Canada Periodicals

A periodical is a magazine, newsletter, or journal that is published regularly. Many societies and organizations in Canada and the United States publish genealogical periodicals. Much of their content, in English or French, is devoted to compiled genealogies of native families and extracts from census, church, probate, and other records described in this outline. They are an excellent place to publish queries or advertisements for a lost ancestor from Canada. Some examples are:

Family History News. 1995–. Published by Parr’s Publishing, 525 Ritson Road N, Oshawa, ON L1G 5R4, Canada. Telephone: 905-728-2037. (FHL book 971 D25f.) This includes reports and how-to articles from all regions of Canada.

Lost in Canada? 1975–94. Published by Mrs. Joy Reisinger, 1020 Central Avenue, Sparta, WI 54656, USA. (FHL book 971 B2Lc; volumes 1–14 through May 1988 on 41 FHL fiche 6048073.  Not available at Family History Centers.) It includes articles and records on eastern Canadian provinces.

Acadian Genealogy Exchange. 1972–. Published by Janet Jehn, Acadian Genealogy Exchange, 863 Wayman Branch Road, Covington, Kentucky 41015, USA. (FHL book 973 B2aca; first 17 volumes on microfiche beginning with number 6049472.) It includes Acadian families in Canada, Louisiana, or anywhere in the world.

The Loyalist Gazette. 1963–. Published by Dominion Council of the United Empire Loyalists’ Association of Canada, 50 Baldwin Street, Toronto, ON, M5T 1L4., Canada. (FHL book 971 B2L.) It includes articles and records on the Loyalists and their descendants in North America. There is a Loyalist Gazette Index 1963–1983 (FHL book 971 B2L Index).

A number of other good genealogical and historical periodicals are published in Canada. Some are described in the research outlines for the provinces.

Some historical and genealogical societies publish periodicals focusing on the French Canadian immigrants to the United States. These are often published quarterly and may focus on the immigrants to a particular region or state. Examples are:

Je me souviens. (In English.) 1978–. Published by American French Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 2113, Pawtucket, RI 02861. (FHL book 973 F25am.)

Lifelines. 1984–. Published by Northern New York American Canadian Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 1256, Plattsburgh, NY 12901. (FHL book 974.7 D25L.)

Periodical Indexes
Many magazines have annual or cumulative indexes. Two major composite indexes to some Canadian family history periodicals are:

Sykes, Ernie, and Eileen Sykes. Supplementary Index to Canadian Records. Revised. 3 vols. Salt Lake City: Genealogical Department, 1985. (FHL book Ref 971 D22si; film 1421714 item 2; three fiche 6051409–6051411.) This indexes articles "of genealogical significance" in English-language periodicals published in Canada and received by the Family History Library by mid-1985.

Periodical Source Index (PERSI). Annual. Ft. Wayne, Ind.: Allen Co. Public Library Foundation, 1987–. (FHL book 973 D25per; 15 FHL fiche 6016864 cover years 1986–1990; computer number 658308.) This annual index begins with periodicals published in 1986. There is also a multivolume retrospective 1847–1985 index (40 FHL fiche 6016863). Annual indexes have been published since 1986. This indexes more than 5,000 English-language and French-Canadian genealogy and local history periodicals published in North America. For Canada, articles are listed by record type within provinces. The Families section lists worldwide surnames alphabetically. For further details see the publication Periodical Source Index Resource Guide (34119).

More than one million entries from the Periodical Source Index for the years 1847 to 1996 are available on the following compact disc:

Periodical Source Index [on CD-ROM]. Orem, Utah: Ancestry, Inc., 1997. (FHL compact disc series 1313 no. 61.) This source is searchable by surname, locality, periodical title, publisher, subject, or key word.

Obtaining Periodicals
Periodicals are available from the individuals or societies that publish them. Major archives with genealogical collections have many periodicals, particularly those about the area they serve. Libraries in the area where the periodical is published or with collections from that area often have these periodicals.

The Family History Library subscribes to numerous periodicals. These are listed in the Family History Library Catalog in several ways. If you know the title, search the Author/Title section. In the Locality Search, look under:

CANADA - GENEALOGY - PERIODICALS CANADA - HISTORY - PERIODICALS CANADA - PERIODICALS CANADA - SOCIETIES - PERIODICALS [PROVINCE] - (same headings as above) [PROVINCE], [COUNTY] - (same headings as above) [PROVINCE], [COUNTY], [CITY] - (same headings as above) [STATE] - (same headings as above)

Also see "Societies" in this outline and the outlines for the provinces.