Ancestry’s newest Canadian collection is the Canadian National Railway Immigrant Records, 1937-1960. CN, one of the country’s two national railways, compiled records on immigrants, including family structure, origins, settlement in Canada, and progress. These records include questionnaires, applications for settlement, and other documents.
After WWI, the economy improved and the demand for labour increased. The Railways Agreement of 1925 allowed CN and the Canadian Pacific Railway to control the recruitment and settlement of European agriculturalists, and it was part of the government’s efforts to fill the demand.
Hungarian Immigrants, 1926. Image: Canada Science and Technology Museum, CSTMC/CN000444.
Between 1925 and 1929, more than 185,000 Central Europeans arrived under the terms of the agreement. The agreement ended in 1930.
CN’s archives form the second-largest collection at Library and Archives Canada.
You can visit the Canadian National Railway Immigrant Records, 1937-1960 here. Note that Ancestry is a subscription-based website.
Hi Gail,
My grandfather landed in Quebec in June 1929. He was from Franzfeld (a.k.a. Kraljevicevo) in Yugoslavia. On the immigration ship list, it states that he was destined for Winnipeg and was sponsored by the Canadian Lutheran Immigration Aid Society (C.L.I.A.S.). I understand this was one of the organizations that worked closely with the railway companies to provide new immigrants with employment opportunities. My grandfather did not stay in Manitoba. Not sure how long he was there, but he definitely moved to Ontario well before 1937. Do know anything about this CLIAS organization? Also, are you aware of any railway immigration records that are available pre – 1937?
Thanks for your help.
Brian
I recommend you contact Library and Archives Canada about railway immigration records. If these records exist, it is likely they reside at LAC. The Canadian National Railway archival collection is the second largest at LAC, dating back to the 1850s. To my knowledge, however, the railways did not keep passenger lists. I am not aware of the CLIAS, but perhaps LAC is.