Hello list, I've bookmarked a number of Canadian gen sites, listed below, which may be useful. Canadian census taking began in 1851, but there were local and partial census reports before then. I believe that Canada did not require passenger lists for inbound ships before 1865, though occasioanlly you can find lists before that date. One exception is the "Peter Robinson" settlers, a sponsored immigration scheme which is very well documented-see below. The ISTG (Immigrant Ship Transcribers Guild) at Rootsweb may be able to help with passenger lists, though that project is still in its early stages. Many of the sites below relate specifically to Ontario, where the majority of Irish emigrants ended up, but the provinces of Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia should also not be overlooked. National Archives of Canada: http://www.archives.ca/00/00_e.html#top The 1871 Ontario Census Index (heads of households and strays only) is part of this site, specifically http://www.archives.ca/exec/naweb.dll?fs&020108&e&top&0 and use the Serch the Database link. It will return a list of names, ages, birthplaces and area of residence. If you then click on the "A" beside the name, you get a bit more info, including the microfilm reel number and page reference for the 1871 Census. The 1871 Census was chosen in part for its relative accuracy and completeness compared to earlier census reports, and also because it represented a high water mark in Ontario's settlement. By 1871, virtually all of the good farmland had been taken up in Ontario, and the next generation often went west to Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa or the Dakotas in search of land. With the opening of the Canadian west after completion of the transcontinental Canadian Pacific Railway in 1885, it was possible for settlers from Ontario (and the US) to move to the Canadian prairies, and many did. I understand that there are no Canadian records for immigrants from the US prior to 1908, but I don't know when the US began recording border crossings from Canda. Some sites with links: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~cgaunt/canada.html http://www.50megs.com/luke/index.html (Note especially any references to Lanark, Carleton, Peterborough or Russell counties, all of which had heavy Irish settlement before 1850.) Additional Lanark County sites: Lanark County Gen Society: http://www.globalgenealogy.com/LCGS/index.htm Lanark lookups http://www.ott.igs.net/~mcroft/lanark/lookup.htm Ontario Gen Web: http://www.multiboard.com/~spettit/ongenweb/ Ontario maps and place locator: http://www.rootsweb.com/~canon/locator/index.html http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/4051/ http://www.islandnet.com/~jveinot/cghl/cghl.html http://directory.netscape.com/Society/Genealogy/Organizations/Canada http://www-personal.umich.edu/~cgaunt/canada.html And another. Also, note the "Cindi's List" for other links. http://www.king.igs.net/~bdmlhm/cangenealogy.html Ontario Gen Society: OGS is an umbrella organization with local branches, and does a lot of publications. http://www.ogs.on.ca/ Here's a specifically Irish-Canadian site http://members.tripod.com/~firstlight_2/irishcdn.htm Rootsweb lists-here's all the Canadian Rootsweb lists: http://www.rootsweb.com/~maillist/#canada Here's the OCFA (Ontario Cemetery Finding Aid) site, but note only version 5 is searchable on-line. Version 6 is not. You may need a computer guy/gal to help download them to spreadsheet format so you can combine the 2 versions. There are some duplications between 5 and 6. Note that not all Ontario MI's are here, as the data is contributed by local gen organizations, not all of which wish to participate. http://www.islandnet.com/ocfa/ Ontario maps are at: http://www.rootsweb.com/~canon/locator/maps.html Ontario "Locator" To quote from the introduction, "all listings are created on the assumption that visitors have no idea where the town/village they are looking for is located in Ontario. By giving the name of a township & county, it narrows the search down considerably. " http://www.rootsweb.com/~canon/locator/index.html http://www.ingeneas.com/free/index.html Peter Robinson settlers: http://www.kawartha.net/~jleonard/robinson.htm Famine Irish: http://www.ist.uwaterloo.ca/~marj/genealogy/boston.html Canada's "Ellis Island": http://parcscanada.risq.qc.ca/grosse_ile/ Regards, Murray Cuthbert, Toronto