The Dominion of Canada didn't record births until 1869, but my G0 ancestor was born in Canada West in 1860. The only direct evidence I have is the 1861 Canada West Census listing him at almost 1 year old. No baptismal records turned up through United Church of Canada, LAC, Ancestry, OGS, or FamilySearch.
In 1870 the family moved to Iowa, where G1 (father) naturalized in 1881 — seven weeks after G0 turned 21, leaving G0 a retained British subject. US and Iowa censuses from 1880–1950 consistently list G0's birthplace as Canada.
What I have:
- Certified birth/death certificates for the full G1 → G3 (me) chain
- Marriage certificates for G1 and G2 via Ancestry
- Land records of G0's grandfather & father for Middlesex County, Ontario.
- Biographical & Historical Record of Greene & Carroll Counties, Iowa (1887, held at NYPL), documenting G0's father arriving in Quebec August of 1833, settling in Middlesex County, Ontario, then relocating to Iowa
- G0's grandfather donated a parcel of land in Middlesex County, Ontario to create a cemetery that is named for our surname.
Grateful for help with some questions:
- Has anyone navigated a similar pre-Confederation records gap?
- A YouTube roundtable with immigration lawyers suggested a Proof of No Record letter from Service Ontario. Their site only accepts dates well after 1860 and redirects to LAC — which also has nothing. Workaround?
- For Ancestry marriage records sourced from reputable groups (LDS, etc.), are certified copies still needed? I'm worried uncertified copies will trip up the application.
- No luck finding 1833 ship registers at the UK National Archives, Norfolk Record Office (Great Yarmouth), or on the Quebec arrival side. Suggestions for where else to look?
u/Odd_Strike6 — 11 days ago