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Resources
This guide recommends print and electronic sources available through UNB Libraries. Each section indicates appropriate search tools that can be used to find additional sources. For some research topics it may be useful to look at more than one subject guide.
NOTE: You should start your research at the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick, which provides information on "climbing your family tree". You may also wish to contact the New Brunswick Genealogical Society, a "non-profit organization founded in 1978 to encourage and facilitate family historical research in New Brunswick".
Researchers will find the greater part of the library's genealogical holdings in three principal areas: Archives and Special Collections, the Reference Department, the Microforms Department, and the Main Stacks. A special WWW page has been prepared for the Loyalist Collection.
Listed below are some searches you can perform against the UNB Libraries' online catalogue, Quest.
The following lists are very selective and represent only a small number of the possible sources in each category.
Guides
Baxter, A. (1994) In Search of your Canadian Roots. Toronto: MacMillan.
REF CS82 .B388 1994
Baxter, A.(1982). In Search of your British and Irish roots: A Complete Guide to Tracing your English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish ancestors.
Toronto: McMillan.
REF CS414 .B39
Baxter, A. (1985). In Search of your European Roots: A Complete Guide to Tracing your Ancestors in Every Country in Europe.
Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co.
REF CS403 .B39 1985
Breton, A. (1972). A Guide to the Manuscript Collections of the New-York Historical Society.
Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
REF CD3409 .N5B74
Cox, J., & Padfield, T. (1990). Tracing your ancestors in the Public Record Office
(4th ed.) London: HMSO.
REF CS116 .C69 1990
DeWitt, D. L. (1994). Guides to Archives and Manuscript Collections in the United States: An Annotated Bibliography. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
REF CD3022 .A2D48 1994
Eichholz, A. (Ed.). (1992). Ancestry's Red Book: American State, County and Town Sources. Salt Lake City, UT: Ancestry.
REF C549 .A55 1992
Falley, M. D. (1981). Irish and Scotch-Irish Ancestral Research: A Guide to the Genealogical Records, Methods, and Sources in Ireland. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co.
REF CS483 .F32
Fellows, R. F. (1981). Starting a Family History Project in New Brunswick, Canada. Fredericton: Associates of the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick.
REF/SPECAR CS82 .F46 1989
Genealogist's Handbook for Atlantic Canada Research. (1989). Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society.
REF/SPECAR CS88 .A88G46
Gilchrist, J. B., & Collier, C. D. (1995). Genealogy and Local History to 1900. Ottawa: CIHM.
MICGD/SPECAR CS82 .G54 1995
Greenwood, V. D. (1990). The Researchers Guide to American Genealogy.
Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co.
REF CS47 .G73 1990
Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives. (1985).
Washington: National Archives and Records Administration.
GOV SU57 FN65 G946gr
The Guide to the Holdings of the Archives of Ontario.
1985 Copy in Documents is on microfiche.
Loyalist Collection Finding Aid
GOV L37EC25 G946h
Helferty, S. (1993). Directory of Irish Archives. Dublin: Irish Academic Press.
REF CD1101 .D57 1993
Inventory of Manuscripts in the Public Archives of Nova Scotia. (1976). Halifax: Public Archives of Nova Scotia.
MICGDL CD3645 .N6P82 and GOV L33FP73 In62m
Lester, D. (1987). Irish Research: A Guide to Collections in North America, Ireland, and Great Britain. New York: Greenwood Press.
REF DA906 .L47 1987
National Archives of Canada. (1993). Catalogue of Census Returns on Microfilm, 1901. Ottawa: National Archives of Canada.
GOV FN45 C357c and MICGD HA741.5 1901 H54 1993
National Archives of Canada. (1987). Checklist of Parish Registers 1986. Ottawa: National Archives of Canada.
GOV FN46 MA9 C515p
National Library of Canada. (1989). Canadian Directories, 1790-1987: A Bibliographical and Place-Name Index (Vols. 1-3). Ottawa: National Archives of Canada.
GOV FN321 C213db
New Brunswick Museum. (1967). Inventory of Manuscripts. Saint John, NB.
MICGD CD3645 .N4A45
Palmer, G. (Ed.). (1982). Bibliography of Loyalist Source Material in the United States, Canada, and Great Britain. Westport, CT: Meckler.
MICGDL E277 .B52
Peterson, J. (1983). The Loyalist Guide: Nova Scotian Loyalists and their Documents. Halifax: Public Archives of Nova Scotia.
