                    Canadian Military Records 
 
Notes from OGS Seminar May 1978 held at Carleton Univ, Ottawa, 
Ontario Canada. Speaker: Grace Brymner 
 
Canadian Forces Records Branch 
 
National Archives of Canada, 395 Wellington, Ottawa, On K1A ON3 
(formerly P.A.C)
 
There are no lists of Muster Rolls available from the Archives, 
but the speaker has compiled some for an article for FAMILIES, 
Dec 19__.  She is Director of RCAF History; NAC has existed for
105 years and houses records of those serving in its military
forces.  Has records of Military Engineers;public and private
records from the middle of the 18th to the 20th centuries; but
does not include Dept of Defense. 

Records Centre, Canadian Forces material has personnel files for
all those in armed services, but these are "closed" files.
They do have a reference service, if one is a descendant of 
individual whose record is sought.  If he is still alive, must
get written permission of the veteran. 
 
Colonial Records: 
 
     As of July 1, 1867 British Army and the Royal Navy continued
to maintain the defense of Canada after Confederation. By 1871 
they had left Quebec; by 1905-6 they left Nova Scotia; many 
records are located in Britain, of course, but copies have been 
microfilmed of some of these and are located in Ottawa. 
      
     The waters of Newfoundland were fished by fishermen from the
West Country of England in the 1600s. NFD and Nova Scotia were 
later important naval bases for England. The Royal Navy provided
convoy protection and tried to protect the fishing waters. Royal
Navy ships of war were posted at St Johns and Halifax in the 
1800s.  Naval officers surveyed the coastal waters and mapped 
them.  The Great Lakes were an important highway and the 
provincial marines and the Royal Navy protected and patrolled 
them. Dockyards grew along the lakes and the St. Lawrence River.
 
     The British Army was also important in the history of early 
Canada. The Queen's Rangers were prominent in the history of
Toronto.  The Indian Dept. was aligned closely with the Dept. of
the Army.  
 
     The original order in which documents were issued governs 
the arrangement of papers in the Archives, following 
Administrative history and procedures. Knowing the rank, unit or
ship on which an individual served is required in order to locate
service records. 
 
     Military Records available from the 19th century: 
 
          Army Lists of Commissioned Officers; were published 
annually.  It is possible to trace any officer. 
 
Generals 
Lt Generals 
Colonels 
Lt Colonels 
Majors 
Cavalry Officers 
Misc Regts (many regiments changed names and numbers) 
  Regiments of the Line 
  Royal Marines 
  Royal Engineers 
 
Royal Navy Lists (also published) 
Ships' Officers 
Retrospective Lists       
 
Periodicals annual: Naval Chronicle contains history of the Royal
Navy's actions; biographies 
             Journal of Royal United Service Inst. 
      
Militia Lists begin in the early 19th century;British Army List 
Records stored; some transferred to the Keeper of Records, Public
Record Office, London; tried to keep records.  The War Office has
Army records; the Admiralty has Naval records. 
AEM38 - ships' masters. NAC only has 20 pages of these. orders, 
          claims, accounts, and receipts 
ADM 171 - Rolls of Medals issued in Royal Navy and Royal Marines.
ADM9 has registers and certificates; Returns of Officers 
ADM104 has Medical Records 
ADM1 has Adm Sec papers & correspondence records 
ADM106 - Navy Board Records, which include shipbuilding at 
          dockyards for North America 
 
WAR OFFICE records are more useful.
Board of Ordnance, Comm Dept, Paymaster Dept. 1855 - 113 vans moved
          14,000 bound volumes to the PRO in London. These were
          transcribed in 1899 and copies sent to Canada in 1950. 
 
BOARD OF ORDNANCE is the best source of military records; this 
          group was responsible for the building of canals, roads,
          plans, military movements. WO44 and WO55 Misc; neither
          are good, but together may prove useful. 
 
ROYAL ENGINEERS do have records; transcribed from originals 

Some Commissary records are in the TREASURY DEPT: 
   T64 : Misc & various;
   T66 Vittling  Lists of provisions;names mentioned in lists. 
 
What can one expect to find in a record? Places & dates of birth,
enlistment dates, and place of enlistment. 
 
MUSTER ROLLS. Muster Master cks records (made) by comptroller. 
 
