Ancestry didn’t remove one of its Canadian databases

When I wrote on Friday that Ancestry had removed the Fenian Raids Bounty Lists database from its Canadian collection to put it in its Fold3 military website, I was wrong.

Ancestry did add the Fenian Raids Bounty Lists to Fold3, but I didn’t realize it had kept them in its Canadian collection. Because I couldn’t find the database, I assumed the database had been moved in order to beef up Canadian content in Fold3.

As usual, before writing Friday’s blog post, I did my research. Since these men served in the Canadian Militia during the Fenian Raids of 1866 to 1871, I looked at Ancestry’s Military section for the Fenian Raids Bounty Lists database. I didn’t find it.

I then did a word search for Fenian in the card catalogue of the Military section. I searched the title and keywords. I didn’t find the database.

I also searched for my ancestor Joseph Craig’s record and that of Henry Birks, the jeweller, in the Military section. I didn’t find the database.

Here’s where I went wrong. Since these records were related to the Canadian Militia, I had restricted my search to the Military section. It seemed logical to me.

For some reason, Ancestry put the Fenian Raids Bounty Lists database in Wills, Probates, Land, Tax & Criminal section. To further support my thinking that this database belongs in the Military section, Ancestry lists a number of related collections — and they are all in the Military section.

Anyway, it’s all good news. The database is still available to Ancestry.ca and World Explorer subscribers.

To learn more about this collection, take a look at my blog post, Ancestry launches Canadian Fenian Raids bounty claims database.