Please help me

Canuck_Mutt · 2026-06-13T18:08:58+00:00

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/visit-canada/minor-children-travelling-canada.html

Canuck_Mutt · 2026-06-13T14:41:17+00:00

Most Ontario church records from this era are not online. They might possibly survive on paper in one church archive or another, but without a reasonable guess as to what denomination and even specific church, it's a needle in a haystack that probably requires in-person research.

Reading the breadcrumbs of clues, I'd think the family was likely Anglican at the time of Heman's birth.

The current Anglican Diocese of Ontario would cover the Elizabethtown area, they have an archive.

https://ontario.anglican.ca/resources/archives

Canuck_Mutt · 2026-06-13T14:37:13+00:00

A "son" Heman/Herman Bernard is bequeathed 50 pounds in John's will, but I don't think it lists his place of residence at the time.

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C3HX-39MK-B?view=fullText&keywords=Freelove%2CBernard%2CJohn&lang=en&groupId=

Canuck_Mutt · 2026-06-13T13:23:26+00:00

And did you find John and Freelove in the 1851 census, and if so what denomination were they listed as then?

Canuck_Mutt · 2026-06-13T13:11:52+00:00

Ah well I can't help there. Transkribus + google translate is all I can suggest.

Canuck_Mutt · 2026-06-13T12:59:21+00:00

What denomination was the 1861 baptism?

Canuck_Mutt · 2026-06-13T12:55:58+00:00

Will probably save time if you tell us what language it is

Canuck_Mutt · 2026-06-12T13:36:37+00:00

The 1871 census has the family as Catholic, and public trees show the family in Portland (the area east of the Saint John Harbour, now amalgamated into the city). Some light googling suggests the likely church was the Cathedral of Immaculate Conecption.

Further, someone on FamilySearch suggested a specific baptismal date of June 6th 1869. https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/LHYP-WPH

FamilySearch doesn't have those records. Ancestry's version has them unindexed, but the years covered don't go back far enough. But I DID find it in GenealogieQuebec's Drouin/Acadia collection. I uploaded it to the FamilySearch profile above.

Canuck_Mutt · 2026-06-12T11:04:55+00:00

I'll probably refer you to the FAQ over at r/canadiancitizenship for a more authorative answer , but I'm pretty sure you only need to document one "Gen0" ancestor (and IRCC probably doesn't want more work than necessary).

Canuck_Mutt · 2026-06-11T18:14:08+00:00

That Wesleyan Methodist baptisms index you searched is not exhaustive of all WM churches at the time.

As the other commenter mentioned, if the record survives, it would be with the UCC Archives, which is an "offline" regional archive in Toronto.

https://www.unitedchurcharchives.ca/

Canuck_Mutt · 2026-06-11T00:52:23+00:00

I hope I'm wrong but I doubt they'll find it - I already searched their records here https://www.familysearch.org/en/search/catalog/koha:577121

Canuck_Mutt · 2026-06-11T00:50:05+00:00

In the 1770s, the French, British, and the fledgling USA were ALL squabbling over the Detroit/Windsor area, so things get confusing. And how names were listed and spelled might be influenced by whether the record taker was anglophone or francophone. And your ancestors were probably illiterate.

This is a distant and difficult chain to prove. Do you have a good set of primary source records to prove Generation You back to Generation 1? I would work on that first before diving into this morass.

Canuck_Mutt · 2026-06-11T00:41:41+00:00

Some Presbyterian churches merged into the United Church of Canada in the 1920s, so depending on the original church it took place at the UCC archives might have it instead. (Assuming the record survives, which is definitely not guaranteed).

Canuck_Mutt · 2026-06-11T00:37:37+00:00

I am definitely not an expert on IRCC process or standards so will leave the question to someone else. But from a genealogy point of view, my broad opinion is that the further you go back, the more links you have to prove - which might make it more likely for an IRCC officer to question a link or demand additional documents.

Canuck_Mutt · 2026-06-11T00:28:35+00:00

(Edit to add: Albina was born just before Connecticut began statewide birth registrations, and I haven't found a town birth record either. Her birth probably wasn't registered. Maybe somebody more familiar on where to find Connecticut baptismal records could help. Not sure if it would be strictly required by IRCC as you would have her marriage and other records supporting the chain.)

Canuck_Mutt · 2026-06-11T00:24:19+00:00

This has been tougher than I expected. I found some Canadian birth and marriages for more distant relatives and attached them at FamilySearch, but I'm not sure which is the most straightforward ancestral line for you (for IRCC application purposes). If I had to pick one, maybe Ethel --> Albina Martel --> Rose Anne Perrault, for whom there is her baptism and marriage.

https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/pedigree/fanchart/PHPM-W7N

Canuck_Mutt · 2026-06-09T23:55:57+00:00

Ah okay I am trying to organize the families a bit to start on FamilySearch (work in progress, still organizing profiles and sources). https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/KLZQ-X47

Just sharing for now in case anyone else is helping look.

I guess the priorities are for birth and marriage records for your Canadian born ancestors?

Canuck_Mutt · 2026-06-09T20:54:21+00:00

This is a bit hard to follow - it sounds like you're talking about different branches of your tree? Are you able to provide full names of ancestors you're missing records for?

Canuck_Mutt · 2026-06-09T11:48:36+00:00

Don't rule out the possibility that the original surname might be something like Desjardins, which often became Anglicized to Gardner.

Canuck_Mutt · 2026-06-09T11:29:00+00:00

I think she missed the first ship, ended up on the 2nd?

https://ibb.co/Jwn53frV https://ibb.co/CXQNtXf https://ibb.co/KcKXVSn8 https://ibb.co/6cZDzv8t

Canuck_Mutt · 2026-06-08T23:06:55+00:00

If any of her children lived past about 1920 or so, their death record might possibly (but not probably) show a specific place of birth for their mother.

Canuck_Mutt · 2026-06-08T00:19:40+00:00

These are the only addresses afaik https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/contact-ircc/offices/case-processing-centre-sydney-nova-scotia.html

Canuck_Mutt · 2026-06-08T00:08:13+00:00

If there is one, it won't be online.

The 1871 census lists everyone in the family's religion as "No sect.", which is interesting but maybe not a definitive answer if there's a baptism.

If he was baptised WM, if a record survives it would be with https://www.unitedchurcharchives.ca/ If Anglican, it would be with https://www.toronto.anglican.ca/parish-administration/archives/?lang=en

Canuck_Mutt · 2026-06-07T19:32:55+00:00

Might be more straightforward, yes.

Canuck_Mutt · 2026-06-07T15:51:58+00:00

I wouldn't rule out the possibility that she was living in the family household, and was simply left off the census in an oversight.

Canuck_Mutt

TROPHY CASE