In this post I'd like to talk about navigating a "common record" set - voters lists - when the population was disenfranchised. There's an assumption in genealogy of "common records." Voters Lists fall in this category, along with censuses, vital records, and city directories. Chinese, Japanese, South Asians, and Indigenous were disenfranchised for decades, meaning that entire record sets that would generally be available for others have gaps for these groups. Knowing when this does and does not apply is important work for a genealogist.
Category: How To Videos
Videos about genealogy and ancestry research
Explore the new Library and Archives Canada site (Oct 2022)
... Before, you went to Library Archives Canada's site, and then you went to the siloed databases. Like if you wanted "Immigrants before 1865," you search there. And then if you wanted "Russian Immigrants," you'd search there. So it was extremely difficult to find anything at Library and Archives Canada. And what was missing was a central collection search. Well, guess what, there is now a central collection search...
Using Asana for genealogy
In this post I'll introduce you to one of my most important, can't live without it, tech tool: Asana. It's project management software that is robust enough to run large companies but customizable enough for starting small. And it's free.
How to find your ancestral locations in China: geography basics, maps, and the UBC Register of Chinese immigration
In this post I'll take you through navigating the tricky world of Chinese maps and places. Regardless of where in China your ancestors originate, some basic Chinese geography will be useful. In the previous post Finding Mrs. Yip Sang, I located the immigration of my second great-grandmother, "Mrs. Yip Sang," or Dong Shee (鄧氏) on… Continue reading How to find your ancestral locations in China: geography basics, maps, and the UBC Register of Chinese immigration
My new book: Getting started in Chinese genealogy
It's been two weeks since I released my new e-book Getting started in Chinese genealogy: a family historian's step by step guide (even if you don't speak or read Chinese). In this post I'd like to share some feedback, an awesome video, and give you the chance to win a free copy of your own.… Continue reading My new book: Getting started in Chinese genealogy
How do you say Happy New Year in Chinese? – Linda tries out a few phrases in Mandarin and Cantonese
Linda tries a few phrases in Chinese, and announces the release of her new book, "Getting started in Chinese genealogy"
Ancestry’s Ask an Expert with Linda Yip – Facebook LIVE today
I'm going LIVE on Ancestry Canada's Facebook Page. Join in the fun!
Testing the MyHeritage photo ehancing feature (a video)
In this brief video, I test the new MyHeritage photo enhancing features and show you what happens in real time.
Finding the Chinese names of my family: 葉
In this post, I learn how to type Chinese on a computer, and then find out the meanings of my family's names. Then I show you how I did it so you can do it too.
Using Evernote for genealogy: my Evernote library (a video)
In this post, I share a 5 minute video on how I use Evernote to organize and keep track of my genealogy reference library.