Sunny Jane Morton

“The Death of Major Peirson” [the British officer above in white killed in the American Revolution who became a national hero] by John Singleton Copley, via Wikimedia Commons Historians estimate that one-fifth of the Colonial population (about 400,000 people) remained loyal to the Crown. Known variously as Loyalists, Royalists, Tories or King’s Men, they faced difficult decisions before, during and after the war as revolution roared around them.

Are you contributing to one of the world’s largest collaborative genealogy projects? With more than 1.7 billion tree profiles, the FamilySearch Family Tree www.familysearch.org/en/family-tree is the biggest shared family tree on the web. Every year, millions of people contribute to its growth. In 2024 alone, users added more than 150 million people and 530 million sources. That second figure is especially important: Users added 3.5 times more sources than they did people in 2024.

Library and Archives Canada (LAC) is a free portal to the history of the “Great White North.” There you’ll find original government records, 30 million historical photos, 20 million books, research guides, and other materials from Canada’s national archives and library. No wonder that the website—which has a dedicated link for “Genealogy and Family History” right on the home page—is a major destination for genealogists. Here’s how you can tap its resources.