Ancestry.ca, the Canadian version of Ancestry.com, has just released the complete 1916 census for Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba.

Why should black folks care? Well, in 1909 over 300 black families from Oklahoma moved North to Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. In Saskatchewan, they founded the all-black towns of Maidstone and Wilkie and in Manitoba the towns of Junkins (now Wildwood), Keystone (now Breton), Clyde and Amber Valley. By 1912, several thousand blacks had migrated to these provinces.

Having the 1916 Census available to track the lives of these people is an incredible addition to our genealogical arsenal.

Good luck in your research.

- Lisa B. Lee
Oakland, CA