Thanks for posting the newspaper article, Omer (and, for the links, Char!) It surprised me to learn that New Brunswickers know less than most places in Canada about their ancestry. I would have thought with the large number of Acadians in the province, it would have been the opposite!
Many of the tips brought up in the article about how to go about gathering information are good, but I can add a few more:
1. Start with yourself and work back. The point of the research is to find
YOUR ancestry.
2. Check old bibles for birth/marriage/death information. Often, these are written on/shortly after the "big event" and in the handwriting of someone close to the situation. Public records are not always accurate (or complete) and do not record the specific details of the event (i.e., hospital, church or cemetery).
3. Use a simple tape recorder to capture the stories told by older members of the family (with their consent, of course). Not only will you be able to verify details, but you will have a recording of their voice to pass along to the next generation. Camcorders are great, but not as easy to review when you're looking for that one thing that Aunt Mary said during the conversation.
4. Verify the data you unearth. It's easy to take the wrong path, especially as many family names repeat from generation-to-generation and family-to-family. With the proliferation of data online, it's getting easier to get an original document or image of it.
I would add that anyone interested in pursuing this "hobby" might want to acquaint themselves with Cyndi's List. It's a list of categorized links for all things related to genealogy (including software) and is updated often.
http://www.cyndislist.com/
There's another television program on the History Channel here in Canada,
Ancestors in the Attic, which uses genealogy to help people discover the truth about a family "rumor" or track down the history around a particular artifact handed down.
http://www.history.ca/AncestorsintheAttic/story.aspx
The Library and Archives Canada website (which Char lists) has recently added a lot more to their database collection, but, other than the census records, requires knowing a bit about your ancestor. They do, however, provide a good "Where To Start" page and links to some valuable resources. Nova Scotia leads the way with their online documentation! I'm waiting for the rest of the provinces (and government) to catch up!
Anyone interested in knowing more about genealogy or researching your family history, I'll be glad to help wherever I can! I've been at it for many years and am still learning new things, but I can at least try to point you in the right direction!