Index to Alberta Homestead Records 1870 to 1930

Many people are interested in researching their family history and genealogy. The Index to Alberta Homestead Records are an excellent place to start your research. The following blog will give instructions on how to use the Index. If you wish to learn what the homestead records are, or how they can help archaeologists, please check out our previous posts.

The Index to Alberta Homestead Records 1870 to 1930 was a project created for the 100^th anniversary of Alberta joining the confederacy. The members of the Alberta Genealogical Society and friends created an all name index to the homestead files to help researchers. There are 686 reels of microfilm that contain homestead records from 1870 to 1930. With this index, the researchers would be pointed to the exact reel and file number. For more information on this project or the Alberta Genealogical Society please visit their website (http://www.abgenealogy.ca/).

You can search the homestead record index by different methods including surname, legal description, or place name. Once you have that information either visit the Alberta Genealogical Society’s website and under resources click on Alberta Homestead Index then search the index or click on the following link: http://www.abgenealogy.ca/ab-homestead-index-page.

If you are doing research on your own family history, you can search by surname. When we were conducting research on the cabin that we found near Peace River, we searched the area by the legal land description.

Once you fill in the information you have, the search results will automatically appear. You can see part of our results below.

If you want to see the scanned microreel file of the homestead records, you will need to copy the film number and the file number. The film number for the homestead records only consists of numbers. The one we were searching for is circled in green. The red arrow is pointing to a different file type (grazing lease) and it consists of letters and numbers. Once you have the film and file number, go to https://archive.org/. In the search area type in Alberta homestead with the film number you wish to search for as we did below.

The reel with your homestead record should pop up. Click on the link (where the red arrow is pointing).

Then you can download it in the format that you wish. Personally I prefer downloading it as a PDF.

The next step is the longest part of the process. You will have to look though the reel until you find the file number associated with your previous search. This may take some time because reels can contain hundreds of files. As mentioned in the previous blog post, the file number is associated with a quarter section of land and the first page often contains the file number. If you searched by a person, you might find that the results will have multiple file numbers (maybe even on multiple reels), indicating claims on different sections.

If you are not able to do the research yourself, you are able to order the homestead records (or other research) from the Alberta Genealogical Society. Check out the following link for more information

http://www.abgenealogy.ca/content.php?nid=1550&mid=1155

The Alberta Homestead Index is a wonderful tool directing researchers to the required reel or reels. Before this index was created you can imagine how long it would take to search through all of the records. This is especially true when searching by surname since the only way to tell if someone tried to homestead multiple sections would have been to search though every single record. Thanks to the Alberta Genealogical Society this is no longer the case. Happy researching!

Author: bromano

I have been working in the cultural heritage sector since 2008. I currently work as a permit-status archaeologist at Tree Time Services Inc. in Alberta, but also have excavation and research experience in Ontario, Manitoba, and Greece. I first gained experience in Alberta working as a field technician excavating at the Quarry of the Ancestors for Alberta Culture and Tourism. This experience deepened my appreciation for the province’s rich heritage and prompted me to pursue more work in Alberta. Recently, I have also been able to pursue more research when I worked as part of a research team for Fort Edmonton Park, looking at First Nations History in the Edmonton area. I have extensive experience researching, writing, and editing in an academic setting and for the private sector. As part of a research team hired by Fort Edmonton Park, we looked at archaeological, historic, and oral history sources in order to learn more about the Edmonton area in 1600-1850 AD. This was a collaborative project where we worked closely with the other stakeholders of the project including the Fort Edmonton Park staff, Treaty Six representatives and the designers.I have also authored, co-authored, and edited multiple archaeological reports during my time at Tree Time Services. My academic background includes working as a Research Assistant and a Teacher’s Assistant during the course of my Bachelor’s and my Master’s. I also worked for the University of Alberta at their Alberta Land and Settlement Infrastructure Project. During my time there, I examined thousands of scanned microfilm reels concerning early homestead records. This has not only greatly expanded my knowledge of Alberta and its various communities, but the homesteading process and what life was like for Alberta’s early settlers. I have also work experience in museums and public outreach. Recently I have helped organize a two day public archaeology outreach event at Fort Edmonton Park in partnership with the Strathcona Archaeological Society and Tree Time Services. I also helped organize two evenings for training Fort Edmonton Park interpreters on Alberta archaeology. I first gained experience organizing outreach events as an interpreter for both the Kenosewun Museum and Captain Kennedy House Museum for the Government of Manitoba in 2008 and 2009. I was responsible for interpretive program development including tours, special events, and displays. I conducted and coordinated research with my assistants on a variety of subjects, ranging from local histories to native fauna and flora. Working for Tree Time Services, I have also organized and participated in Tree Time Services public outreach events at Sundre Museum and World of Wildlife, Rocky Mountain Rodeo, and Peace River Museum. View all posts by bromano