Brick Walls in Genealogy and Family Tree research, 2nd edition.  Updated 2017 It happens to everyone. You’re chugging along, having a fantastic time learning about your family tree and sharing with your relatives all of the fascinating facts you’ve discovered. And then it happens. You find that certain someone in your tree that, no matter how hard you try, you … Read More

“Ouch! That genealogy website subscription is really expensive! Do I really want to pay that just to find out where great-grandpa came from?” If you are beginning your search for your ancestors, you may have asked yourself this question. Genealogy websites give researchers access to historical records from all over the world. What you once had to search for in dusty … Read More

Unlike the rest of the UK, Scottish marriage laws were much more lenient. Under Scots law, there were three forms of “irregular marriage”. An irregular marriage could result from: mutual agreement, a public promise followed by consummation cohabitation and repute Also unlike English and Irish laws, the main ingredient in making a marriage legal in Scotland was not whether the … Read More

Now that you know the importance of documenting where you’ve gotten the information used in your family tree, let’s take a look at what goes into a properly-cited source. If you’re using an online service like FamilySearch or Ancestry, your work is mostly done for you as you can attach source documents directly to an individual’s record. It usually looks … Read More

One of the first questions I get asked, when people find out of my interest in genealogy is “what about all that cousins first removed stuff’? Sometimes that is not a simple answer. But for you readers, help is just a click away. The internet has many charts that show family relationships. Below I have links to a few of … Read More

One of the best free resources for finding burial records, obituaries, and more is FindAGrave.com. The entries come from predominantly North American cemeteries, but there are a handful of records from around the world: over 132 million total records are currently available. The site allows you to search by name, with the option to include maiden names as well, or … Read More

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!! The Great Canadian Genealogy Summit will be held at the Courtyard Marriott, Brampton from Oct 21-23 2016. On October 21, we have arranged a day at the Ontario Archives. And better still, for those with United Empire Loyalist ancestors we are offering a workshop with the Dominion Genealogist at the Archives. She will share her expertise on what … Read More

When you think, “I’d really like to do some genealogy research today,” what comes to mind first? If you’re like most people, you probably thought of a website like

Following the Highland Clearances, many of these families took advantage of emigration schemes which saw them transported to Canada, the Colonies of America and Australia. Young Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk was instrumental in assisting many of these displaced highlanders in obtaining land in Canada. Douglas first became aware of these displaced families when he visited the highlands as a … Read More

Some of the best resources for genealogy research are death records. This isn’t limited to statutory records, but included burial records, cemetery records, and lair records as well. While we all learn to use monumental inscriptions, we have to bear in mind that until the 1700s, very few people in Scotland had headstones, and in fact, few cemeteries existed. Many rural … Read More

You’re pretty well-versed in the basics of using census records to help you in your genealogy research. You are ready to take it to the next level! Here are three tricks you might not yet have in your ancestor-finding toolbox, and they might help you find that one person you’ve been searching for. 1. If your family is at the … Read More

Census records can really be a great source of information.  If you’ve never reviewed a census record, here is what you should know: Names of all people and their relationship to the head of household This is the purpose of the census at its core: to enumerate, or list, everyone living at a particular address at that time.  As you … Read More

Once you’ve started your research process, you’ll find that you want a way to keep everything together and nicely organized. You may even find that your family members are curious – even excited! – and want to see all the hard work you’ve been doing. Here are some beginners tips for creating a website or online family tree that all of your … Read More

Do you use soundex? *crickets chirping* If utter silence and some amount of confusion were your reaction when you read that, you’re not alone. Many people who are interested in learning more about their family tree may be missing out on one small search tool that could help in big ways: namely, soundex. What, exactly, IS soundex? According to the … Read More

Last month, we learned of the Genealogy Rock Stars. This is an annual event hosted by blogger John Reid of Anglo-Celtic Connections. This year, the announcement of the Rock Star winners in various areas caused a lot of chatter. More Americans than Canadians on the Canada list. Only a handful of the nearly 200 nominees made the top 10 lists. … Read More

I think everyone in the genealogy community has wondered about ancestry DNA tests. Should you get one? Do they help? How accurate is DNA testing for genealogy? Can the DNA test tell us exactly where we came from? Can it help us trace back accurately through generations to every single line of descent? There are many reasons to want to … Read More

It may have been a long search, but you’ve accomplished something exciting – you’ve found a distant relative, and you’re ready to reach out. The trick lies in making that initial connection. Here are six steps for contacting distant relatives that you won’t want to miss out on. 1. Use the right form of technology Just because you’ve found your … Read More