Canadian Militia and armed forces lists online now

[John Gilinsky]

Almost all but not quite all of the 1863 to 1939 inclusive Canadian militia lists are now searchable online via Ancestry.ca

SEE:

http://search.ancestry.ca/search/db.aspx?dbid=1916&lcid=4105

Canada, Militia and Defence Forces Lists, 1832, 1863-1939

Source Information

Ancestry.com. Canada, Militia and Defence Forces Lists, 1832, 1863-1939 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.

Original data:

Canada. Department of Militia and Defence. The Militia List. Ottawa: Queen’s Printer, 1863–1929. Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Canada. Department of National Defence. Defence Forces List, Canada (naval, military, and air forces). Ottawa: King’s Printer, 1930–1939. Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Liste de la milice du Bas-Canada pour 1832. Quebec: Fréchette, 1832. Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

About Canada, Militia and Defence Forces Lists, 1832, 1863-1939

The publications included in this data collection make up a fairly comprehensive list of Canadian military officers for almost 80 years. The books are primarily printed lists of Canadian officers—no enlisted men are included—and note details such as name, rank, unit, dates and places of service, and dates of promotion, transfer, and possibly retirement. Some may also include a date of birth and other personal details, and some have indexes in the back. The lists are an excellent resource for following a military ancestor’s career and are also useful for tracing the careers of British officers in Canada or a Canadian officer serving in England.

Records for some years or quarters are missing, and the records for 1832 are in French and cover only the historic province of Bas-Canada (Lower Canada). Series were not published in 1920-1921, 1929, 1933, and 1937.

I hope this helps especially those living far from Canada who had Canadian ancestors or relatives.

John