), Scotland (1855-1955), and Ontario (1869-1925).
  10. Boyd's Marriage Index for England (1500-1837);
  11. England and Wales/Scotland/Ireland Probate Indexes;
  12. 1881 Census Index for England, Wales & Scotland;
  13. Scotland Old Parish Register Index;
  14. Ireland Marriage Licence Index;
  15. Quebec Marriage & Family Indexes;
  16. Ontario Early Marriage Registers & Land Record Indexes;
  17. Alberta Homestead Record Indexes;
  18. Passenger Lists for Ships into Halifax and Quebec City (1865-1908);
  19. Hamburg Germany Passenger List Index;
  20. Accelerated Index System;
  21. Various LDS information files on early members and Alberta Ward records;
  22. St. Petersburg-Lutheran Church Records of West Russia (1833-1885).

It would be well-advised, however, to have used the other facilities extensively first in order to develop:

  1. a methodology for researching,
  2. to ascertain what can be obtained from on-site premises at the other local institutions before ordering material in, and
  3. to develop a basis and background on the individuals and families you are searching for.

Library hours are limited and usage of material is also time-restricted. You must know what types of material you are looking for before accessing this repository as the collections are extensive.

City of Calgary, Corporate Records, Archives

The City of Calgary, Corporate Records, Archives has also a wealth of information for your use. Such records as the following are all open to the public:

  1. a complete collection of assessment and tax rolls from the 1880's.;
  2. records of minutes, agenda's, correspondence and reports of various city advisory & planning commissions (1912-1985);
  3. an extensive collection of other records concerning city agreements, council minutes, and legal documents;
  4. a full collection of assessment cards compiled on city properties between 1935 and 1950;
  5. business tax rolls from 1945 to the present;
  6. Henderson Directories (1955-1988, not inclusive) and the 1902 Gronlund Directory for Calgary;
  7. aerial photographs dating from 1948 to 1989 of city land;
  8. planning, building, zoning and land use records/maps of different periods; and
  9. a descriptive inventory of land records of city land sales, acquisitions, development, and annexations.

For other matters on city land contact, Alberta Land Titles (Calgary) and the City of Calgary Planning & Building Department (Land Use Division).

One should also consider contacting the Alberta Genealogical Society, The Provincial Archives of Alberta, The Stockmens Memorial Foundation Library (Calgary), the Germans From Russia Heritage Society (Calgary), and the National Archives of Canada for relevant information on Calgary and Alberta research. They will provide you with additional references by which to extend your search further.