Library and Archives Canada: Genealogy and family history ↗
Free census, immigration, passenger list, military and land records. The best first stop for any Canadian family.
Trace your roots
Wondering where your family came from? Start with what you know: names, dates and places from relatives, old letters and family Bibles. Then work backwards one generation at a time. These archives and societies can help, and many have free records and volunteers who love a good mystery.
🇨🇦 Start in Canada
Alberta Genealogical Society ↗
Ten branches across Alberta, including Calgary, plus the Alberta Records Name Index, homestead indexes and beginner courses.
Ontario Ancestors: Scottish Special Interest Group ↗
The Ontario Genealogical Society's group for Scottish research, with talks, resources and a members' area.
Nova Scotia Archives: Genealogy Guide ↗
Vital records, early censuses and more for the province with Canada's deepest Scottish roots.
HAGGIS: Hector Archiving Gateway (Pictou, NS) ↗
Records of the families who came on the ship Hector in 1773 and settled Pictou County and northern Nova Scotia.
🏴 Scotland
ScotlandsPeople ↗
Scotland's official records: births, marriages, deaths, censuses, wills and old parish registers. Searching is free, and viewing images costs credits.
The Scottish Genealogy Society ↗
Edinburgh's volunteer-run family history centre, with a library, beginner classes and talks, many on Zoom.
☘️ Ireland & Ulster
Ulster Historical Foundation ↗
A non-profit with more than 2 million searchable Ulster records and research help. Good for Scots-Irish families.
Irish Genealogical Research Society ↗
A learned society, founded in 1936, with a reference library and journal. Best once you have traced your family back to about 1850.
🛡️ Clan societies
Clan societies in our directory
Many clan societies have a genealogist or a DNA project, and they will often help members trace a surname.
Scots of Canada member list ↗
Clan, family and Scottish societies across Canada.
COSCA: Council of Scottish Clans & Associations ↗
Clan and family associations across North America.
Tips
- Scottish surnames are spelled many ways (MacDonald, McDonald, M'Donald), so search all of them.
- Many Scots came to Canada through Ulster, the US or England. Follow the records, not the family legend.
- A surname doesn't always mean a clan link. Clan societies can tell you which names they count as septs (associated families).
- Found your clan? Find your tartan.
We don't make money from these links. If we ever add paid genealogy services like Ancestry or MyHeritage, they'll be clearly labelled as affiliate links.