Over the last several years Library and Archives Canada has digitized their microfilms of the original census forms for several of the Canadian censuses and Automated Genealogy has organized volunteers to produce indices to the people enumerated in these censuses.
Each project uses simple web forms to allow volunteers to transcribe census data from the images into a database, with the entered data being immediately available on the site. Following transcription further volunteers proofread and make corrections.
Anyone with an internet connection can participate as a transcriber, proofreader, or just by submitting corrections as they use the site. The status of each census project varies depending on how long it has been active. There is a link to the LAC image of the original census page at the top of each transcribed census page."
Linking Projects
An interesting feature of the site is the ability to link various records associated with a person together. This is done through the Link Centre. Projects are underway to link records from several sources as well as between the censuses. If this project were to be fully realized a researcher would be able to look up any person in Canada (from the era that census data is publicly accessible for) and find all the person's census records, birth, marriage, and death records, as well as photographs, newspaper stories, and other online data. It is a very ambitious project but many hands make light work and we have already linked over one million records! Help us put together the pieces of our shared genealogical puzzle by linking records for people you have researched!
The linking projects include:
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