When you think of Canada, what's the first image that comes to mind? Perhaps it's the flag's red maple leaf, or long-legged, antlered wildlife. Maybe you think of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in their distinctive Red Serge uniforms, epitomized by Dudley Do-Right In the 1960s cartoon “Rocky and Bullwinkle.”

But the Great White North is more than maples, moose and Mounties. The vastness of the world's second-largest country is matched by its rich genealogical resources. Such a records abundance can be as intimidating as a wide-open prairie — where to begin? US researchers may be surprised to encounter different record-keeping systems so close to home. And though Canada's census years match its former mother country, Britain, you can't assume other genealogical similarities.