Genealogy

Children at Stand Off, Alberta, ca.1907, NA-100-44	Métis Ball at Pembina, 1859 NA-1406-23	Métis family group, n.d., NA-2749-39

The Glenbow Library & Archives has an excellent collection of resources for the study of Métis genealogy. Please note that our sources cover predominantly Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and some parts of the Northwest Territories, Ontario, and British Columbia. We are unlikely to be able to help you with research in other geographic areas.

Most of our sources pertain to people who were living in the Prairie Provinces in 1900 or earlier. We are unlikely to be able to help you if you have not traced your Métis ancestry back to that period. Before visiting or contacting the Archives, it is a good idea to do some preliminary research by asking older members of your family about your ancestry.

Helpful Resources

You can print out and use our Pedigree Chart [pdf] form to record the basic facts of your research.

Some of the genealogical sources unique to Glenbow are:

• Charles Denney Métis Genealogical Collection. Files on over 1,200 families with roots in the Canadian fur trade and the Red River Settlement.
• Gail Morin Métis Database. A database consisting of pedigree charts of over 40,000 Métis individuals.
• T. R. "Pat" McCloy Genealogical Collection. Includes a card file on Métis families.
• Warren Sinclair's Metis Genealogy Collection. Well-documented files on over 900 Canadian Metis families.
• Geoff Burtonshaw's Metis Genealogy Research Collection. Files created by well-known Metis researcher, who also published "The Metis Newsletter".

Other genealogical resources held at Glenbow may also be available at other large or specialized libraries or archives. These include:

• Métis Scrip applications. Records of the three Canadian Métis Scrip commissions, 1870-1902. The original records are held at the National Archives of Canada.
• Gail Morin's Manitoba Scrip and Northwest Half-Breed Scrip, 1885. Summaries of the first two series of Métis Scrip applications.
• Gail Morin's Métis Families. A printed version of the Gail Morin Métis Genealogy Database.
• D. N. Sprague & R. P. Frye, Genealogy of the First Métis Nation. A reference source documenting pre-1870 Métis families.
• Dictionary of Canadian Biography. An authoritative source on fur trade families.
• 1881, 1891, 1901 and 1906 censuses of western Canada.
• The Glenbow Library Newspaper Clippings files.
• The Glenbow Library's collection of local history books.

It is preferable, and more meaningful, for you to do your own research. If you live in the Calgary area, you can visit the Glenbow Library & Archives. The Library & Archives is open Tuesday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. We are also able to supply you with contact information for contract researchers willing to undertake genealogical searches on your behalf.

Contact us at:
Glenbow Archives
130 - 9 Avenue SE
Calgary, Alberta T2G 0P3
Reference Desk telephone: 403-268-4204
Email: archives@glenbow.org