MICGDL FC2321.4 .P47 and GOV L33FP73 L923g
Public Archives of Canada. (1987). Catalogue of Census Returns on Microfilm, 1666 - 1891. Ottawa: Public Archives Canada.
GOV FN45 C357c and MICGD HA745. H54 1987
Public Archives of Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia Genealogical Sources: County Guide Series.
Eight of the nineteen books in this series have been published, each one giving a map and reference information for a particular area e.g. King's County, City of Halifax, etc.
MICGDL CS88 .N6N6
Punch, T. M. (1998). Genealogical Research in Nova Scotia. Halifax, NS: Nimbus.
REF CS88 N6 P85 1998
Weaver, J. W. (1986). Immigrants from Great Britain and Ireland: A Guide to Archival and Manuscript Sources in North America. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
STACKS E184 .B7W42
Biographical Dictionaries
Dictionary of American Biography. New York: Scribner, 1928 - 1958. Includes Seven Supplements and Complete Index Guide.
REF E176 .D563
Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. Volumes 1-13, 1000-1910. Cumulative Index for Volumes 1-12, 1000-1900.
REF FC25 .D5
Dictionary of National Biography. (1908/1909). London: Smith, Elder.
REF DA28 .D45 1908
Macmillan Dictionary of Canadian Biography. (1978). Toronto: MacMillan.
REF FC25 .M33 1978
National Cyclopedia of American Biography. (1898 -). New York: J. T. White.
REF E176 .N27
Census Returns
Toner, P. M. (1991). An Index to Irish Immigrants in the New Brunswick census of 1851. Saint John, NB: Peter Toner.
SPECAR FC2500 .I6I53 1991 and GOV L19EH58 PR5 In38I
Augusta township (Upper Canada) census , 1796, 1806, 1813, 1823, 1824.
Loyalist Collection
Census of Niagara, 1783. (1978). Hamilton, Ontario: Republished by the United Empire Loyalists Association of Canada.
STACKS HA748 .N52C46 1978
Heads of Families at the First Census of the United States taken in the year 1790: Records of the State Enumerations 1782 - 1785, Virginia. 1952. (Returns for other states are held in the Government Documents Department and in the New Brunswick Provincial Archives.)
STACKS F230 .A55 1952
Index to the 1871 Census for St. John County, New Brunswick. (1989). Saint John, NB: Saint John Branch New Brunswick Genealogical Society. Other Counties are also available.
SPECAR CS88 .S242I5 1989
Map Guide to the U. S. Federal Censuses, 1790 - 1920. (1987). Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co.
MAP G1201 .F7 T5 1987
Niagara District Census and Assessment, 1828 - 1849.
Loyalist Collection
Nova Scotia Census Returns, 1767 - 1838 inclusive.
Loyalist Collection
Nova Scotia Census Returns. All surviving returns from 1851 - 1901 inclusive.
MIC HA A1 no. 3, 4, 8, 9, 10
Prince Edward Island Census Returns. All surviving returns for 1841, 1861, 1881, 1891, 1901.
MIC HA A1 no. 1, 2, 11, 12
Stryker-Rodda, K. (1972). Revolutionary Census of New Jersey: An Index based on Ratables, of the Inhabitants of New Jersey During the Period of the American Revolution. Cottonpor: Polyanthos.
MICGDL F133 .S77
Upper Canada Census Returns, 1842. Incomplete, but includes all surviving returns.
Loyalist Collection
Periodicals
The following titles are a selection of genealogical periodicals as well as historical periodicals which contain genealogical information. In the list below, indexes are noted with the periodical.
Canadian Genealogist, 1979 - 1988.
STACKS CS80 .C36
Generations, 1983 to the present. (formerly N.B. Genealogical Society Newsletter).
SPECAR CS .N481597
Surname Index to Generations
REF/SPECAR CS1 .N48a Index
Huguenot Trails, 1968 - 1981.
STACKS BX9458 .C2 H84
Irish Ancestor, 1969 - 1986.
STACKS CS480 .I7
Loyalist Gazette, 1963 to the present.
Index, 1963 - 1983
STACKS FC425 .L68
Maine Historical and Genealogical Recorder, 1884 - 1893.
STACKS F16 .M18
New England Historical and Genealogical Register, 1867 - 1976.
1847 - 1866 are held on Microcard.
1963 - 1987 are on Microfilm F1.N56.
Indexes, 1847 - 1988.
