Thoughts From a "Lost Canadian" on How to Find Canadian Ancestors

I've been sharing the things I've been learning about Canada and its Government and First Peoples, and while this "Lost Canadian" still has much to learn, today I want to share how you are able to find out if you are a "Lost Canadian", too! As I wrote earlier, I was so surprised to learn more than 1/3 of my ancestors were Canadian - there is a strong possibility some of them were also First Nations Mi'kmaq as well. And today I discovered my husband has Canadian ancestors from Quebec!

So, how can you discover if your ancestors were Canadian? Well, follow these steps . . . 

• First of all, if you do not already have an Ancestry account, set up an account with them - at least their free two-week trial account. 
• Fill in all the ancestor information you know - parents, grandparents, great-grandparents names and places of birth which you know.
• Ancestry will start helping you fill in the blanks of your family tree. As this happens you will be able to learn if any of them were from Canada - you may need to go back several generations to do this.
• If you find any ancestors who were born in Canada, use the AI on your tab to have it help search for the information you need to find birth certificates (if they have them - which they probably do not) and baptism records. Order certified copies. (I don't like AI or using it, but this is a time when it is very helpful.)
• If you can not find these, look for census information and whatever documents you do find, order certified copies.
• Look for marriage records and death certificates - you will need certified copies of all of these.
• Find birth, marriage, and death certificates which directly connect you to your ancestor who was born in Canada. Get certified copies for each generation to your own.
• Then at this point you will be able to file for citizenship under Canada Bill C-3 - look up the specifics for where to file.

This is really all there is to it. If you have an ancestor who was born in Canada, Under Bill C-3 you are a "Lost Canadian" and are able to receive citizenship! It isn't hard, but does take a little time to track it all down and order the forms.

There are a couple things I've learned in looking for my Canadian ancestors and my husband's Canadian ancestors which you may find to be helpful information . . . 

• If you find a record in your family tree about an ancestor which says they are "French", while it could mean they are from France, it could also mean they are French Canadian and likely from Quebec. Don't dismiss these ancestors - check them out fully to find out exactly where they were from - AI is helpful for this . . . I used, Ask Gemini.
• Also, if you have photos of ancestors who look like they could be First Nations people, absolutely do additional research to find out if this is so.
• If you have ancestors from areas of Canada which have a strong history of First Nations such as Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, the Plains areas, and British Columbia, double check to see if your ancestors might be First Nations - if they are, and you can get the paperwork to show it, you are automatically a Canadian citizen!

Best wishes on finding your Canadian ancestors!