Upon receiving your research request, we will conduct 30 minutes of research at no cost. In many cases, this is sufficient time to gather the information you need. This initial 30-minute period also helps us assess whether additional research time is necessary. After the 30 minutes, we will contact you with our findings. If more research is required, we will discuss this with you. Our rate for additional research is $20 per hour, and payment is required before we proceed. Once we receive payment, we will continue our research and provide you with updates and results. Please note that there are additional fees for document and image reproduction.

Please be aware that there are fees for research services over 30 minutes, as well as for reproduction services. In some cases, additional publication fees may apply if the images are used for commercial purposes. For more details, please refer to our Research & Reproduction Fees (document) at the top of the webpage. All research and reproduction fees support the operations of the Transcona Museum and the ongoing care of our collections. Museum members receive a 10% discount on research and reproduction services. Original donors of archival documents and photographs are eligible for a 50% discount on reproduction services.

We are only able to offer digital reproduction scans of documents and photographs. These items are scanned at their original size, and we do not provide photo enlargements. You can choose to have your items scanned at low quality (150 dpi) or high quality (600 dpi). Low-quality digital images are suitable for everyday sharing and printing standard sizes (for example, 4"x6" or 8"x10"). High-quality digital images are ideal for enlargements. Please note that payment is required before we can send you the digital files. The files can be delivered via email or through an online file transfer service (such as Dropbox or WeTransfer). If you prefer to receive the digital files on a USB drive by mail, additional postage fees will apply. We also offer photocopies of documents and photographs. Credit must be given to the Transcona Museum and Archives. Documents and photographs from the collection should be cited as follows: Courtesy of the Transcona Museum and Archives Researchers will receive additional details - including titles, reference numbers, etc. - along with the reproduction copies of the documents and photographs.

The Transcona Museum currently does not have a dedicated research or reading room. If you have scheduled a research visit, we will prepare the relevant documents and photographs before your arrival. In some instances, a table and chair will be set up in the museum galleries, along with gloves and other archival tools for your use. Museum staff will be available to answer any additional questions and discuss reproduction services. Please note that not all archival records are publicly accessible. Access may be restricted due to privacy legislation, donor requests, or if the records are in fragile condition or oversized.

The Transcona Museum regularly aids researchers tracing their family histories. We will seek to identify relevant documents, photographs, newspapers, and other materials in our collections that could provide insight into your family story. There are several websites and organizations that can assist you in researching your family history. Here are a few examples. AncestryLibrary is available at all Winnipeg Public Library locations for patrons with a library card. The Winnipeg Public Library also offers an online Genealogical Guide, which provides extra support and suggestions for researchers. FamilySearch is the world's largest collection of family trees, genealogy records, and resources. Access to this website is free with the creation of an account. Library and Archives Canada features multiple databases that are beneficial for researchers. Their extensive website includes valuable information regarding census records, immigration, land records (including Métis scrip records), and military records from both World Wars. University of Manitoba Digital Collections currently features over 75,000 digitized items. This material is freely accessible for browsing, searching, and downloading low- or high-resolution copies. Peel's Prairie Provinces is a digital collection of materials representing the diverse cultures and peoples that live in the Canadian Prairies. Originally hosted online through the University of Alberta Library, the collection is being migrated to the Internet Archive platform. Organizations such as the Manitoba Genealogical Society, the St. Boniface Historical Society (Centre du Patrimoine), the East European Genealogical Society, and the Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada are all available to assist researchers. The Winnipeg Public Library Genealogical Guide also offers more recommended websites than those mentioned here.

To begin your research, it's important to gather names and dates. If you have a street address, that information will also be helpful. With these details, we can work to identify where your relatives lived in the community by utilizing documents such as voters' lists and town plans. Did you know: All houses and businesses in Transcona were renumbered in 1948. Additionally, several streets in Transcona and South Transcona were renamed between 1959 and 1963. If your relatives lived in the area before 1948, we will need to determine the original street address of their home. Blog post: "Transcona Street Name Changes & Renumbering Scheme" When requesting documents and photographs of houses in the Transcona community, several factors should be taken into account. Our collections at the Transcona Museum are comprised of items donated by community members. As a result, there may be gaps in our records. Additionally, the information provided to the museum at the time of donation is often all we have. For example, some photographs may include captions with addresses of houses, while others might simply be labeled as "unidentified house" or "unidentified street." The same applies to identifying individuals in the photographs. Not all municipal records of Transcona are located at the Transcona Museum. Many records have been transferred to the City of Winnipeg Archives. Additional information on properties may be found through the City of Winnipeg - Assessment and Taxation and Manitoba's Land Titles Registry (subject to fees).

We have our Books of Honour, which provide basic information about Transcona men and women who served in the First and Second World Wars, as well as the Korean War. Additionally, we have a dedicated book that lists those who were killed in action during both World Wars. These books are available for viewing during museum hours. Our collections also include numerous documents and photographs that capture Transcona's war efforts both at home and overseas. Some military records are available online through Library and Archives Canada including Personnel Records of the First World War and Service Files of the Second World War - War Dead, 1939–1947. Please note that service files of individuals who survived the Second World War are restricted, but individuals can submit a request for copies of documents to Library and Archives Canada. Requests can take up to a year or more. For further information and services, you can visit the websites of Veterans Affairs Canada, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, and the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.

We have bound copies of the Transcona Times and Transcona News in our newspaper collection (no digital copies). Please note that there are gaps in the years for this collection. Some of the earlier newspapers are also not accessible to the public due to their fragile conditions. Did you know: The Legislative Library has the most complete collection of historical Manitoba newspapers, dating back to 1859. Materials are available on microfilm for onsite research and for interlibrary loan. The Manitoba Newspaper Checklist (1859-1986), available at the Legislative Library and at most libraries in Manitoba, identifies the titles and issues available. Many early Manitoba newspapers are online for free at University of Manitoba Digital Collections. You can also access newspaper collections online with your library card through the Winnipeg Public Library - Digital Library. We have a limited collection of yearbooks from schools in the Transcona community.

Unfortunately, no. Those records were sent to the Canada Science and Technology Museum and Library and Archives Canada.