Northwest Territories, Canada Genealogy

Guide to Northwest Territories ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, parish registers, and military records.

History

 * Northwest Territories is a province in Canada. Yellowknife is the territorial capital.
 * Prior to the arrival of Europeans, a number of First Nations and Inuit occupied the area that became the Northwest Territories.
 * Inuit groups include the Caribou, Central, and Copper.
 * First Nations groups include the Dane-zaa (Beaver), Chipewyan, Tłı̨chǫ (Dogrib), Tahltan (Nahani), Sekani, Slavey, and Yellowknives.


 * The present-day territory came under government authority in July 1870, after the Hudson's Bay Company transferred Rupert's Land and North-Western Territory to the British Crown, which subsequently transferred them to the government of Canada, giving it the name the North-West Territories.
 * Most of Canada was in the North-West Territories.
 * After the 1870 transfer, some of the North-West Territories was whittled away.
 * In the meantime, the Province of Ontario was enlarged northwestward in 1882. Quebec was also extended northwards in 1898.
 * The provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan were created in 1905, and Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec acquired the last addition to their modern landmass from the NWT in 1912.


 * This left only the districts of Mackenzie, Franklin, and Keewatin within what was then given the name Northwest Territories.

FamilySearch Resources
Below are FamilySearch resources that can assist you in researching your family.
 * Facebook Communities - Facebook groups discussing genealogy research
 * Learning Center - Online genealogy courses
 * Historical Records - databases and record images on FamilySearch
 * Family History Center locator map
 * — index

Additional Resources

 * How to Recognize your Canadian Ancestor
 * Name Variations in Canadian Indexes and Records