The Provincial Archives of Alberta has a new online exhibit, Law and Original Order, about the province’s legal history that is chock full of information and can help genealogists learn how to find court records.
On the About page, the Archives explains its reason for creating the exhibit: “The Provincial Archives of Alberta presents this exhibit about Alberta’s court records as one of its outreach initiatives to inform new audiences about its holdings.”
The Provincial Archives of Alberta’s online exhibit, Law and Original Order, is organized into three main sections.
Genealogists will be particularly interested in the Using the Archives section. The way the section is organized and the clearly written text could serve as a model for others. Using the Archives is divided into three main areas: What will I find?, How will I find it?, and Other Sources.
Take a look at the How will I find it? section for well-presented information. The task of looking for a court document is stated in a straight-forward manner for the unitiated.
Put side by side, the boxes containing court case files at the Provincial Archives of Alberta stretch for over five kilometres. Finding one specific file can be challenging. While you might know that you are looking for a specific person’s name and type of case, such as a civil, criminal, divorce or probate file, you can simplify your research process by answering these additional questions:
How do I find a court case?
Which judicial district?
Which court?
What case file number?
The History section features 12 boxes, each devoted to a specific court, such as District, Supreme or Appeal. Click on Learn More in each to find images and other tidbits. This section has the potential to be so much more and it is organized to allow the archivists to add a lot of historical information and images. I hope — and expect — that is what is planned.
Visit the Law and Original Order exhibit here.