STACKS F1 .N56
New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, 1870 -1977.
MICF F116 .N28a
Index, 1870 - 1982. MICGDL F116 .N28
Ontario Register, 1968-1990.
STACKS CS88 .O5O57
Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, 1877-1906; 1965-.
STACKS/STORA/MIC F146 .P65
MIC 1877-1906
STORA 1965-1984
STACKS 1985-
Index, 1877 - 1951 available in STACKS.
Niagara Historical Society. Publications, No. 1-43, 1896-1912.
STACKS FC3095 .N53P8
South Carolina Historical and Genealogical Magazine, 1900 to the present.
Index, 1900 - 1980.
STACKS F266 .S55
Tyler's Quarterly Historical and Genealogical Magazine, 1930 - 1952.
STOR 975.005 T985
Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, 1893/94 to the present.
STACKS F221 .V91
William and Mary Quarterly, 1892 to the present.
Index, 1944 - 1988.
STACKS F221 .W71
Worden, J. D. (1985). American Genealogist: Index to Subjects in Volumes 1-60. Franklin, OH: J. D. Worden.
MICGDL F104 .N6A6
Worden, J. D. (1983). The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record Master Index, 113 years, 1870 - 1982. Franklin, OH: J. D. Worden.
MICGDL F116 .N28a
Historical Research Collections
Many historical resources contain hidden gems of information which can be very useful to genealogists. The following references provide a few examples of this type of material.
British Headquarters Records. (Sir Guy Carleton Papers).
Calendar, 4 Volumes. Historical Manuscripts Commission.
Loyalist Collection
Brome County (Quebec) Historical Society.Collections, 1774 - 1905.
Loyalist Collection
Butler, J. (Comp.) (1978). Index, Papers of the Continental Congress, 1774 - 1789. Washington: National Archives. (Provides subject and name access to the Papers including microfilm reel numbers for interlibrary loans.)
GOV SU57 FN65 P214co
Canada. Dept. of Militia and Defence. (1987). Canadian Expeditionary Force: Nominal Rolls. Toronto: McLaren Micropublishing.
MIC D A1 no. 17
Guide available MICGD D609 .C2C36 1987
Canadian Institute for Historical Microproductions. Monographs, Directories, Gazetteers. This collection may be accessed through Quest, UNB's online catalogue.
MICF FC18 .C5
Church Records and Registers. New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec and Prince Edward Island.
Loyalist Collection
Colonial Society of Massachusetts.
Series: Publications of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts, 1892 - 1966. Volume 22 and 23 contain Plymouth Church Records, 1620 - 1859. Volume 55 and 56 contain records of Trinity Church in Boston, 1728 - 1830. (There are similar records in this Collection.)
MICF A1 no. 45 (Vols. 1-25.)
STACKS (Each title in this series has its own call number.)
Connecticut Historical Society. Collections of the Connecticut Historical Society, 1860 - 1967.
MIC F91 .C7a
Documents Relative to the Colonial History of the State of New York. Albany: Weed, Parsons, 1853 - 1887. Volumes 1-14 with Index in Vol. 11.
GOV SU59 NY4 DxD637c
Early American Orderly Books, 1748 - 1817. 19 reels. MIC E181 .E37
Reel Guide and Subject Index to the Microfilm Collection.
MICGD E181 .E37 Index
Edward Winslow Papers, 1685 - 1866.
Winslow Papers Index. 3 reels.
Loyalist Collection
Essex Institute. Essex Intitute Historical Collections. Salem, MA: Essex Institute.
Indexes 1859 - 1969.
STACKS F72 .E7 E81a
Force, P. (1972). American Archives: Consisting of a collection of authentick records, state papers, debates, and letters and other notices of publick affairs... Series IV, Vols. 1-6 and Series V, Vols. 1-3. New York: Johnson Reprint. Coverage dates include 1774 March 7 - 1776 Dec. and includes index.
STACKS OS2 E203 .A5 1972
Fort Anne Papers (Nova Scotia), 17th - 19th centuries.
Loyalist Collection
Frederick Haldimand Papers. Calendar, published between 1884 and 1889 in the Public Archives of Canada's publicationReport.
GOV FN45 R426
Loyalist Collection
Great Britain. War Office 12. Muster Books and Pay Lists. Several volumes.
