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When Your Ancestor Has No Birth Certificate: Genealogical Proof and Canadian Citizenship
Canada’s citizenship law changed on December 15, 2025. Effective that day, thousands — possibly millions — of people born outside Canada who have a Canadian ancestor became Canadian citizens. Since then, many have come to us with questions about Canadian citizenship by descent. That makes sense, because we’re a Canadian genealogical research company. We help…
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Are You Canadian?
If you can prove your descent from an ancestor born in what is now Canada … the answer might be “Yes”! Canada’s first Citizenship Act came into effect on January 1, 1947. Anyone born in Canada before that date was considered a “natural-born Canadian” as long as they had not lost their status as a…
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British Birth, German Ancestry, Canadian Father
DNA Identifies the Father of an English-born Child Growing up in London, England, Elaine’s biological father was a mystery. Her mother said he had been a Canadian airman stationed in Europe in the late 1950s. Beyond that, there were no names, no records, no photographs — just a story, repeated but never explained. For decades,…
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A Montreal Mystery: How DNA Helped Reveal a Hidden Finnish Heritage
When Marjorie set out to learn more about her family history, she thought she already knew who her grandfather was. Her mother’s birth certificate, baptism record, and even the 1931 Canadian census all pointed to the same man: Harold Benson, an electrician living in Montreal. Although Harold was not married to Marjorie’s maternal grandmother, he…
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Leases, Legacies, and Litigation: A Chancery Case from Restoration-Era London
In April 1665, Richard Sainsbury, a carpenter of London, made his last will and testament. In it, he bequeathed several leasehold properties in Southwark, Surrey, to his wife Rebecca for the duration of her life. He specified that upon her death, the lease of his residence and an adjoining tenement on the east side were…