Useful Links
Click on the underlined headings below to visit the linked websites.
Canadian Genealogy and Family History Websites
Ancestor Search
Ancestor Search has been helping those interested in researching their family history find genealogy databases since 1997! Use the Ancestor Search genealogy portal web site to find your family history & surname origin to build your family tree.
Ancestry.ca
There are many paths to finding your family story. Whichever way you choose—tracing your family generations back with a family tree or uncovering your ethnicity with AncestryDNA—we'll be here to help you.
British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa
Founded in 1994, BIFHSGO is located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. We encourage family history research and its dissemination by people with ancestry in the British Isles.
Government of Ontario Archives
Extensive collections related to family history, community archives and more.
Library and Archives Canada
As the custodian of our distant past and recent history, Library and Archives Canada (LAC) is a key resource for all Canadians who wish to gain a better understanding of who they are, individually and collectively. LAC acquires, processes, preserves and provides access to our documentary heritage and serves as the continuing memory of the Government of Canada and its institutions.
CanadaGenWeb
The CanadaGenWeb Project was established in 1996 as a free central repository for Canadian genealogy. Over the past two decades hundreds of volunteers have contributed their time and expertise to build this 100% volunteer project.
Genealogy & Family History at LAC
Many Library and Archives Canada records have been indexed by name. Each database has its own search screen and a main page that explains about the records and how to access them. Some of the databases include links to digitized images.
Genealogy for Kids
Genealogy is the study of family history. It includes details about how people are descended from an ancestor, how people are related to each other, where families are from, how they may have traveled from country to country, where they lived, what kind of work they did, and what sorts of lives they led. A family tree is a visual representation of a family's lines of descent. Some family trees include photos and other vital information. Researching a family's genealogy and making a family tree is a great way for kids and adults to learn more about who they are. It also brings history to life in a new way, making it possible to see how historical events impacted one family: the researcher's own. Genealogy is also a great way to sharpen research skills. (RTHS thanks Carter Stevens for bringing this site to our attention.)
Canadian Headstones
Our mission at CanadianHeadstones.com is to capture images and the complete transcription of the headstones of our ancestors.
Family Search
Find your family. Discover yourself. Bring to life your family’s history by exploring the lives of those that came before you.
Genealogy.com
Genealogy.com is a source for family history buffs to find genealogical research originally posted in GenForum and our most popular genealogy articles. Start a search or browse below to start digging into your family's past!
Ontario Cemetery Finding Aid
The Ontario Cemetery Finding Aid is a pointer database consisting of the surnames, cemetery name and location of over 3 Million interments from several thousand cemeteries, cairns, memorials, and cenotaphs in Ontario Canada.
RootsWeb
The world’s largest online genealogy community.
International Genealogy and Family History Websites
FreeBMD
FreeBMD is an ongoing project, the aim of which is to transcribe the Civil Registration index of births, marriages and deaths for England and Wales, and to provide free Internet access to the transcribed records. It is a part of the Free UK Genealogy family, which also includes FreeCEN (Census data) and FreeREG (Parish Registers).
Find My Past
Unlock your family history for free.
GEN UKI
GENUKI provides a virtual reference library of genealogical information of particular relevance to the UK and Ireland. It is a non-commercial service, maintained by a charitable trust and a group of volunteers.
Global Genealogy
Resources for the family historian.
National Institute for Genealogical Studies
The National Institute for Genealogical Studies provides web-based courses for both family historians and professional genealogists.
Scotland's People
Find your Scottish ancestors
The Ships List
TheShipsList website, online since August 1999, will help you find your ancestors on ships' passenger lists.We also have immigration reports, newspaper records, shipwreck information, ship pictures, ship descriptions, shipping-line fleet lists and more; as well as hundreds of passenger lists to Canada, USA, Australia and even some for South Africa.
WorldGenWeb
The WorldGenWeb Project is a non-profit, volunteer-based organization dedicated to providing genealogical and historical records and resources for world-wide access!
Researching Family History from Ship Passenger Lists
Similar to "The Ships List" above, this site, focused principally on yachting, provides some excellent tips on finding and making use of ship passenger lists to locate ancestors. (Thanks to Maria Fernandez for this link)
General History and Heritage Websites
Canada's Anglo-Celtic Connections
Since 2006, Canada's Anglo-Celtic Connections has been an independent view of family history resources and developments seen from an Ottawa perspective.
The Canadian Encyclopedia
Canadian County Atlas Digital Project
The County Atlas Digital Project is a searchable database of the property owners' names which appear on the township maps in the county atlases. Township maps, portraits and properties have been scanned, with links from the property owners' names in the database.
Census Online
Since 1996 we have housed the web's largest directory of links to online census records! This directory contains links to federal censuses and indexes, state and territorial censuses, tax lists, voter lists, military pensioner lists, and international records.
Cyndi's List
A comprehensive, categorized & cross-referenced list of links that point you to genealogical research sites online.
Canadiana Online
In 2018, CRKN merged with Canadiana Online, an organization dedicated to the preservation and access of Canada’s documentary heritage since 1978. As a merged organization, CRKN continues its core licensing activities for scholarly journal content, while expanding support for the digitization and preservation of, and access to, Canadian heritage content.
Heritage Ottawa
Heritage Ottawa is an award-winning, volunteer driven, not-for-profit organization that champions the protection and stewardship of Ottawa’s built heritage and cultural places, celebrating their value in enriching our shared environment.
The Internet Archive
A non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites, and more.
Upper Canada History
Ontario (Upper Canada) History On-Line Resources
Eastern Ontario Historical Societies & Museums
Museums, Historical Societies and Provincial Heritage Organizations
Ontario Ministry of Heritage. The ministry works closely with museums, historical societies and provincial heritage organizations. These organizations engage Ontarians in discovery. From learning how to research one’s family history, to telling the stories of your community, these organizations help support cultural tourism and contribute to community vibrancy.
Heritage Ottawa
Heritage Ottawa is an award-winning, volunteer driven, not-for-profit organization that champions the protection and stewardship of Ottawa’s built heritage and cultural places, celebrating their value in enriching our shared environment.