Loyalist Collection
Great Britain. War Office 42. Vols. 59 - 63. Certificates of Birth, Baptism, Marriage, Death, Wills, Administration. Statements of Service and Personal Papers of Officers and their Families in Cases where an Officer Died on Service or on Half-Pay and his Widow Applied for a Pension or Application was made for a Child's Compassionate Allowance. 6 microfilm reels.
Loyalist Collection
Index to Personal Names in the National Union Catalogue of Manuscript Collections, 1959 - 1984. (Vols. 1-2). (1988). Alexandria, VA: Chadwyck-Healey.
Index to Subjects and Corporate Names is also available. The UNB library has the complete National Union Catalogue of Manuscript Collections.
REF Z695.83 .N362 1988
Munsell, J. (1975). The Annals of Albany. 2 reels.
Mic F A1 no. 42
National Archives of Canada. Record Group 8 "C Series." British Military and Naval Records, Index. 82 microfilm reels. UNB has 125 reels of the Records; PANB has approximately 100 additional reels.
Loyalist Collection
New Brunswick. Provincial Secretary. Correspondence.
Contains many lists of petitioners to the New Brunswick Government.
Loyalist Collection
New Brunswick. Court of General Quarter Sessions of the Peace. Minutes.
These records are arranged by County and contain a wealth of genealogical information. Only the early years of a few Counties have been filmed. The original documents are held by the New Brunswick Provincial Archives.
Loyalist Collection
New Brunswick Historical Society. Collections of the New Brunswick Historical Society 1894 - 1966.
MIC FC2461 .N494a (1894-1963)
STACKS (1955-1984)/SPECAR (1894-1966) FC2453 .N38a
Index 1894-1966 available MICGDL FC2453 .N38a Index
New Brunswick Museum. Collection of Loyalist Sources on Microfilm. 20 reels. Inventory available.
Loyalist Collection
New Jersey Historical Society. Proceedings of the New Jersey Historical Society, 1845 - 1966. Later title: New Jersey History 1967-1968, 1979-1989.
MIC F131 .N58a
New York Historical Society. Collections. (This collection is particularly rich for genealogists and includes: muster rolls of New York provincial troops, 1755 - 1764; abstracts of wills on file in the Surrogates Office, City of New York, 1665 - 1801; letters of administration; indentures of apprentices; tax lists; revolutionary military musters, etc.)
STACKS F116 .N63
Niagara Historical Society. Collections. Selected items on microfilm for the 18th and 19th centuries.
Loyalist Collection
Nova Scotia Historical Society. Collections of the Royal Nova Scotia Historical Society 1878 - 1996. (Note: title varies)
SPECAR FC2303 .N57a
Royal Nova Scotia Historical Society. Journal of the Royal Nova Scotia Historical Society, 1998 to the present.
STACKS FC2303 .J56
Prince Edward Island. Dept. of Crown Lands. Rent Books.
Loyalist Collection
Prince Edward Island. Registry Office Records.
Loyalist Collection
Public Archives of Canada. Report, 1881 to the present.
GOV FN45 R426
Public Archives of Nova Scotia. Township Books.
Loyalist Collection
Published American Colonial Records. (The UNB Library holds the microfilm copy for each colony. The New York reels contain naturalization lists for the Colonial period.)
Loyalist Collection
State Historical Society of Wisconsin. The Draper Manuscript Collection. 123 reels of microfilm.
Mic F A1 no. 13
Harper, J. L. (1983). A Guide to the Draper Manuscripts. Madison: State Historical Society of Wisconsin.
MICGD F586 .D7H37
Upper Canada. Court of General Quarter Sessions of the Peace. Minutes.
The Minutes for a number of Districts are in the Loyalist Collection eg. Western, Home, Mecklenburg, Luneburg and others.
Loyalist Collection
Upper Canada Sundries. Correspondence of the Civil Secretary, 1766-1841. Calendar, 4 microfilm reels.
Loyalist Collection
Wisconsin Historical Society. Collections. 1854 - 1931.
MIC F576 .W81a
Index to Volumes I-XX, 1854 - 1911 is available at MICGD F576 .I52.
Finding Aids
The term "finding aid" is used to identify many different tools which provide access to source materials, e.g. inventories, indexes, content reports, checklists, guides, microfilm shelf lists, calendars, etc. The examples below provide access to sources which are heavily genealogical in nature. * The asterisk indicates that the UNB Library has the material to which the finding aid refers.
Biography and Genealogy Master Index. (1980-1986). Detroit: Gale Research.
