The 5 W's - Who When Where What and Why for People

 

1. Who are you looking for?  Be open to variables.

• this could be a person and/or a family group
• names are important but there maybe spelling variations because the person recording the information does so the way it sounds to them
• handwriting presents challenges
• a church record may be the only record available to show a relationship but if is  written in French or Latin and the interpreter may not do this correctly
• there could be use of a “dit” name, which is when a person used the name they are known as rather than their legal name

2. When are you searching?

• this could be a definite date or a time period

3. Where are you searching?

• this could be an actual place or a broad description such as North West Territories
• many places listed in historic records no longer exist so it is important to have access to gazetteers and maps
• one cannot do research in Ontario without knowing the county and township locations
• Resources:
  • Atlas of Canada website  http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/index.html
  • Geographical Names of Canada http://geonames.nrcan.gc.ca
  • Post Offices and Postmasters http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/lac-bac/search/anc
  • Ontario Genealogical Society Ontario Locator http://www.ogs.on.ca/branches/ontariolocator.php
  • Ontario Locator http://www.geneofun.on.ca/ontariolocator/

  Further Reading:

  • Douglas, Althea. Genealogy, Geography and Maps.
    Toronto: Ontario Genealogical Society, 2006.
  • Gartner, Muriel and Frederick Pong, compilers. Townships of the Province of Ontario, Canada: a complete index of the townships in all the counties and districts.
    Toronto: Ontario Genealogical Society, 2007.

4. What are you searching for?

• these are generally names, dates and events

5. Why are you searching?

• the reason for conducting Aboriginal research varies from person to person but for those wishing to obtain membership in the Métis Nation of Ontario they are searching for  evidence of Métis ancestry as defined in the definition of Métis used by the Métis Nation of Ontario.