Strathcona County Museum & Archives
Located in Sherwood Park, Alberta, the Strathcona County Museum & Archives acquires, preserves and makes available for research photographs, maps, oral histories, land grants and textual records of families and organizations that reflect the history of the County. Relational databases provide quick access to archives, artifacts and fonds. Check for your family genealogy in the Family Tree. You can find Strathcona County Museum & Archives’ address and hours of operation at: strathma.ca.
City of Edmonton Archives
The City of Edmonton Archives collects, preserves and makes available for researchers the official records of the Corporation of the City of Edmonton, but also has personal, family, organizational and business records of Edmontonians and those who have lived in areas once outside the city but now annexed into it. These exist in a number of formats from paper to electronic, photographic, microfilm and audio-visual. Some of the catalogue and more information is available online at cityarchives.edmonton.ca. Photocopying and other reproductions are available at the facility. You can find The City of Edmonton Archives’ address and hours of operation at: edmonton.ca/archives.
Archives Society of Alberta
The Archives Society of Alberta (ASA), an organization of Alberta’s archival community, has three online databases:
• Archives Network of Alberta database has over 10,000 descriptions of archival records found in Alberta’s archives.
• Alberta InSight is a database of photographs held in Alberta archives.
• Alberta InWord is a database of textual records found in Alberta archives.
On the ASA website, archivesalberta.org, you can also find:
• a directory of Alberta archival institutions with their links, and links to other repositories including Archives Canada, Canadian Archival Information Network
• the Archives Advisory Services can counsel you about best practices in preserving your archival material, and can direct you to different archives for the purposes of doing research or donating your records
Library and Archives Canada
Located in Ottawa, Library and Archives Canada, collectionscanada.gc.ca, brings together the collections of the former National Library of Canada and the National Archives of Canada. LAC has millions of photographs, architectural drawings, maps and books, as well as an extensive collection of films and documentaries, textual records, provincial and territorial newspapers, manuscripts, and Canadian theses. LAC also hosts AMICUS, a free catalogue listing the holdings of libraries across Canada, and has developed numerous databases to aid in your research.
Provincial Archives of Alberta
Located in Edmonton, Alberta, the Provincial Archives of Alberta acquires, preserves and makes available for research private and government records of provincial significance. All of the map holdings are available online, while a visit to the archives is necessary if you wish to browse through the archives’ 2.2 million photographs, as only a small fraction of these is available online. The archives holds many useful genealogical resources such as the original vital statistics registers—birth, death and marriage records—as well as court documents for probate and divorce records, and microfilmed homestead records. Other valuable resources are its Information File collection, its extensive local history holdings and its vast holdings of government and private records. hermis.alberta.ca/paa/.
Provincial Legislature Library
The collection of the Provincial Legislature Library is located in the Alberta Legislature Building in Edmonton. This library is particularly strong in the areas of Alberta and federal government documents, Alberta newspapers, and Alberta history and politics. There is also an extensive collection of government documents from other Canadian provinces and territories. Other areas of note are in public administration, comparative politics and political science. assembly.ab.ca/lao/library/index.htm,
Strathcona County Library
If you are beginning your research, there is no better place to visit than the Strathcona County Library, in person or online at sclibrary.ca. Not only will you find local history books, you can also find local maps and maps of land ownership, photographs of historic sites, books by local writers, and partial runs on microfilm of The Strathcona County News, The Sherwood Park News, The Sherwood Park Herald and The Sherwood Park Star. The library also offers programs on local history and genealogy. You can order books and other materials on interlibrary loan, and use the library’s scanners and microfilm machines. Inquiries regarding the library’s resources can be sent to info@sclibrary.ca.
The Alberta Genealogical Society
The Alberta Genealogical Society promotes the study of genealogy and genealogical research within the province of Alberta. There are 11 branches across the province that can help you with your family research. Located on its website abgenealogy.ca/ are a number of databases that give you access to:
• Alberta land patents, 1885-1897
• Homestead records, 1870-1930 and beyondÂ
• an index to selected Alberta history books for which there was no previous index
• census records
• select obituaries from across the province
• links to other associations with similar interests
The society also offers a three-day course, held twice a year, on ongoing genealogical research; and as well offers monthly meetings for members.
Royal Alberta Museum
A possible resource for those doing research into the County’s history or County family histories is the Royal Alberta Museum. The museum has five curatorial programs in Cultural Studies: Archaeology, Ethnology, Cultural Communities, Military and Political History, and Western Canadian History. Each program has extensive artifact collections. The collections can also include photographs, documents and oral history interviews. To contact a curatorial program, go to royalalbertamuseum.ca and follow the links to find the program that best answers your needs.
Online resources
Many local histories and many old, out-of-print books are available online at digitalcollections.ucalgary.ca. The website also allows easy cross collection searches for family, place names and events. New personalization features include saving your own collections and adding tags. A map of Canada allows you to target your search to a particular province.
Peel's Prairie Provinces is an online resource that contains a bibliography of books, pamphlets, and other materials related to the development of the Prairies, as well as a searchable full-text collection of many of these items. There are more than 7,600 digitized books and over 67,000 newspaper issues.
