Genealogy Rock Stars: Canada

These survey results are based on the votes of 113 people who gave their residence as Canada, not necessarily Canadians. Everyone who received at least half as many votes as the overall winner is listed, which puts 13 people on the list. The number of votes received is indicated in brackets.

1. Dick Eastman (50) ranks higher in Canada than internationally or his native US. Like many New Englanders, he has some Canadian roots. Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter is appreciated for its news and especially Dick's particular forte, technology developments relevant to genealogy. He has spoken several times in Canada. Find a very short YouTube clip of a presentation to the Alberta Family History Society here.

2. Elizabeth Shown Mills (46), number one ranked internationally, has been referred to by Dick Eastman as "one of the most respected genealogy authors, teachers, and lecturers of today." She has lectured in Canada, including in Toronto last April. Elizabeth is perhaps better known in Canada for  her books, including Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace, and Professional Genealogy: A Manual for Researchers, Writers, Editors, Lecturers, and Librarians, widely regarded as classics, and also her contributions to online mailing lists. See her website here, and a YouTube item here.

3. Lesley Anderson (41) is partnership development and content specialist for Ancestry.ca, instructor for genealogy courses, director of education for the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa, and volunteer at the Ottawa Family History Centre. Lesley has been becoming better known by taking on more speaking engagements and TV appearances across Canada in recent years. For transparency, Lesley and I were featured at two such events.

4. Megan Smolenyak (38)
5. Dave Obee (37)
6. Marion Press (35) (Comment: Great to see a LIS professional in the list)
7. Brenda Dougall Merriman (33)
7. Glenn Wright (33)
9. Chris Paton (31)
10. Colleen Fitzpatrick (30)
10. Brian Gilchrist (30)
10. Sherry Irvine (30)
13. Alison Hare (28)

Remember that 113 voters is a small sample. Three votes separate 7th and 10th rank so don't place much emphasis on the rankings. Getting out the vote makes a difference too. Lesley Anderson leapt up the rankings on Saturday when during the last hours of voting 13 ballots were cast for her exclusively.

Even the mildly astute will have recognized that the two Canadians at the end of the ballot, out of alphabetical order, were placed in nomination as a bit of fun. They each received just one vote from Canadians.