Queries and look ups for High Country

Query Tips

When you send in a genealogical query there a few basic points to cover. Put in as much information about the person you are making the query about as possible. This includes:

• name (variant spellings should be indicated in full in brackets)
• dates (birth, death, marriage, arrival in Canada or the area covered by this GenWeb site)
• places
• names of relatives (e.g., wife, husband, parents, siblings, children), if relevant

Make sure you proofread your query:

• spelling should be correct
• uppercase letters should be uppercase, etc.
• you ask a question

If you send out a general request for help, as in the examples below, you will not get much help and your query will likely be deleted from the query page (after being notified first). Nobody is really going to want to provide everything that they have.

Examples that likely won't get a response and that will be deleted.

• 1. Would like information on the following families: Wilson, Sparks, Johnson, Anderson, Bergeron.
• 2. Would like information on the Herchmer family. Originated in the USA.
• 3. Any information of the Jones family of X County (wrong site chosen for posting query).
• 4. The query does not mention Okanagan-Similkameen or a place within Okanagan-similkameen.

See further comments and suggestions on queries in the Ontario GenWeb page on query writing here.

Query pages

I cannot answer your genealogical questions. So in order to provide some help to you, I have provided links to several places where queries can be posted.

They are as follows:

• High Country
  This one is specifically for the High Country GenWeb site.
• British Columbia - general
  Use when you know the province but are uncertain of the correct site in British Columbia.
  
• Canada - unknown
  Use when the location is known as Canada or the province is unknown.

GenWeb sites adjacent to High Country GenWeb

In British Columbia:

• Cariboo-Chilcotin Coast
• Kootenay
• North-Northwest (host needed)
• Okanagan-Similkameen
• Rocky Mountain - BC Rockies
• Southwestern - Vancouver Coast

• Jasper National Park (host needed)

Look Ups

You could also ask a volunteer to do a look up for you. See Genealogy Helplist Canada to see if they can help you. As this is a free service, please be polite and thank the volunteer when they give you your answer.

See also the History page on this web site for volunteers who offer do look ups from books they have.

Paid Researchers

If you cannot make a research trip, it is sometimes useful to hire a paid researcher. The National Archives of Canada has a list which you can request.

National Archives list

The British Columbia Archives has an Independent Research Agent Register

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