Hands-On Criminal Justice Records of 19th Century Ontario
Family historians are always seeking records that will help us tell the story of our ancestors’ lives. We want more than just names, dates and places. But few of us make use of the rich trove of stories found in justice system records. Were your ancestors criminals? Were they victims of crime? Did they sit on a jury or testify at a trial? Maybe they couldn’t pay their debts and got sent to debtors’ prison. Come learn about the criminal justice system in 19th Century Ontario and how to identify, locate and interpret criminal justice records in this three-week hands-on course. Participants will work through a series of assigned case studies in small groups on-site at the Archives of Ontario.
Course runs on three Thursdays: September 26, October 3 and 10, 2019
This course is offered in partnership with the Archives of Ontario.
Course Instructor: Janice Nickerson
Janice Nickerson is a professional genealogist with over 30 years of genealogical research experience. Her expertise includes Upper Canadian history, criminal justice records, fur trade history, turning bare bones genealogies into full-fledged family histories, and finding fun ways to share family history finds. Her book, Crime and Punishment in Upper Canada: A Researcher’s Guide was published by the joint imprint of the Ontario Genealogical Society and Dundurn Press in 2010.
HOW TO GET TO THE COURSE LOCATION
The Archives of Ontario is on the Keele campus of York University.
By public transit: The Archives of Ontario is just steps from the new York University subway station. A number of regional bus services link to the Hwy 407 subway station. For information on transit options and directions, see the University’s webpage.
By car: The York University campus has some visitor parking. To see travel directions for drivers, go to this webpage.
Accessibility:
The Archives of Ontario building is wheelchair accessible. For more information about our policies on accessibility, visit our policies page. For assistance with a specific accommodation request, please send an email message to torontocourses@ogs.on.ca.