Canadian Probate and Homestead (Land!) Records Are Searchable on FamilySearch Full-Text Search

 Thanks to recent blog posts by John Reid ( ***** FamilySearch Experimental Labs Search of Canadian Probate Records) and Ken McKinlay (FamilySearch Full-Text Searching of Ontario Probate and Land Records), I learned that "Canada Probate Records, 1600-2020" and "Canada Homestead Records, 1600-2011" were added to the FamilySearch Full-Text Search feature in recent days. 

1)  That is more good news for researchers whose only previous recourse to research these records was using FamilySearch digital microfilm or the actual microfilm at a FamilySearch Center or affiliate library.  Unfortunately, the Full-Text Search feature does not access ALL of the probate or land records available in Canada - only the records that are available online at home through the FamilySearch digital microfilm, and not the records that provide access only at a FamilySearch Center or affilite library.  But - there are now a lot of new records that can be found by searching by name, place, date, etc., on Full-Text Search.

2)  I have several families in Ontario in the 1780 to 1910 time frame, and easily found the probate record for my second great-grandfather, James A. Kemp (1831-1902) of Norfolk County, Ontario.  However, I had captured that record several years ago using the FamilySearch microfilms at the FamilySearch Library.  

3)  I dove into these newly available records on FamilySearch Full-Text Search with an initial search for [+James +Kemp +Norfolk +Ontario].  I have not searched for James A. Kemp in the Ontario land records before.  When I search in this collection, the Search Results list indicates that there are 87 records that have those keywords on the record image as transcribed by the Full-Text Search feature:

I have looked at most of those 87 records today, and have downloaded 26 images of records from this collection, including the image, the transcription and the source citation.  The other records on the Search Results list are for records with the same names and places, but not for my James Kemp.  My search found records for James Kemp, James A. Kemp, James Abraham Kemp, and Abraham James Kemp that refer to my James Kemp.

Here is the first record on the Search Results list shown above:

The record page shown has the keywords highlighted in yellow, and the transcription of the text on the image (both pages) is on the right.  I can click on "Summarize the document" and see the Artificial Intelligence summary of what is in the document on the image.  For this record, here is the summarization:

Dorothea Smith, a widow from Woodhouse township, Norfolk County, certifies that Catherine Pettit and Ozias Pettit, both widows from Middleton township, have satisfied part of the money due on a mortgage made by John Albert Pettit in 1842. The mortgage was registered in the Norfolk County Registry Office in 1872. David Thomas Duncombe, a Bannister at law from Norfolk, confirms the execution of the certificate of discharge of mortgage. James A. Kemp, a carpenter from Fredericksburg village, certifies the satisfaction of all money due on a mortgage made by Delos Conder in 1872.

Dates

April 21, 1879: Indenture registered
April 19, 1877: Sworn statement by William Brand Blackader
April 12, 1877: Certificate of discharge of mortgage by Dorothea Smith
April 23, 1877: Certificate of discharge of mortgage registered
April 21, 1874: Sworn statement by David Thomas Duncombe
November 5, 1872: Mortgage made by Delos Conder
December 5, 1872: Mortgage registered
April 20, 1877: Certificate of discharge of mortgage by James A. Kemp

I can click on the "Group Data" tab on the top right of the page and see information about the record, including the image group title, the Research Wiki link, the Volume, the Language, the Creator, the Image Group Number and the Source Citation:

4)  I can save the record, the transcription, the source citation, and a link to the document by clicking on the "Download" icon (a down arrow) under the "Full Transcript" notation.  Here is the first page of the downloaded file (as an HTML file):

The transcription of the text on the page, the source citation, and the record link are on the next two pages of the download:

The text transcription is for everything on the page.  The record for James A. Kemp starts 9 lines from the bottom of the first transcription page above (starting with the line text of "Province of Ontario") through the end of the record transcription.  If a certain record is continued on a previous or later image, the transcription of that image can be found and copied.

5)  Note that there can be significant errors in the AI transcriptions (because of the handwritten names and places, and the clarity of the handwriting).  A diligent researcher will compare the transcription to the handwritten record to find the errors and correct them in his/her transcription.  

6)  Obviously, this Full-Text Search is a significant timesaver - being able to Search for a name, place and date is critical - it sure beats paging through hundreds of records in digital microfilm to try to find your needle in a haystack.  Likewise, the transcription is a timesaver, but a user has to invest some time to make sure it is accurate.  

7)  Now, my good-to-have but challenging problem is to piece together a chronology of James A. Kemp's land records - he bought and sold land, and took and gave mortgages, from about 1869 until 1900 in Norfolk County, Ontario.  Many of the transactions are recorded years after the transaction occurred.  And there may be records in other localities outside of this county in Ontario.

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