As family historians, our mission is to tell the full, true stories of the people who came before us. We gather birth certificates, trace migration routes across prairies and oceans, and map out the plots of land our ancestors called home. But when we look at our family trees, it’s easy to fall into the trap of assuming every branch follows a traditional, heteronormative path.

In celebration of Pride Month, let’s talk about a beautiful, deeply rewarding aspect of family history: researching LGBTQ+ ancestors. You might recall I recently covered this topic in an article for the Irish Genealogical Society International’s The Septs journal, but I wanted to make some of the most important tips for researching LGBTQ+ ancestors more accessible for free here.

In exciting news, I’ve been invited to present at the Ontario Genealogical Society’s 2026 Virtual Conference, "From Steamships to Microchips," being held June 12–14, 2026.

My presentation, “Michiganders and Canadians: History, Connections, and Immigration,” explores a truth many of us in the Great Lakes region know well: the border has always been a porous thing, and our ties to Canada run deep.

Out now, the Irish Genealogical Society International’s The Septs April 2026 issue featuring my article “Reading Between the Lines in Ancestral Journeys.”

You may have seen the headlines: Canada’s citizenship laws have changed. These updates profoundly affect descendants of Canadians living abroad—especially those of us in the United States, where border crossings historically were incredibly common.

As of 15 December 2025, Bill C-3 removed the "first-generation limit" for passing down Canadian citizenship to children born outside Canada.

One of the things that is perhaps less known about Michigan is that before the assembly lines and the bustle of the modern Motor City, there was a quiet river settlement defined by "ribbon farms" and French-Canadian grit along with Native cooperation and business. To truly understand Detroit’s heritage, we have to look back to 1701 and the founding of Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit.

Hello! My name is Janelle Asselin, and I have spent nearly my entire adult life researching my own family history while I worked as an editor. As my passion and dedication to genealogy has grown, it led me to decide to pursue genealogy more deeply. I love the written word and always will—but diving into research to help history come alive for myself or others is so fulfilling and enjoyable. Thankfully, it’s important that good genealogists are also good writers, editors, and critical thinkers… all skills I’ve been developing in my editorial career. I plan to use this space to write about my personal research, subjects and areas of genealogy I’m interested in, and genealogy tips and tricks. I love how supportive the genealogy community is, and I want to honor that with my own writing.