Metis / Saskatchewan family research

[Lisa in California]

If this hasn't been previously mentioned (and you haven't already tried) you can try internet searches for the individuals.

Try various combinations of words such as their first and last names, last and first names, surname and first initial, surname and Mr or Miss, etc.  Other searches could include their town or province name; their siblings' names; their full name and their spouse's first name; if you have or find out occupations, searches could include occupations, etc.

Because I am neither near my Canadian rellies nor near my Irish and English ancestors, I've relied on this method quite a bit.  It is amazing what can now be found on the internet.  Using my ancestor's full name, his occupation and the Canadian town in which he was living, I found a newspaper article from 1869 about a fire that started at the back of his shop.  It was one of the biggest fires (at that time) that the town had witnessed and included great detail.

One last thing, if you have tried searches before, I might suggest trying again and again as things are added to the internet all of the time.  Best of luck with everything.

[J.J.]

Hello again...  
Your source of metis bkgd is definitely going to come from the Vandal/ Carriere , which will all be from the Red River settlement...The Henry name is also known to be Metis...
Duck Lake was one of the metis communities, as we all know, which was formed when people with aboriginal bkds were made unwelcome in their own communities and so helped develop the West....The Riel Rebellion was about the Govn't trying to take over their land once again, in Saskatchewan.

Anyhoo, I am from Sask...but also live in Manitoba. My husband is Metis. Here you need a long form birth cert proving your parents, & then a full genealogy ($) professionally put together, but first must prove family back in at least 2 censuses...You can use someone else's genealogy from your family if it ties in to yours, naturally....which saves some dollars. He does need to contact them to find out what his requirements are in Sask.

Here is Virginie in Manitoba I think
http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/Census/household_record.asp?HOUSEHOLD_CODE=1881CN_171786

Your Friend will have a rich Canadian past to search through, as the Carriere's likely started out in Lower Canada,
 and the Vandals may have as well....You will find both spellings are constantly changing in the searches back....

Here is the 1891..Use Vandal* when searching surname, or even v*nd*l* to get full access to misstrancrptions or bad spelling on census...
http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/census-1891/index-e.html

Once you prove for certain who the parents are from censuses, I can look through the 1870 Manitoba at the archives and perhaps earlier. J.J.

[J.J.]

Metis scrip very important source of information. Although it sounds as though they got a lot of land...it was farcical at best...You'll find  information such as Charles Carrier's wife's name...Cécile Beauchemin alias Millet
French names are like that, they can change surname from generation to generation...Good luck with that
http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/02/02010507_e.html

O.K. This is rich, I just looked into the next household on the 1881 and next door is a Henry family...Wonder if they tie in?

[jeffster]

Hey all,

I thought I would toss my hat into the ring.... I found a Joseph Amey Henry buried in Woodlawn cemetery in Saskatoon buried in 1965, with a Georgina buried in the same plot 2004 (see attached picture).  I also was able to find a Gerald James (Jiggs) Henry just a small ways away buried in 1987 (see attached picture).

  As well I found in the obituary index, Joseph's obituary along with Gerald's... I can look these up the next time I'm at the library.. Georgina's obituary is online and was able to note a living relative.   If you send me a PM I can give you the obituary..

Talk soon,

[J.J.]

hello Jeff! Was just going to say we may be looking for Aimé  But it was spelled the English way...That happens, huh! J.J.

[daval57]

Wow.
Thanks for this help guys.

I may not be about over the next week so excuse me if I do not respond quickly to any more posts.

I appreciate the effort you are all putting into my query.

Dave

[JDC]

Glad to see some of the westerners have road into town on this one...hehehe. Thx for expanding what little info I could provide Dave with,

JDC

[J.J.]

On 1901 census there are 2 Joseph...
http://www.automatedgenealogy.com/census/ViewFrame.jsp?id=110977&highlight=37
The second one has a father Jerome was it perhaps meant to be Guillaume, french for William?

  But then just looked Sask. vit.stat.and Joseph Henry b. Nov. 22 1895
father Jerome Henry, mother Marie Rose Vermette
( These 2 were on the posters at Batoche that list of "The Veterans and Families of the 1885 Northwest Resistance" - a.k.a. Riel Rebellion )

[J.J.]

  Looks promising though as in 1911 he is down as Emiel and has brothers Walter & Stanley! ( check the spelling)
http://www.automatedgenealogy.com/census11/View.jsp?id=73338&highlight=39
If this works out to be correct, then kudos to Jeff for finding Amey as Joseph...as I'd seen him in Fish Creek when searching just the date range in 1901, but being that both he & father were not named from your friend's memory, I didn't post on thread, but saved in memory...

O.K. I may be sending you down the wrong path here, as could all be coincidence & a red herring...But if friend picks up a marriage cert to confirm some names...if you look at the couple in 1881 link below...then go many households right &  you will have what may be her siblings & then parents, and go left for Vandals, altho who knows if they are related as there were so many...
http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/Census/household_record.asp?HOUSEHOLD_CODE=1881CN_172301

and if you find this is correct & want to go back further...http://reocities.com/heartland/oaks/2189/Kittson.htm
where they have 2 more generations back and state there is an ancestry online tree. It would have to be proven if anyone in this Henry line is aboriginal...could be if Jerome turns out to be correct...It will show on your genealogy tree if there is...but the other family searches will be I am sure...

added:
Jerome Henry /  Marie Rose Vermette  m: September 14, 1880 in St Norbert, Manitoba, perhaps from Parish files?
 http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/METISGEN/2004-02/1076015541 ) This will be the connection to the Red River genealogy files...Father Joseph vermette & mother Marguerite-Josephine CYR dit SAYER another metis line...also on list of  "The Veterans and Families of the 1885 Northwest Resistance"
This genealogy is saturated with metis bkgd!

and here is the local genealogy! http://www.shsb.mb.ca/genealogie

Some reading if he is interested...
http://www.scribd.com/doc/24761954/Indians-Who-Fought-in-the-1885-Resistance