For everyone who has pined for a genealogy institute that focused on Canadian brick walls, have I got news for you.
It’s here.
It is my very great honour and privilege to be teaching a section on Chinese genealogy at the forthcoming Canadian Virtual Research Institute alongside Canadian genealogy specialists Christine Woodcock, Peggy Homans Chapman, Carolyn Heald, Lianne Kruger, Robyn Morales, and Gary Schroder.
Together, we will be teaching in Course 1: Immigration to Canada.
What is an institute level course?
It’s a week of being immersed in intermediate-to-advanced level learning available nowhere else. It’s the gift you give yourself. It’s not only learning but also meeting fellow family historians who are as deeply committed to advancing their genealogical knowledge as you are.
Having now completed two institute-level courses at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (“SLIG” to us Sliggers), I can personally attest to the learning and growth potential.
Why a Canadian-focused institute?
In every genealogy problem, the learning goes from bigger to smaller. We learn about history and laws generally, then get right into the nitty gritty of finding and using those records, techniques, and resources for our own specific brick walls. For example, I need government records for my work. As compelling as it would be to study the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), I need help with Library and Archives Canada (LAC).
And once in a while, I run into advice that truly shows how different genealogy can be in the USA versus Canada. For example, in my DNA class this past January, I was agog at how easy it was to find living people in the USA, and jealous at the range of free or low-cost sites providing these services.
There are no such free or low-cost services in Canada.
Canadian Immigration: Chinese Genealogy
[EDIT: Unfortunately, this course has been cancelled.] I will be teaching for a half day on Friday, July 23, 2021.
In my section, I’ll be expanding on concepts from my new book Getting started in Chinese genealogy, and then taking it further with immigration records.
Part 1: Chinese Genealogy Essentials
This presentation will be an overview of Chinese genealogy essentials to give students a basic understanding of what they’ll need to know to trace Chinese families. No Chinese is required. We will discuss names in English and Chinese, suggest translation tools, discuss key cultural components as they relate to genealogy, and frame the student’s thinking for finding available record sets.
Part 2: Chinese Canadian Immigration Records
This presentation will build on Chinese Essentials to look at the rich genealogical documents that resulted from the laws regarding Canadian Chinese immigration. The student will gain a better understanding of the 3 key periods of immigration. The class will include a real time analysis using freely available documents. There will be a handout of Chinese genealogy resources.
Where can I sign up?
Sign up for Course 1: Immigration to Canada here. [EDIT: Unfortunately, this course has been cancelled.]
Sign up for Course 2: Researching Ontario and Quebec Ancestors here.
