Canada Colonial Records

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Colonial Records

French Colonization (1534-1763)

The French planted a cross in the Gaspé Peninsula in 1534 and claimed the land in the name of Francis I, creating a region called "Canada" the following summer. There were four French and Indian Wars and two additional wars in Acadia and Nova Scotia between the Thirteen American Colonies and New France from 1688 to 1763. As part of the terms of the Treaty of Paris (1763), signed after the defeat of New France in the Seven Years' War, France renounced its claims to territory in mainland North America, except for fishing rights off Newfoundland and the two small islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon where its fishermen could dry their fish.

Record collection	Years covered	Record type	Language	Who is in the records
La population du Canada en 1666 : recensement reconstitué at FamilySearch Catalog - images	1666	Census records	French	Residents of Quebec
Le recensement nominatif du Canada en 1681 : [The nominal census of Canada in 1681 at FamilySearch Catalog - images	1681	Census records	French	Residents of Quebec

British Colonization (1763-1867)

Following the Treaty of Paris, King George III issued the Royal Proclamation of 1763. The proclamation organized Great Britain's new North American empire. The Seventy-Two Resolutions from the 1864 Quebec Conference and Charlottetown Conference laid out the framework for uniting British colonies in North America into a federation. They had been adopted by the majority of the provinces of Canada and became the basis for the London Conference of 1866, which led to the formation of the Dominion of Canada on July 1, 1867.

Record collection	Years covered	Record type	Language	Who is in the records
The Prerogative Court of Canterbury (PCC), 1384-1858	1631-1857	Wills	English	Until 1858, all wills had to be proved by the church and other courts. Most of the individuals in these records were relatively wealthy.
British Armed Forces and Overseas Births and Baptisms, Canada at Findmypast - index & images ($)	1761-2005	Births and baptisms	English	Children born to those working within the armed forces, merchant navy, and consular forces, as well as, civilian ship passengers.
British Armed Forces and Overseas Banns and Marriages, Canada at Findmypast - index & images ($)	1796-2005	Banns and marriages	English	British armed forces members and civilians who were married abroad and at sea
British Armed Forces and Overseas Deaths and Burials, Canada at Findmypast - index & images ($)	1814-2005	Deaths and burials	English	Members of the British armed forces who died while serving their country overseas, British civilians who died while traveling or working overseas, and individuals (including seaman) who died at sea.
British Civil Service Evidence Of Age at Findmypast - index ($)	1827-1935	Civil Service applications and paperwork	English	Individuals who worked for, or applied to join, the British Civil Service.
UK, Foreign and Overseas Registers of British Subjects, 1628-1969, Canada at Ancestry - index ($)	1892-1951	Birth, baptism, marriage, death, and burial records	English	Records in this collection come from a variety of sources. Events include both British and non-British nationals
Canada Census, 1851 at FamilySearch - index	1851	Census records	English	Residents of Canada
Canada Deaths and Burials, 1664-1955 at FamilySearch - index	1664-1955	Deaths and burials	English	Canadians
Canada Marriages, 1661-1949 at FamilySearch - index	1661-1949	Marriages	English	Canadians
Canada, Lower Canada Census, 1825 at FamilySearch - index and images	1825	Census records	English and French	Residents of Quebec
Canada, Lower Canada Census, 1831 at FamilySearch - index and images	1831	Census records	English and French	Residents of Quebec
Canada, Lower Canada Census, 1842 at FamilySearch - index and images	1841	Census records	English and French	Residents of Quebec
Canada, Upper Canada Census, 1842 at FamilySearch - index and images	1842	Census records	English and French	Residents of Ontario
Canadian Headstones at FamilySearch - index	1790-2013	Tombstone records	English	Canadians
Canada Births and Baptisms, 1661-1959 at FamilySearch - index	1661-1959	Births and Baptisms	English	Canadians

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