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Dictionary of Ukrainian Canadian Biography

Vladimir Kaye's three-volume Dictionary of Ukrainian Canadian Biography is a uniquely valuable compilation on the earliest Ukrainian immigrants to the Prairie Provinces. In his quest for material, the author visited archives across the country and corresponded with hundreds of informants. On its appearance, the noted Canadian historian W. L. Morton praised the work's "monumental character ... unequalled, so far as the writer's knowledge goes, in the history of any other group of Canadians except the French."

The first volume, and the only one to appear during Kaye's lifetime, covers Manitoba. The second volume, for Alberta, was published by the Ukrainian Pioneers' Association of Alberta in 1984. The third and final volume, for Saskatchewan, was published by the East European Genealogical Society in 2018.

A typical entry in the Dictionary gives the name of the settler, year of birth (often estimated), place of birth if known, names of spouses and children, date and port arrival, ship name, place of settlement, and details of homestead grants and naturalization. Many include biographical data from newspaper notices, and some include extracts from church records or even information received from descendants.

The example shown here is taken from page 154 of the Saskatchewan volume. This particular entry is unusual in that it continues to the top of page 156.

The EEGS, as well as being the publisher of the Saskatchewan volume, has acquired the right from Kaye's literary estate to reprint the long-unavailable Manitoba volume.

Cover of V.J. Kaye's Dictionary of Ukrainian Canadian Biography: Pioneer Settlers of Manitoba, 1891–1900

Dictionary of Ukrainian Canadian Biography [vol. 1]: Pioneer Settlers of Manitoba, 1891-1900

This first volume of the Dictionary, covering 941 early settlers to Manitoba, was originally published in 1975 and has remained out-of-print for many years.

Description: xxv + 249 pages, 6" x 9"; includes an index of names and (new to this reprint) an added index of places of origin.

This volume will soon be reprinted by the EEGS with permission from Kaye's literary estate. Watch this page for more information.

Cover of V. J. Kaye's Dictionary of Ukrainian Canadian Biography: Pioneer Settlers of Saskatchewan-Assiniboia, 1892–1904

Dictionary of Ukrainian Canadian Biography [vol. 3]: Pioneer Settlers of Saskatchewan-Assiniboia, 1892-1904

This third and final volume of the Dictionary was published for the first time by the EEGS in 2018. It covers 295 settlers who arrived in what is now Saskatchewan.

Description: xx + 319 pages, 6" x 9"; includes indexes of personal names and places of origin.

We are sorry to report that a print version of this book is no longer available from the distributor, McNally Robinson. We are working to find an alternative and regret any inconvenience. This page will be updated with the information about the new distributor when a replacement is found.