Last week Ancestry launched the Alberta Homestead Records, and I published a blog post about it and a follow-up about a tip from blogger John Michael Neill about how to use the Alberta Genealogical Society’s index to research the homestead records for free.
In response, Lyn Meehan, who is responsible for Communications at the Alberta Genealogical Society, wrote the following.
Hi Viewers,
With Ancestry’s recent announcement in launching the AB Homestead Collection, the Alberta Genealogical Society would like viewers to seriously compare the scope of the two indexes. Ancestry’s index is has a minimal listing of approximately 207,000 records, whereas the Alberta Genealogical Society has in their combined database over 520,000 entries.
The AGS all name homestead index for 1870 to post-1930, lists those applying for land patents between 1885 and 1897; those who completed the homesteading process and eventually obtained a title; those who applied but abandoned their homesteads; and other individuals whose name appears in the files for a variety of reasons—something the Library and Archives of Canada nor Ancestry has done.
We invite everyone to view the AGS databases which have twice as many records, and twice the knowledge over the record index at http://www.abgenealogy.ca/alberta-homestead-indexes.
I notice that neither the AGS nor the Ancestry index includes all of the homestead applications — though I can attest only to one missing one! When doing research in person some years ago, at the Alberta Archives in the old location, I was directed to the card catalogue to find entries for homestead records missing from the index. Sure enough, my great-grandfather Adam Borrowman’s name was there, and soon after, the box containing the never-filmed records was brought out to me from storage. I was able to hold the actual papers! His land patent is filmed and indexed, but not the original application — but it does exist! I wonder if anyone will add these missing records to the larger set…
Liz, You are correct – not all homestead applications for homestead entry (1870-1930) will be on Ancestry but for different reasons. In some cases the homestead file was missing from the 1870-1930 Alberta Homestead microfilm collection. So you might find reference to a Western Canada land grant on Library and Archives Canada website but not on the Alberta Homestead 1870-1930 microfilms/database. Some films appear to be missing from the Ancestry database and some films (although not necessarily the same films) are missing from the Archives.com site. And then of course there is the human error in extraction of names. In your case for Adam Borrowman (Provincial Archives of Alberta Accession 1976.0131) you will now find reference to this file at the AGS website on the Index to Alberta Land Patents, 1885-1897. These files exist only in paper copy at the Provincial Archives of Alberta, they were not microfilmed. You are correct in saying that some years ago the only way of finding these records was through a search of the PAA card catalogue. There are only four pages in these files, the application for title and two affidavits in support of the homesteader’s application. This database can be searched at the AGS Website: http://www.abgenealogy.ca