Family tree research
We trace your lineage through centuries of North American records, from colonial-era documents to modern archives, to reveal the ancestors who shaped your family's story.
Serving Vancouver & British Columbia
Vancouver GenealogistTrace your family's journey west
For Vancouver families who want to know where they came from, we offer private, documented genealogical research that uncovers the stories, connections, and heritage behind your name.
Free consultation · $90 CAD per hour
- Experienced team
- Sourced findings
- US & Canada
- Confidential
For Vancouver families who value what cannot be replaced
Most Vancouver families arrived from somewhere else: across the Prairies, over the Pacific, or from Britain and Europe, and often within living memory.
We trace those arrivals back to their starting points and build a documented story you can share with the next generation.
Local research
Where Vancouver family research begins
British Columbia's vital-event registrations are indexed online back to the 1870s, which gives most local projects a strong starting point. From there, the trail usually leads to Prairie homesteads, eastern Canada, or overseas passenger and immigration records.
Records & archives we use
- City of Vancouver ArchivesDirectories, photographs, and municipal records.
- Royal BC Museum & BC ArchivesProvincial vital records and historical collections.
- British Columbia Genealogical SocietyLocal indexes and research library.
- Library and Archives CanadaCensus, immigration, and military service files.
Our expertise
Research services
Every service is available to Vancouver families, wherever the records are held.
DNA analysis & interpretation
We guide you through DNA testing and translate complex genetic results into meaningful insight about your ethnic heritage and biological connections across the continent and beyond.
Immigration & heritage records
Uncover the journeys your ancestors made across North America and from overseas. We locate ship manifests, naturalization papers, and historical documents that bring their voyage to life.
Canadian & US records
Specialized expertise in both Canadian (Library and Archives Canada) and US federal and state records, giving you coverage across the entire continent.
Heirloom family history books
We compile your research into a beautifully written, bound narrative book: a lasting legacy to pass down through generations of your family.
Estate & heir research
Documented kinship research for estates, probate, and inheritance questions, with sourced reports your attorney or executor can rely on.
The process
How it works
Submit your request
Share your research goals and any family details you already know. We'll schedule a personal consultation to understand your vision.
We research your ancestry
Your genealogist works through archives, databases, and historical records on your behalf, and keeps you updated along the way.
Receive your family story
You'll receive a clearly presented report detailing your lineage, complete with documented sources and a narrative of your family.
Your story is waitingto be told
Let us uncover the ancestors, places, and moments that shaped your Vancouver family.
Investment
Billed by the hour
Research is billed hourly. Most projects take 10 to 40 hours, depending on how many generations and family lines you want to explore. After your free consultation, we'll recommend a number of hours for your goals, and you approve it before any work begins.
$90 CAD / hour
Most projects: $900–$3,600 CAD
What affects the hours
- How many family lines you want researched
- How far back you want to go
- Whether the records are online or need archive requests
Your first consultation is always free.
About
Meet your research team
Your project is matched with the researcher whose focus fits your family's story, so the person working on your tree knows the records and the places involved.
Claire Donovan
Lead researcher
Claire leads multi-generational family history projects and oversees the final report for each client, making sure every conclusion is backed by sources.
Marc Bélanger
Canadian records researcher
Marc works in Canadian archives and French-language parish registers, tracing families through Quebec, Ontario, and the Maritimes.
Priya Anand
DNA & immigration researcher
Priya interprets DNA matches and follows immigrant ancestors back across the ocean through ship manifests, naturalization files, and overseas records.
Our team works with historical records across North America and overseas. Much of the work is interpreting incomplete records, reconciling conflicting evidence, and explaining findings clearly, so you understand both the conclusions and their limits.
Every project follows recognized genealogical standards: thorough searches, careful evaluation of each source, and full citations you can check for yourself.
Standards we follow
- Genealogical Proof Standard
- FamilySearch research standards
- Library and Archives Canada research guidelines
- Full source citations in every report
Client stories
Voices of discovery
I had been trying to piece together my family's history for years with no luck. Within two months, they connected the dots across three generations spanning Quebec, Ontario, and New England. The detail and care in their research was extraordinary.
They tracked down records I didn't even know existed: land grants, census records, and letters from the 1800s. What I received wasn't just a family tree. It was a story I could finally tell my grandchildren.
After my mother passed, I wanted to understand where our family truly came from. The team uncovered four generations of history I never knew existed, including a great-great-grandmother who immigrated from Ireland in 1889. Holding that ship manifest in my hands was the most meaningful gift I've ever received.
Questions
Genealogy in Vancouver: common questions
My family came to BC from the Prairies. Can you trace them further back?
Yes. Prairie homestead files and census returns often lead us to eastern Canada, the US, or Europe.
Can you research immigration from Asia?
We can work with Canadian immigration records, including head tax and passenger records, and advise on the next steps in overseas sources.
How does pricing work?
Research is billed hourly, and most projects take 10 to 40 hours. After your free consultation, we recommend a number of hours based on your goals and the records involved. You approve it before work starts, and we check in before going beyond it.
Do I need to live nearby to work with you?
No. Research happens in archives, databases, and record offices, many of them online or reachable by request, so we work with families anywhere in the US and Canada. Consultations take place by phone or video.
What should I have ready before the consultation?
Whatever you already know: names, approximate dates, places, old photos, letters, or DNA results. Even a single name and a town is enough to start.
What if the records I need don't exist?
Gaps happen, especially before civil registration began. We'll tell you early if a question looks unanswerable, and we work around missing records using church, land, court, and newspaper sources.
Areas we serve
We work with families in Vancouver and across the surrounding area, including:
- Vancouver
- Burnaby
- North Vancouver
- West Vancouver
- Richmond
- Surrey
- Coquitlam
- New Westminster
Other locations
Researching family in more than one place? We cover the whole continent.
Get started
Begin your journey
Tell us a little about yourself and what you hope to discover. We’ll be in touch within 24 hours.