u/Meme_Dream_Supreme

DEC Form Letter

This is the letter and response I sent to DEC yesterday to obtain confirmation they do not hold civil records from before 1923. I will be uploading the response to my application to hopefully ward off frivolous request to have an act of birth created for my G0, who was born in the 19th century. They are far more responsive in French, and I suggest you email them in their preferred language.

>RE: Demande concernant un acte de naissance de [YYYY]

>Bonjour,

>Je cherche à obtenir un document officiel concernant la naissance d'un ancêtre né au Québec en [YYYY].

>Il s'agit de [Full Name], né le [DD] [month] [YYYY] à [Place] (Québec).

>Pourriez-vous m'indiquer si le Directeur de l'état civil (DEC) peut délivrer un certificat de naissance, une copie d'acte ou tout autre document officiel pour une naissance remontant à [YYYY]? Si aucun document officiel n'est disponible, pourriez-vous me fournir cette réponse sur papier à en-tête du DEC?

>Par ailleurs, si les actes de cette époque ne sont pas conservés ni délivrés par le Directeur de l'état civil, pourriez-vous m'indiquer quelle institution est responsable de ces anciens registres et auprès de qui je devrais faire ma demande?

>Merci beaucoup de votre aide.

>Cordialement,

>[Full Name]

I expect you can receive a similar response as I did to attach to your application:

>Bonjour,

>Nous avons bien reçu votre courriel.

>Nous vous informons que le registre de l’état civil contient les actes de l’état civil de 1923 jusqu’à aujourd’hui. Pour les informations concernant les événements ayant eu lieu avant 1923, nous vous suggérons de communiquer avec la Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec aux numéros suivants :

>Montréal : 514 873-1100

>Ailleurs au Québec : 1 800-363-9028

>Vous pouvez également consulter le site Internet de cet organisme au www.banq.qc.ca.

>Veuillez accepter nos salutations distinguées,

>[Agent's Name]
Agente de soutien à la clientèle
Centre de relations avec la clientèle
Services Québec pour le Directeur de l'état civil

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u/Meme_Dream_Supreme — 2 days ago

Ontario Archives Proof of Search

I am looking to provide proof of my search of the Ontario Archives. The archive will not issue a formal "No Record Found" letter, but one is not required per the IRCC's Q&A with archivists. They also don't perform searches of any kind -- they only retrieve documents whose existence and location are already known.

The IRCC asks for email correspondence or documentation showing the results of a search of the responsible authority’s records. I've looked at all of the registrations in my ancestor's place of birth for the year they were born and the following three years using Ancestry's collection. However, that would not be considered the source authority, despite Ancestry's partnership with the Ontario Archives.

My question is, what search documentation is likely to demonstrate to the IRCC that I conducted a good-faith search of the Ontario Archive's records?

u/Meme_Dream_Supreme — 5 days ago

Searching for birth record of William James Mahaffey (b. 1871 or 1873)

My 3x-great grandfather was allegedly raised in a brothel in Strathroy, Middlesex County, Ontario. His family’s ‘business’ is mentioned in a thesis found here on p. 82-84, p. 111, and p. 173. His FamilySearch page is here -- he was allegedly born to Emma Stratton and Robert Henry Mahaffey in Ontario sometime between 1871 and 1873.

I have been unable to find his birth record (baptismal or official) after searching indexes of the Middlesex birth register, as well as Anglican registers for St. John the Evangelist (Strathroy), St. Ann's (Adelaide), and Christ Church (Delaware). I have also hand-searched the following collections of birth registers on ancestry.com for Middlesex: 1833-1875, 1869-1871, 1870-1878, 1870-1874, and 1871-1873, although there are some other overlapping registers.

I have him on the 1881 Census of Canada living in London, Middlesex County, Ontario with his maternal grandfather, his aunt, and his sister. His parents were married in Strathroy in 1873, with his mother residing in Strathroy at the time and his father residing in Cleveland.

Does anyone have any suggestions for where to continue looking for any record of his birth or parentage? I am hoping to locate even secondary evidence of his Canadian birth to support a Canadian citizenship application. Thank you in advance for any help!

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u/Meme_Dream_Supreme — 3 months ago