I enjoyed writing this piece, comparing my little garden journal and its experiments in growing against the vast body of historic knowledge transfer from thousands of years ago to today. It got away from me twice, and I had to edit out entire sections, but one of the discoveries I made as I was writing was the rich sources of possible genealogical data available through agriculture: almanacs, newspapers, journals, county fairs, agricultural and horticultural societies, diaries, weather stations, and even the Canadian Pacific Railway.
Category: Canadian Genealogy
When a census hides as much as it shows: the 1891 census of Victoria, BC
It was fascinating to apply new technology to an old problem. I learned more about the problematic 1891 census of Victoria, found an alternative census I didn't know existed, and was able to tabulate some information about the men, women, and children of Chinese ancestry in the Victoria area.
Remote access to subscription sites and so much more: the value in genealogy societies
At various points, I have been a member of genealogy and history societies across Canada and the U.S. If you've never considered joining your local society, here's a gentle reminder to check it out, wherever you happen to be.
5 things I learned researching the Drouin Collection on Ancestry and Généalogie Québec
Researching this case has given me new insights into the Drouin Collection, from why you might want to invest in two databases, to why you might not be able to find that elusive ancestor.
Use AI to improve your newspaper searching
In genealogy there are a hundred ways to spend money and we all need to be judicious about what subscriptions we need. Now that I'm paying for ChatGPT, I've been finding ways to incorporate it into my daily genealogical processes. For today's blog, I couldn't wait to share my newspaper search tricks with you, to come up with better ways to research.
Finding Grandfather
Over the decades, my life-long passion for learning about early Chinese immigration in Canada and the specific historical/political contexts for my grandfather and other relatives, grew exponentially. Rich connections have been forged with a handful of aging relatives. Enhancing the research include academic scholars/authors, memoirists, historians, kindred amateur genealogists like me, and those invested in ancestral research in North America and, abroad. Truth be told, the research is a labor of love.
Library and Archives Canada recognizes Genealogy for Asian Canadians
For those of us who care about archival records, this moment is worth celebrating. Better records do not happen by accident. They happen because people decide that accuracy, context, and access are important, and they give their time to make them better. This recognition is welcome not only because it celebrates an achievement, but also because it acknowledges that communities themselves can help reshape the archives.
Coffee Chat short – Stories, Records, and what they teach us: lessons from Chinese Canadian genealogy
Enjoy this free video short (25 mins) where I reflect on my latest three (four in practise) presentations given in British Columbia: Getting Started in Chinese Genealogy, 24 Feb 2026, Victoria Chinatown Museum, 2 pm and 7 pm. Finding the records for impossible genealogy – lessons learned from a Chinese Canadian genealogist – for genealogists… Continue reading Coffee Chat short – Stories, Records, and what they teach us: lessons from Chinese Canadian genealogy
Why LAC’s ATIP capacity matters for Canadian genealogy
As a genealogist, I celebrate every effort to make records more visible and more usable. The issue is not the records themselves, but access. More access means a deeper understanding of the stories that shape individuals, families, and communities. Over many months, my team and I have worked with the good people at LAC to improve understanding of, and access to, records that matter to our community. That work has produced real, methodical progress. We are already seeing better search functionality and greatly improved finding aids, and in some instances new finding aids were created through that collaborative effort. At the same time, I have heard firsthand about the pressures and challenges facing LAC staff. That is why I am dismayed by any suggestion that this progress may now be curtailed, shelved, or slowed in response to a government-wide call to reduce expenditures. Better finding aids are important, but if ATIP capacity is significantly reduced, the bottleneck does not disappear. It simply moves from finding the records to gaining access to them.
Connecting in 2025 – a year in highlights
It's become a needed ritual. During the long, dark nights that are December in the Paris of the Prairies, I take time to reflect. I look at my blogs, the events from my calendar, the photos on my phone, and the stats on my site. I review the work I've done, and wonder how I can do better.