23 November 2015

Héritage Project moves to next phase

The following is an announcement from Canadiana.ca
The Héritage Project, a ten-year initiative to digitize and build online access to a vast range of microfilm records stored at Library and Archives Canada (LAC), recently completed its first phase with 39 million pages digitized since 2013 (including a record-setting 21 million pages in 2014).
During this first phase, Canadiana.org strove to make microfilm records available to the public as quickly and cost-effectively as possible, using mass digitization strategies that ensured a minimal interruption of the project workflow. As a result, many collections emerged from this first sweep incomplete, either because reels were out in circulation or otherwise unavailable at the time of scanning.
For more details on which portions of the project are (in)complete, please consult the index Héritage - Reels Online using Mikan numbers as a reference, or contact us at info@canadiana.org for more assistance. Please note that "completion" refers only to content included in the project parameters; in many cases, LAC holds additional material that was not selected for immediate digitization. You can also check for any specific reel by entering the reel number directly into the online Search box.
As of today, some 21,187 digitized reels are available out of a projected ~22,700, and work is ongoing to tackle incomplete collections systematically and locate the missing reels.
With digitization virtually complete, Canadiana.org has moved on to the next phases of the project: prioritizing collections of high public interest for transcription and generating linked metadata to enhance search and discovery.
The top twenty digitized catalogue items, in terms of number of pages, identified by Canadiana as of genealogical interest are:

