What a year for interviewing, studying, travelling, visiting, writing, and working. Looking back, my main impression is this. Yes, I did a lot. But what feels more important is I met a lot, by which I mean I met a lot of folks I'd previously only known virtually, or hadn't seen in years. After such a drought, it was soul-expanding to see people in person, even it it did sometimes mean six a.m. flights and wearing masks.
Category: Canadian Genealogy
Finding the story behind the story: why is there a school room at Wing Sang?
From my research, it appears the famous school room at Wing Sang has a deeper history than first suspected. In this post, I've compiled building permits, family stories, immigration records, newspaper articles, original correspondence, and passenger manifests to create a richer picture of the past. Yip Sang did indeed build a school in his home that his family could enjoy, but he also founded a school for the community and used his influence to hire its first principal and teacher.
Western Canadian censuses
A quick post today. I've built a new page on my site as a quick reference to western Canadian censuses: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. This is a page for genealogists: when was the census held, what genealogical data does it contain, where can it be found online, and what schedules survive. (Also see… Continue reading Western Canadian censuses
Explore the new Library and Archives Canada site (Oct 2022)
... Before, you went to Library Archives Canada's site, and then you went to the siloed databases. Like if you wanted "Immigrants before 1865," you search there. And then if you wanted "Russian Immigrants," you'd search there. So it was extremely difficult to find anything at Library and Archives Canada. And what was missing was a central collection search. Well, guess what, there is now a central collection search...
What you need to know to visit the BC Archives today (Sep 2022)
How to read the codes for vital statistic records at the BC archives:I'm excited to share this with you. Despite pulling birth, marriage, and death records (BMDs) back in 2018, I'd forgotten this little trick for reading registration codes and was utterly confused my first day. Now I'm sharing it with you (and my future self, who will forget again). There are two different methods depending on whether the records were produced before or after 1944. We will start with the easier ones: record produced after 1944.
Who are you Mrs. Cumyow? A case study resolving conflicts in primary sources
I share this with you as a peek behind the scenes at the detailed analysis that goes into building an accurate family lineage, especially for a married woman.
July first
A post about Canada Day, in three parts. Letter to Canada Hi Canada, it's me, Linda. Happy birthday! So what are you doing today? Hosting parties? Heck yes, I'm coming to the show tonight. I love fireworks. Fireworks. Photo Credit: Linda Yip How are you feeling? You're looking pretty good for 155. How's independence treating… Continue reading July first
Reflections: My life as a Chinese Canadian genealogist
There has never been a better time to get into Chinese genealogy. More and better records are being digitized, found, and released as privacy laws and resources permit. I'm excited to see what the future holds and I can't wait to teach more people how to find their own families. The fact that I, a non-Chinese speaker, can do what I do is testament to titanic changes in genealogy. As well, the story of Chinese settlement in Canada has all the hallmarks of a great novel: enormous sacrifices against overwhelming odds, generations of time, and oceans of distance. All it needs now is us to find and interpret the hidden stories and tell them to our kids.
Finding my family: Chinese graves at Ocean View Burial Park, Burnaby, BC
The Mongolia/Willow area is a segregated Chinese section. (On the map it's at 3:00 o'clock.) Today the sections near Willow are called Elks (north) and Hope (south), therefore I reason that the section now called Elks was once called Mongolia. This is where Won Alexander Cumyow (d. 1955, age 94) and his wife Eva Chan Cumyow (d. 1939, age 68) are buried, just east of ...
True crime, the Wing Sang Co., and police records: A trip to the City of Vancouver Archives
Once you're on site, my best tip for getting the most out of an archives visit is asking for a quick tour. Most times the archivist will ask you what area, subject, or time frame you're researching. They will also show you how to fill out a record retrieval slip and while I am an experienced researcher, I always appreciate the reminders. Every archive follows archival best practises, which means...