There were ten British Line Regiments which served in British 
North America during the Seven Years' War. The 104th Reg Glengary
Light Infantry Fencibles, New Brunswick Light Infantry Fencibles.
In 1791-98 the Queen's Rangers. 1817-1850 The War Office acc 2810
volumes of bound records 1775- 1805 
 
Vol. 4-Muster Rolls - Butler's Rangers, Jessup's Rangers,Roger's
                Rangers 
Vol. 5 - Queen's Rifle Rangers, New York Rangers 
Vol. 6 - Quebec to the Lakes-Engineers 
Vol. 10-Non-commissioned Officers, drummers, privates serving in
                the American Revolution 

Memorials transferral 
WO25 - Misc Regmts & Returns of Casulties, medical records in
            the Revolution and Napoleonic Wars 
WO100 - medal returns;Nile Expedition of 1884-85;
WO34 Sir J. Amhearst papers;
AWO17 &73 - Monthly Returns-not useful; lists only
               commanding officers of commissioned officers; 
WO1 contains dispatches, letters, enclosures; from 1801 to 1840
               there are no letters; 
               1801-1854 WAR OFFICE & COLONIAL OFFICE were one;
               in 1854 they were split and then military
               correspondance was taken to the Colonial Office. 
WO11, CO5 CO42 contain American West Indies correspondence and
               correspondence originating in Canada. 
 
Military Records contain 900 reels of microfilm of 1000 papers 
per reel. 

PRO Classes also in Treasury Board Records. 
Exchequer and AO Audit;
MG14 - inventories;
MG11-16 contain important military material in Volume 2 of PAC 
   General Inventory World War I diaries of Royal Fusiliers and
   NFD Volunteers;
Private papers include those of William Pitt, Sir Guy Carleton 
   and the Chatham papers. 
 
The British Museum, now the British Library, has most personnel 
   private papers, including those of important military figures. 
 
MG21-imp: contain Bouquet and Haldimand papers;
   A series=Bouquet;
   B series=Haldimand. 
 
MG21-a rich collection of private papers, muster rolls, 
   departmental inventories 
National Archives of Canada has 200 coll. from 750 libraries copied
   for their archives. 
The manuscripts are arranged and described with origins and 
   placed with those of similar types. MG18 (Manuscript Group 18) 
   are "pre-conquest" papers & misc, a rich source. 
MG17 are Ecclestical Records 
MG19-Fur trade papers and militia records 
MG23-Late 18th century papers: 
MG23B-American Revolution 
MG23K-military documents separated by colony 
MG24-19th century pre-Confederation papers 
MG24A-British official and policy papers 
MG24B-North America policy figures 
MG24F-Military figures & Naval 
MG24G-Militia & Muster Rolls;75 documents for Ontario 
MG27-Policy figures of 1867 to 1950 
MG30-manuscripts for first half of 20th century 
MG26-Prime Ministers' papers 
MG28-Post-Confederation corporate bodies 
MG28,MG365-Curtiss School of Aviation papers,includes all records
   of personnel for 1915-16, those enrolled for Royal Navy Air 
   Service 
MG=Military Group 
Record Group 8-government officials-richest collection of 
   original documents of a military nature;
RG9-same 
RG8=1.C series - 1757-1899 British Military Records 
RG8 Series 2 - 1757-1878 - Ordnance records, very few of use
   to genealogists 
RG8.Ser. 2.3A Administrative-1814-1833 
RG8.Ser.2,3B Adm 1858-1903 
RG8.Ser.2,4=Vice-Adm Halifax 1784-1818 
 
Series C is best (RG8.Ser.C).It is the third collection of 
   transcriptions of the papers of 
      A. Bouquet, 
      B. Haldimand, and 
      C. Complete military documents which were left in Canada
         instead of being sent back to Britain. There are 8 tons
         of official documents. For MG Series C, Archivist Brymner
         used his own system, sorting all documents chronologically
         and placed them into subject categories;e.g. Claims for losses 
                              "     Half-Pay 
                             Pensioners' Claims 
                             Settlers' Claims 
                             UELs' Claims 

A subject index was prepared for each volume and bound into each
volume; a card index was created for the entire C series. It is 
in the Reference Room of the Manuscript Division. Lt. Col. 
Cruickshank - "Guide to C Series," publ. in 1910. 
"Preliminary Inventory"                                          

1. Check the card index to the C Series. The volume and page 
            numbers lead to the document. 
2. Read the Preliminary Inventory 
3. Check vol. # in Cruickshank, which gives a rough idea of the 
            contents 
4. Scan each one if possible to see what is contained 

Of the Original military records in Series C, a number of volumes
were transferred to other collections. New 58 volumes of Loyalist
Muster Rolls. Private papers have been added. Essex, Oxford 
RG9-Dept of Militia and Defense overlaps with 9 and 10-18th 
century to after World War I;includes War of 1812, Rebellion of 
1837,1870,South African War, and World War I.  There are shelf 
lists and finding aids. Few RG9 papers are yet on film.RG24-20th
century-not much available;personnel records closed. Grace 
Brymner, speaker. 
 
 
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