Like you, I spend inordinate amounts of time researching obscure documents at odd hours. (Truthfully, sometimes it's research and sometimes it's getting lost down rabbit holes.) If only everything was online. I read archival finding aids like a Christmas wish list: I want this, and this, and this too. My curiosity is far bigger than my budget (to pay external researchers).
Tag: British Columbia
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.
Disenfranchised: Having, losing, and regaining the vote, a quick look at the laws 1872-1948
Come with me as I look at the exact wording of the disenfranchising laws for the Chinese from 1872-1948, including 16 links to finding original Acts and legislation in Canada.
The cemeteries of New Westminster, BC, from the BC Pen to Woodlands, and the ones under the high school
This is a post about the various cemeteries serving historic New Westminster, including the ones under the high school, and those used by hospitals and prisons: Essondale, Woodlands, BC Pen, Oakalla.
What if the record is wrong?
It may come as a surprise to learn that not all historic records are accurate. Here's my unofficial ranking of genealogy records, with an example.
The Chrysalis: The Early Life of Susanne Gim Ling Yip Sang
Documents only tell a part of the story. Here's how I put them together.
The uncle I didn’t know I had – finding Yim
I uncover the story of my unknown uncle Yim, through a variety of sources from original documents to the BC archives
A trip to the archives #1 – the BC edition
If you are planning a trip to the BC Archives, here are my top need-to-knows.
The Chinese Detention Shed, Vancouver
What if you were Chinese and coming home to Canada in 1921? You got a free stay in the Chinese Detention Shed, no exceptions.
The history of my grandparents’ house
The surprising fate of my grandparents' house