Document Title Pages (1000s)
Canada. Immigration Branch. First Central Registry, 1873-1973 (subject and case files maintained in the first central registry system. The files relate to a wide variety of topics: settlement, ethnic groups, promotion of Canada abroad, immigration policy & procedure, illegal immigrants, administration, finances, etc. There are lists of names of individual immigrants on many of the subject files.) 414
Shipping Registers 222
Canada. Canadian Intellectual Property Office. Copyright Office. Copyright Indexes, 1868-1974 (indexes to the names of those who filed for registration of copyright, and a series of title indexes which are arranged according to the nature of the work in which the copyright was registered, for example, literary, dramatic, musical and artistic. For the period prior to April 1938, only nominal indexes are available.) 211
Land Documents, 1763-1952 (originals and registers containing copies of leases, releases, deeds, grants, surrenders, sales, letters patent of land and related documents for Crown and Clergy Reserves, Indian and Ordnance Land, Dominion Land, etc. The documents relate to Quebec, Upper and Lower Canada, Canada East and Canada West and Canada.) 150
Upper Canada. Civil Secretary. Sundries (consists of letters, petitions, reports, returns and schedules, certificates, accounts, warrants, legal opinions, instructions and regulations, proclamations and other documents received by the Civil Secretary of Upper Canada, 1791-1841. There is much material of genealogical interest: letters, character references, land and settler petitions, family histories, criminal charges, licenses, pardons, requests for war losses compensation, etc.) 150
North-West Territories Métis scrip applications, 1885- 1906 RG 15, D II 8(c) Volumes 1333-1372, Index (applications for scrip made between 1886 and 1906 by Métis living in the Northwest Territories and received by one of the Northwest Half-Breeds Claims Commissions. The applications give the name of applicant, his/her residence, place and date of birth, name of parents and origins, if married, etc.) 113
Canada. Industry Canada. Registrar General. Miscellaneous registers, 1850-1953 (The records contain a variety of documents such as copies of Bonds, Charters of Incorporation, Commissions, Contracts, Letters Patent of Invention, Licences, Proclamations, Warrants and Writs. Also, land records including Conveyances, Deeds, Grants, Leases, Releases, Quit Claims and Sales. The term "miscellaneous" was applied to registers in which one entered a variety of documents.) 112
Jacques-Henri Fabien collection (consists of genealogical information over the period 1657 to 1974, distributed on more than 250,000 cards, drawn for the majority from parochial registers. In general, the topic are marriages and cards indicate date, names of husbands and their fathers and mothers, as well as the parish where took place the event. The collection also contains information on marriage contracts, as well as newspaper cuttings and obituaries.) 105
Canada. Correctional Service of Canada. Kingston Penitentiary, 1834-1994 (records include; inmate history description ledgers (1886-1954); inmate personal effects ledgers; the Warden's letter books and daily journals; Inspector's minute books and letter book; liberation books; punishment books; duty rosters; daily reports of Keepers and Guards; and various medical registers.) 93
Upper Canada. Executive Council. Land Minute Books, 1798-1841, and indexes (consists of minute books which record the deliberations and decisions of the Executive Council, sitting as a land committee, concerning land business during the period 1787-1841. These records are commonly known as the "Land Books".) 57
Quebec, Lower Canada, Canada East. Civil Secretary’s correspondence, 1760-1841, “ S Series” (Incoming correspondence, petitions, reports and other documents received by the Civil Secretary on behalf of the Governor, with some drafts of replies, are the backbone of the "S Series". The drafts and copies of Minutes of Council, petitions and reports submitted to Council, and other records created or accumulated by the Clerk to the Executive Council run parallel to the Secretary's correspondence. The series also consists of 3867 postal covers covering the period from 1759 to 1846, which were in most cases mailed from villages in Lower Canada.) 51
Gaudet, Placide, 1850-1930, Fonds (consiste en généalogies acadiennes et en notes généalogiques préparées par Placide Gaudet) 33
Canada. Correctional Service of Canada. Stony Mountain Penitentiary (Winnipeg), 1872-1921 (consists mainly of letterpress copies of correspondence. Included are the Warden's letter books (1872-1913), Accountant's letter books (1878-1902), Surgeon's letter books (1885-1897) and Inspector's minute books (1882-1889). Also included are Inmate Admittance Books (1871-1921). 25
Miller, W. J. , Collection (consists of genealogies compiled by Miller relating to 1200 families of Leeds County, Ont., 1398-1983; consists of charts, correspondence, certificates, announcements, invitations, greeting cards, newspaper clippings, photographs, wills, land records, etc.) 22
Seigniorial Papers, 1733-1902. Series 2 (contains correspondence and papers relating to seigniorial lands; property transactions such as rents, mills, wills, roads, bridges and wills ) 20
Affidavits from Métis and Original ‘White’ Settlers, 1870-1885 RG 15, D II 8(A) Volumes 1319-1324 (Consists of affidavits by Métis children in support of their claim to participate in the special 1,400,000-acre land grant identified under section 31, 33 Victoria, chapter 3 (the Manitoba Act) and by Métis heads of family under 37 Victoria, chapter 20. In each case, the affidavits give the name of the claimant, date of birth, parents' names, parish affiliation, affidavit number, and claim number.) 15
Quebec (and Lower Canada). Civil Secretary. Applications for Commissions as Notaries, 1760-1852 (Submitted by persons wishing licences to practice as notaries or as advocate. A variety of supporting documents are found with the letters and petitions, attesting to the applicant's education, training and good character.) 15
Canada. Royal Canadian Mounted police. Crime Indexes and registers, 1902-1919 (consists of crime indexes and registers. Until 1918 most offenses such as theft, assault, drunkenness, cruelty to animals, rape and similar cases which came before NWMP magistrates, or in which a member of the force was laying the charge, are listed in these crime indexes and registers, together with a notation of the punishment or fine meted out to the offender. They also contain information concerning war classifications such as movement of aliens, prisoners of war, parole certificates, Military Service Act defaulters, Bolshevik activities and the seizure of drugs.) 13
France. Archives des Colonies. Série G2. Dépôt des papiers publics des colonies; greffes judiciaires, 1666-1758 (La série G2 regroupe des documents provenant de greffes judiciaires. On y retrouve des dossiers de procédures civiles et criminelles: requêtes, procès-verbaux d'enquêtes, d'interrogatoires, de perquisitions, de saisies et d'arbitrages, assignations, plumitifs d'audiences, arrêts, sentences, etc. On y trouve beaucoup de titres de propriétés et de pièces relatives aux successions, tutelles, faillites et ventes judiciaires ou même à la régie interne de ces tribunaux. Cette série regroupe les 5 sous-séries suivantes: Conseil supérieur de Louisbourg, Bailliage de Louisbourg, Conseil supérieur et bailliage de Louisbourg, Conseil supérieur de Québec et Contrôle de la Marine de Québec.) 13
Canada. Immigration Branch. Juvenile inspection report cards, 1920-1932 (Created by Immigration officials as they regularly inspected children brought to Canada by various organizations, including Barnardos. Arranged alphabetically by surname. Includes: name, age or date of birth, date of arrival, name of ship, name of Home/Union, dates and results of inspections, and name and address of employer(s). Many of the cards include informative follow-up comments.) 12

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