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.

Researching your Canadian ancestors doesn’t have to be expensive. Whether you’re just starting your family tree or looking for new records to explore, there are plenty of free Canadian genealogy websites that can help you discover valuable information. From census records and immigration databases, to historical newspapers and land records, these online resources provide can helpful clues about your ancestors’ lives.

As a young hobby genealogist, I used to get so frustrated that there were no good records to confirm more recent dates of death or find the names of younger relatives. Most countries have privacy laws that withhold exact record entries like census forms in order to protect the identities of living citizens.

So what do you do to find out more about the people who lived in the later half of the twentieth century? Enter: obituaries