What can genealogy tell us about forgotten crimes? While researching a relative’s birth, I stumbled across a shocking 1895 true crime story—and realized how powerful family history research can be for uncovering the full picture. Here’s how I use genealogy to investigate historical cases and tell the stories others left behind.

Learning about your family history is a fun journey that lots of us take on as a hobby. But when you’re first starting out, Canadian genealogy for beginners can bring its own set of challenges. From choosing which family tree builder is right for you to knowing where to research ancestors in Canada, it’s easy to get lost in a whirlwind of names and dates. But don’t worry! With these tips, researching your family tree and learning about your ancestral history will be both exciting and simple to start. 

New to family history research? This beginner-friendly guide walks you through five simple steps to help you start your family tree with clarity and confidence—plus, grab a free printable checklist to keep you on track.

If you’ve started to build a family tree and realized later on that some things just don’t seem right, you’re not alone. These aren’t colossal failures. They’re common misconceptions that many of us run into. I wanted to share three early missteps that changed the way I research, along with some context on how I learned to approach things differently. If you’ve made any of these too, you’re in good company.

When you're staring down a brick wall in your family tree, few resources are more revealing — and underestimated — than census records. These routine government snapshots can uncover how your ancestors moved over time, giving you helpful clues about where to look next. So let’s walk through how to use census records from Canada, the United States, and the UK to track your ancestors’ migration patterns and uncover the hidden chapters of their lives.

When you're tracing your family tree, it's easy to focus only on direct ancestors — your parents, grandparents, and so on. But sometimes, the most important clues are hidden in the lives of the brothers and sisters they grew up with. Researching your ancestors' siblings can be one of the most powerful strategies for breaking through genealogy brick walls.

The early 20th century was a transformative period for immigration to Canada, truly shaping the young country. Between 1900 and 1930, Canada welcomed millions of newcomers, driven by government settlement programs, economic opportunities, and global conflicts. If your ancestors arrived during this time, you can use a variety of records—including passenger lists, naturalization documents, and census records—to trace their journey.