REF CT213 .B622
Dwyer, C. (Comp.). (1985). Index to Series I of American Loyalist Claims. DeFuniak Springs, FL: Ram Publishing. (An index is also available for Series II. All microfilm reels for both Series, which are more formally known as Great Britain. Audit Office 12, 1776-1831, 71 reels and Great Britain. Audit Office 13, 145 reels are in the Loyalist Collection.)
MICGDL E277 .C6243 D89 1985 *
Greenlaw Index of the New England Historic and Genealogical Society. (1985). Boston: Micro-Publications, G. K. Hall. 4 microfilm reels.
MIC CS A1 no. 4
Jarvis Family Collection. Index.
Loyalist Collection*
Lower Canada. Land Petitions. Index.
Loyalist Collection*
Lower Canada. Marriage Bonds. Index.
Loyalist Collection*
New Brunswick. Dept. Of Natural Resources and Energy. (1988). Crown Land Grant Index.
GOV L19EN41 C953q
Loyalist Collection*
New Brunswick Provincial Archives. Index to Land Petitions. The Land Petitions from 1783 - 1840 only are in the Loyalist Collection.
Loyalist Collection*
Nova Scotia. Department of Lands and Forests.Consolidated Index to Grants, 1730-1937.
Loyalist Collection
Ontario Archives. Heir to Devisee Commission. Index.
Loyalist Collection
Ontario Archives. Computerized Land Records Index, 1780's-1914.
Loyalist Collection
Ontario Archives. (1985). Guide to Holdings of the Archives of Ontario. Toronto: Ministry of Citizenship and Culture.
GOV L37EC25 G946h
Loyalist Collection
Ontario Archives. Inventories of Court Records, Municipal Records and Crown Land Records.
Loyalist Collection
Passenger and Immigration Lists Index. 1981 - 1995. Detroit: Gale Research, 1981 -.
REF CS68 .P3619
Upper Canada. Land Petitions and Land Books. Index.
Loyalist Collection*
Upper Canada. Marriage Bonds. Index.
Loyalist Collection*
Ward Chipman Collection. Finding aid. UNB has muster rolls and settlement lists only on 3 microfilm reels.
Loyalist Collection*
Newspaper Indexes
Cappon, L. J., & Duff, S. F. (1950). Virginia Gazette Index. 1736 - 1780. Williamsburg: Institute of Early American History and Culture.
REF AI3 .V57 1950
Carleton Sentinel. Index. July 1849 - 1867. (1982). Fredericton, NB: Harriet Irving Library, UNB. Births, Deaths, Marriages. Index also available for 1867-1870 at MICGDL CS88 .W66 K55
MIC AN.C29 Index
Grant, B. J. (1990). People Places Things in New Brunswick: An Index to the Royal Gazette. 1784 - 1809. Fredericton, NB: B. J. Grant.
SPECAR/MICGD/REF/GOVREF FC2471 .G72 1990
Howard, M. (1983). Vital Statistics and Items from Newspapers of Newfoundland, 1831-1872. [St. John's, Nfld: SN].
MICGD CS88.N5V57
Johnson, D. F. Vital Statistics from New Brunswick Newspapers, 1784 -1893. Saint John, NB: D. F. Johnson.
SPECAR/REF FC2471.1 . A1N48
Le Madawaska. Index, 1913-1974.
MIC AN .M22
The New York Times Index. September 1851 to the present.
REFAB AI21 .N44 & AI21 .N45
Nova Scotia Vital Statistics from Newspapers, 1769 - 1812. Halifax, NS: Genealogical committee. Nova Scotia Historical Society, 1978 - 1982. (Collection includes 3 additional volumes covering 1813-1834.)
MICGDL CS88 .N6N678
Index to the Quebec Gazette. 1764 - 1823.
Mic AN . Q334
Rivington's New York Newspapers: Excerpts from a Loyalist Press 1773 - 1783. (1973). Volume 84 of the New York Historical Society Collections.
MICGDL F116 .N63 Vol. 84
The Times Index (London). 1785-90, 1914-17, 1957, 1965 to the present. (Note: title varies)
REFAB AI21 .T46
Wilson, T. B. (1982). Ontario Marriage Notices. An Index to Notices from the Christian Guardian, The Church and the Constitution. Lambertville, NJ: Hunterdon House.
MICGDL CS88.06 .W5 1982
NOTE: The UNB library holds several hundred newspaper titles on microfilm from the 18th century to the present. Even though most papers are not indexed, genealogists will find them useful if the date of a death or another event is known.