Intermediate Canadian Records

This course builds on the Basic level Canadian: Wills-Part 1 as it delves deeper into the intricacies of researching wills and estate records. Several examples illustrate the various documents. Rather than focusing heavily on course material, the emphasis is placed on case studies to increase familiarity with the documents.  By reviewing the documents, case studies allow one to get familiar with their language, format, and content. Lastly, the course discusses sources which shouldn’t be overlooked when researching wills and estate records.

Note: Due to large files with images, some record examples provided in this course are accessible online only. Working with these course materials as well as the online content is required to complete the course.

Course Length: 8 weeks

Historical: This course originated March 2026. Current version copyright is March 2026. If you have older material, it needs to be replaced. Use the chat app to order your replacement materials. 
Formerly was Canadian: Wills & Estate Records-Part 2, originated June 2001, final version copyright June 2009.

Optional Print Course Material: Canadian: Census Records - Part 2

*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.

This course is a continuation of Canadian: Census Records-Part 1. Both courses are required for the Certificate Program in Genealogy. 

This Intermediate Level course will build on the basic skills developed in Canadian: Census Records-Part 1, with emphasis on interpreting the information found in census records, analyzing the information and formulating a research plan to prove or disprove the hypothesis formed in your analysis.

 As the Intermediate Level course is a compulsory portion of the Certificate Program in Genealogy, skills required by professional researchers will be developed. Students should bear in mind that assignments submitted should be clearly written, with appropriate explanations and suggestions. Not all students will have the same timely access to actual census records. In order to provide each student with the necessary information for every Case Study, the information will be based on a hypothetical family and census records, and all pertinent information will be supplied to the student with their Course Notes and Assignments. The census information will follow the format of an actual census for the year indicated, and all data that might be found in an actual census record for that year will be included. The names of family members and their personal information will be hypothetical, as will the documentation of the census page. However, it is expected that by now the student has consulted some actual census records in order to familiarize themselves with the process of locating and using these records.

Optional Print Course Material: Canadian: Vital Statistics Records - Part 2

*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.

You were probably surprised by the amount of information included in the Canadian: Vital Statistics Records - Part 1 Course. You will recognize that some material in Part 2 was included in the basic course. It is being repeated in order for the student to focus on this particular facet of present day documents. The Canadian: Vital Statistics Records - Part 2 course will continue to describe the whereabouts of the records that are available at government archives as well as government offices and court houses records, i.e.: government present day registrations for births, marriages and deaths; adoption records from government offices and divorce records from both. The other area we will cover is that of adoption records and their accessibility. An adoption search is quite different from any other search you will ever undertake and should be done with great care. It affects the lives of the living more profoundly than you would ever imagine. We will also be examining the procedure for finding and using divorce records in genealogy.

Optional Course Print Material: Canadian: Religious Records

*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.

For many regions of the world, the records associated with the ancestral place of worship are the backbone of genealogical research. Registers of baptism, marriage and burial are of great use prior to vital statistic registrations in Canada. In the early years of settlement, the Government passed laws which forbade certain groups from performing various services.

This course will cover where to look for these registers and other religious records in Canada, what type of data you should expect to find, and how to evaluate what you have found. Information found can also provide stories that can be added to the family history.

Optional Print Course Material: Canadian: Land Records - Part 2

*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.

When land was “granted” from the Crown to individuals or companies specific records were created to document the change in ownership. Record groups such as Military Grants, Township Papers, the Canada Company Papers, the Peter Robinson Papers, Correspondence to the Surveyor General and Commissions as well as various other land companies will be reviewed with the goal of determining where these records are today and how they may be of benefit to a genealogist.

It is vital that you become comfortable with the documentation and writing style so that you will be able to glean the correct information from the material. You will find the examples and assignments to be of interest and useful in this regard.

By following the family of John Newell through several examples and with his Case Study we can follow various transactions as they occurred for one family over a period of time.