Portals to the past at your library (Part 2)

You’ve seen the commercials on TV. People just like you are using Ancestry.ca to discover and connect with their family history. Well, did you know you can use the product for free at the Petawawa Public Library?

Our version is called Ancestry Library Edition and all you need to do is visit the library to use one of our Public Access Internet stations. If you bring your own laptop to the library you may also use it to search Ancestry without worrying about the one hour Internet session time limit.

Ancestry Library Edition includes access to historical documents, records, maps and photos from Canada and around the world. There are nearly 60 million records from the Census of Canada; and key vital records, such as the Drouin Collection (1621-1967), which includes nearly 30 million baptism, marriage, and burial records from Quebec.

Find your ancestor’s name on a hand-written ship’s passenger list, along with information such as their age at the time, their occupation and the family members who accompanied them on the journey. Read an obituary that describes your ancestor’s life and discover other relatives to add to your search. The site provides many other options for genealogical research. Information you find may also be printed or emailed so it can be shared with others.

You can link to Ancestry Library Edition by visiting the Online Databases page of our website. Please remember, Ancestry Library Edition is only available for in-library use. It is funded by the Ontario Ministry of Culture's $15 million investment in public libraries through SOLS in collaboration with OLS-North.

View this 2 minute introduction to Ancestry Library Edition. Then visit the library to begin (or continue) digging around for the roots of your family tree.

(Photo from the Ancestry Library Edition website)