Wow, it's wonderful that you are interested in learning about the breed and background before diving in. A dog is a 15-year investment, and too many people make impulse decisions on such a big part of their life. I always recommend the Yorkshire Terrier Club of America for help in finding a good breeder. The YTCA is the parent club of the AKC and it's website has links to many good breeders, as well as information on history of the breed, and even grooming.
Yorkshire Terrier Club of America I think this is one of the best threads YT has had on finding a good breeder, read post 6.
http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/gen...ml#post1900263
Here's a link the Humane society puts out on finding a good breeder.
http://www.hsus.org/web-files/PDF/Good_breeder.pdf. I think your wise to want to see the mother and father before purchasing the dog. Visiting the home is the only way you can be sure the place is not a puppy mill. People for some reason think because a breeder seems so nice on the phone, they couldn't possibly be running a puppy mill, but nothing could be further from the truth. Even recommendations are sketchy, and so many people have highly recommended a breeder, but later found out they had been deceived. Unless you know, the person doing the recommending, be very cautious, and probably even then.
I believe the Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) is the AKC equivalent, but be wary of the Continental Kennel Club (CKC) which is just an American company that isn't very careful on what it will register. Many of our Canadian friends have purchased puppies thought to be registered with the Canadian Kennel Club who it turned out were registered with the Continental Kennel Club. Good luck in finding your baby, finding a good breeder is hard work, but rewarding someone who's doing a good job breeding will make you feel better in the long run, and you will be adding to the betterment of the breed. Welcome to YorkieTalk!