R E S E A R C H   G U I D A N C E

Alberta
Research Outline
   

Table of Contents
Records Of The Family History Library
Research Strategy
Archives And Libraries
Cemeteries
Census
Church Records
Collections
Court Records
Directories
Emigration And Immigration
Genealogy
History
Land And Property Records
Maps And Gazetteers
Military Records
Naturalization And Citizenship
Newspapers
Periodicals
Probate Records
School Records
Societies
Vital Records
For Further Information
Comments And Suggestions

CEMETERIESLook this term up in the glossary.


Some of the cemetery records have been compiled by the Genealogical Society of Alberta. Many are in manuscript form at the Provincial Archives of Alberta.


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CENSUS Look this term up in the glossary.


Censuses were taken in 1881, 1885, 1891, and 1901, while Alberta was part of three of the provisional districts of Northwest Territories. Censuses have been taken every five years since 1906. The censuses from 1885 to the present are confidential and are kept at the National Archives of Canada, in Ottawa. Some school attendance records, tax rolls, and voter lists are available at the Provincial Archives. There is also a card file which lists the names of early settlers in each school district.


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CHURCH RECORDSLook this term up in the glossary.


The earliest denominations, Wesleyan Methodists and Roman CatholicsLook this term up in the glossary., came into Alberta in the 1840s. They were followed by the AnglicansLook this term up in the glossary., LutheransLook this term up in the glossary., Presbyterians,Look this term up in the glossary. CongregationalistsLook this term up in the glossary., and Latter-day SaintsLook this term up in the glossary.. The MethodistsLook this term up in the glossary., Presbyterians, and Congregationalists combined in 1925 to form the United Church of CanadaLook this term up in the glossary..

To assist the churches in preserving their records, the government of Alberta has made several agreements with them, designating the Provincial Archives of Alberta as the official repository for these records.

The Provincial Archives holds the records for three Anglican dioceses (160 parishes): the Diocese of Edmonton (1889–1981), the Diocese of Athabasca (1874–1982), and the Diocese of Mackenzie River (1859–1966). These records include registers of baptisms, marriages, and deaths, as well as confirmations, minutes, newsletters, Bishop’s correspondence, property records, and other related material. The Diocese of Calgary records are located in the Special Collections Library of the University of Calgary.

The Provincial Archives also holds the Catholic records for the Religious Orders of Les Oblates de Marie Immaculée (129 parishes, 1842–1981), Les Soeurs de l’Assomption de la Sainte Vierge (1869–1973), the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (1849–1980), the Sisters of Providence (1886–1978), the Soeurs Grises/Grey Nuns (1877-1967), and the Immaculée-Conception Parish, Edmonton (1905–1981). These records include registers of baptisms, marriages, burials, and communions, as well as historical information concerning events and individuals in the parishes. Many of these records are in French.

The Provincial Archives also holds the United Church of Canada records for the Alberta Conference (1853–1982). Included are the records of the three denominations which united in 1925 to form this church: Congregational records (1910–1912), Methodist records (1863–1925), and Presbyterian records (1887–1925). Eighty-six pastoral congregations are represented. These records include some baptisms, marriages, burials, clergy rolls, hospital records, accounts, and correspondence.

The Provincial Archives has only recently undertaken to preserve the records of the Presbyterian Church in Canada (Alberta Synod), but no information on their content is yet available.

The Provincial Archives also holds records of some congregations of Western Canada Synod, Lutheran Church in America from 1898–1983 (76 congregations), which include registers of baptisms, marriages, burials, and confirmations, as well as church minutes, synod newsletters, correspondence, and accounts.

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