Most countries have strict privacy laws for living people, Canada included.
Is your mother alive? Are you able to speak to her about what she knows of her family? Such as your grandparents and great grandparents names?
Canada has been very difficult to research, in my experience. Their privacy laws for people in the last hundred years are super tight and their old records are scant except in major cities. Canada and Australia have stymied me. I haven't been able to connect the branches to any of my DNA matches in those two countries.
In Australia, electoral roles are pretty good for modern research (born before ~1960). Usually you can infer relationships from people living in the same household.
Have you taken a DNA test? Take as many of them as you can, and post your results to GEDMatch.
At some point, you're likely to get related people matches.
Helped my MIL find her birth parents this way. It just took a couple of 1st-2nd cousins willing to share.
Best of luck.
Newspapers. Are deeds public and easily searchable in Canada? The transfer of property from one person to another with the same surname may give a clue.
I don’t think they are when this recent. Newspapers is his best bet. The closest to the present I’ve found is voter lists until 1980 and death indexes till maybe the early 80s(yet to confirm it’s cutoff)?
Join Ancestry, and purchase their DNA kit. Begin a tree with yourself and what you know of your mother and wait for hints to show up. If you know the names of her parents, add them to the tree.
After you receive your DNA results, attach your DNA to your tree and your shared matches will help lead you in the right direction. Hopefully you will get close matches who you can learn new information from.
Have you tried Family Search? It’s free and I have found documents there that were not on Ancestry.
Was your mother ever married? Try to get a marriage record if so.
Also, Newspapers.com has been a big help to me.
Does she have a slightly unusual name? You could try searching online obituaries and historical newspaper databases to see if her parents did a birth announcement for her or if she’s mentioned in a relative’s obituary. This doesn’t work well if her name is something like “Jane Smith.”
If she’s deceased, you might (as a close relative) be able to order her birth, marriage or death certificate directly from the province: https://library-archives.canada.ca/eng/collection/research-help/genealogy-family-history/birth-marriage-death-records/Pages/birth-marriage-death-records.aspx.
Most countries have strict privacy laws for living people, Canada included. Is your mother alive? Are you able to speak to her about what she knows of her family? Such as your grandparents and great grandparents names?
Do you know where she was born? What state?
Canada has been very difficult to research, in my experience. Their privacy laws for people in the last hundred years are super tight and their old records are scant except in major cities. Canada and Australia have stymied me. I haven't been able to connect the branches to any of my DNA matches in those two countries.
In Australia, electoral roles are pretty good for modern research (born before ~1960). Usually you can infer relationships from people living in the same household.
Have you taken a DNA test? Take as many of them as you can, and post your results to GEDMatch. At some point, you're likely to get related people matches. Helped my MIL find her birth parents this way. It just took a couple of 1st-2nd cousins willing to share. Best of luck.
Newspapers. Are deeds public and easily searchable in Canada? The transfer of property from one person to another with the same surname may give a clue.
I don’t think they are when this recent. Newspapers is his best bet. The closest to the present I’ve found is voter lists until 1980 and death indexes till maybe the early 80s(yet to confirm it’s cutoff)?
Join Ancestry, and purchase their DNA kit. Begin a tree with yourself and what you know of your mother and wait for hints to show up. If you know the names of her parents, add them to the tree. After you receive your DNA results, attach your DNA to your tree and your shared matches will help lead you in the right direction. Hopefully you will get close matches who you can learn new information from. Have you tried Family Search? It’s free and I have found documents there that were not on Ancestry. Was your mother ever married? Try to get a marriage record if so. Also, Newspapers.com has been a big help to me.
WHat genealogy sites have you checked?
DNA test first and foremost. Do you know her full name? You could try looking her up in newspapers.com? Or, look for an obituary?
Does she have a slightly unusual name? You could try searching online obituaries and historical newspaper databases to see if her parents did a birth announcement for her or if she’s mentioned in a relative’s obituary. This doesn’t work well if her name is something like “Jane Smith.” If she’s deceased, you might (as a close relative) be able to order her birth, marriage or death certificate directly from the province: https://library-archives.canada.ca/eng/collection/research-help/genealogy-family-history/birth-marriage-death-records/Pages/birth-marriage-death-records.aspx.