On becoming an Accredited Genealogist® professional – Canada Western Provinces

On 12 Nov 2024, I gained my Accredited Genealogist® credentials. In this blog post, I’ll give you a brief rundown on what happened after the exams in June. This is a follow up post to Canada Day reflections: on accrediting, Western Canadian genealogy, and diverse ideas for celebrating (30 Jun 2024).

When I last wrote, I’d just completed my Level 2/3 written exams. They were as challenging as you’d expect them to be – a true test of a genealogist’s skills. The truth is all of us are better at some things than others. Most of us get – the polite word is focussed, when the reality is closer to obsessed – with our family history. We will sit down to “do a bit of research,” and get up hours later, dizzy and hungry. We are specialists in arcane knowledge. For example, last night I spent five hours of my own free time exploring the “Canada, Canadian Pacific Steamship Company Records, 1897-1981,” on Ancestry and learned more about the Hudson’s Bay Company Beaver (both versions) and the Canadian Pacific Empresses of China, India, and Japan.¹ I was fascinated because all of these ships served the west coast.

Where we are less practised is exploring records and sources that are not directly relevant to our family histories. It’s hard to learn about sources that you use infrequently. For example, my families were mainly Methodist, which means I’m less practised with Catholic and Protestant church records. Similarly, they were rarely able to access homestead grants, which means I need to consult my notes each time I access Dominion Land Act collections. Thirdly, I’m a big city girl and legal land descriptions are as common as wheat in the Prairies. I must think carefully to remember my ranges and townships. Every genealogist has their favourite sources, but an Accredited Genealogist® professional needs to know all the important sources for their region.

The governing body, the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists (ICAPGen), divided the previous region of “Canada-General” into “Western Canada,” “Ontario,” and “Quebec.”² Western Canada includes the four provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. (Thank goodness I live in Saskatchewan, because SK is one of the most challenging Canadian provinces to research, and I need all the help I can get.) For years, I’ve been brushing up on online and offline record sources from the Pacific Ocean to Hudson’s Bay, 17th century to present. Here’s a great mid-19th century map.³

Since my last post in June, I’ve added two more archives to my list: the City of Saskatoon,⁴ and the Family History Room, Saskatoon Main Library.⁵

I’d estimate for Western Canada, three percent of records are online. Knowing the key regional archives and being able to navigate them is an essential skill for an AG® professional.

The written exams occur over two days. Applicants may take them at the FamilySearch Library, Salt Lake City, or an alternate destination. On the first day, there are two exams of two hours each, with a break in the middle. On the second day, an applicant writes the four-hour client project. The passing grade is 90% or better.⁶

I opted to go to SLC for ten days. I’m hugely fortunate in being able to stay with longtime friends Kate and Fritz, who made me comfortable and welcome, and then left me alone to study.

At The Library, I studied the items on my “less familiar” list, from anticipated tech challenges to church records. Knowing I’d have difficulty with switching to a PC, I spent the week re-familiarizing myself with the platform. I worked on my Research Reference Guide.⁷ I took full advantage of the books, many of them out of print, for Western Canada. Here’s a sample.

I passed the written exams in September, and was given a date for the last piece: the second half of Level 3: the Oral Review. I’m a public speaker – my challenge wasn’t going to be fear of speaking; it was going to be staying focussed. I can’t now recall what I said, but apparently it was enough.

There are no sweeter words in the English language than, “Congratulations. You passed. You’re now an Accredited Genealogist professional.” It had been almost five years from the date I first considered professional credentials to actually achieving them.

What now?

After recovering from the emotional roller-coaster of testing, it was wonderful to receive dozens of congratulatory messages. I am proud to be the second genealogist – and first Canadian – to accredit in the Canada Western Provinces region. While I build my professional portfolio, I’ll be keeping an eye out for stretching my skills in under-represented populations. More abstruse records. More DNA work. More women. On the pro bono side, I’ve been volunteering for years, and will continue.

Here’s my dream:

I might be the first Canadian AG® in my region but I will not be the only one for long. The world needs more Canada.

Scenes from SLC

The weather was blue, bright, and hot during my visit to Utah. Thank goodness for air conditioning. To acclimate, each day I walked in a slow and measured fashion to Harmon’s Grocers for lunch, and ate outside. After the exams were done, I stayed a few extra days to enjoy the local eats, the Natural History Museum of Utah, the Wasatch Mountains, and visiting with friends.

From top left: FamilySearch Library second floor, fancy electronic lockers at The Library, FamilySearch Library front door, Ancestry HQ, al fresco lunch at City Center Mall, Wasatch-Cache National Forest, forest trail, Natural History Museum of Utah, In-N-Out Burger. [Click on images to see them larger.]

Thank yous

At the risk of forgetting someone over the past five years, I would like to thank the following people who helped me in my accreditation journey:

References

¹“Canada, Canadian Pacific Steamship Company Records, 1897-1981,” database online, Ancestry (Ancestry.com : accessed on 6 Dec 2024); citing “Canadian Pacific Steamship Company Records, 1897-1981,” Canada Science and Technology Museum Library and Archives, Ingenium, Ottawa, ON, Canada.

²Testing Regions & Regional Resources, 2023, website, International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists (https://www.icapgen.org : accessed 7 Dec 2024).

³Thomas Devine, Map of the North West Part of Canada Indian Territories & Hudson’s Bay Compiled & Drawn by Thos. Devin Provincial Land Surveyor & Draftsman, Mar 1857, David Rumsey Map Collection.

⁴Canada, Canadian Fire Underwriters’ Association, Charles E. Goad Company, “Saskatoon, Saskatchewan,” Sep 1907, paper maps and copies of same, City of Saskatoon Archives, 202 4 Ave North, Saskatoon, SK, S7K 0K1, city.archives@saskatoon.ca, 306-975-7811.

⁵I also explored the Lincolnshire Archives, Lincoln, UK, but can’t really count that as regional. See my four-part blog post beginning with A trip to the Lincolnshire Archives, Lincoln, UK – part 1 (24 Jul 2024).

⁶Guide to Applying for an Accredited Genealogist® Credential, 2023, website, International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists : accessed 7 Dec 2024.

⁷Research Reference Guide, 2023, website, International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists (https://www.icapgen.org : accessed 7 Dec 2024).