"I combine my love and knowledge of technology and genealogy to help others research, preserve, and share their family history," says Lianne Kruger, a Canadian computer specialist and professional genealogist. "It just makes me happy to find family and to help others use technology to find theirs."
A member and former vice president of the Alberta Genealogical Society, Kruger specializes in Canadian research, including homesteads, and she loves teaching about genealogy and how to use computers to help her students further their search for family.
Meeting Her Great Aunt Sparked a Love of Genealogy
Lianne's genealogy journey started with a special trip with her mother.
"I was about 8 when my mom and I went from my hometown of Fort Frances, Ontario, Canada, to another part of Ontario where my grandfather had lived," explains Lianne. "We met with my great Aunt Minnie, and she had what I call a 'tickle trunk,' a reference to a Canadian kids' TV show called Mr. Dress Up. The trunk had fun and amazing items inside such as old letters between Scotland and Canada in the 1850s and 1860s and all sorts of family mementos."
After perusing the trunk for treasures, Lianne went with her mother to graveyards and wrote down names and dates found on headstones.
"Aunt Minnie was hard of hearing, but somehow she could hear me," said Kruger. "I loved meeting her. It was my first genealogy trip. It got me excited and has kept me excited ever since, because I love to meet family members."
Touring the United Kingdom as a Young Girl
When Kruger was 11, she traveled with her mother and grandmother on a tour through England, Wales, and Scotland.
"We flew into London. My mother drove us to Stratford-Upon-Avon. We just had to go there because she was preparing to get her master's degree in theater," Kruger said.
Through Wales they stayed at bed and breakfasts along the way, then journeyed to Argyle, Scotland, where their family, the MacKellar clan, once lived. Kruger's grandfather and uncle used to wear the MacKellar tartan, the plaid representing his distinctive clan. There, the 3-generation-team of researchers dutifully recorded names and dates at graveyards in the area.
Finding Family Names on Microfilm as a Teenager
As a teenager in the 1970s, Kruger helped her mother at a family history center in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
"My mom volunteered every Saturday," Kruger said. "She helped other people, but she put me in front of a big microfilm reader and got it all ready. She gave me a piece of paper with a list of names. I scrolled through microfilm after microfilm, looking for the names and was so excited to find my family."
Kruger has her mother's genealogy binders now, and it is still fun for her to look back and see her teenage handwriting.
Finding Family as a Young Adult
Kruger attended Ricks College (now Brigham Young University–Idaho) where she received a computer programming degree on punch cards, she likes to point out.
While attending a family history class, 1 of her teachers challenged Lianne to research her family.
"My mom was doing her side, so I decided to learn more about my father's line," Kruger said. Kruger's parents had divorced when she was 3 years old and so she was not very familiar with her father's side of the family since she did not see him very often.
"I'm not sure how but I got my paternal grandmother's mailing address, and I wrote her a letter asking her to tell me about her family," Kruger said.
"She sent me a long piece of paper with her parents' names, the date of their marriage, and a list of their 16 children in order with their birthdates. My grandmother was child number 7."
A few years later, after she married her husband, Ephraim, they were living in Edmonton, Alberta. She visited the archives and sent a request to several provinces for a copy of her great-grandparents' marriage certificate.
"It listed their birthdates and birth locations. So I requested their birth certificates. It was all so exciting. I kept researching and discovered my family came from the first European landowner in Canada named Louis Hébert. I learned I am French Canadian, and I am related to half the province of Quebec. It was so cool to learn my heritage," Kruger laughed.
Finding Family through Teaching and Technology
Kruger began teaching computer software courses to adults and children in 1982 and continues to teach classes today.
"It is my passion to teach. After I graduated from Ricks College, I got a job as a programmer. It was in the basement in a cubicle just editing code on punch cards. It was boring. It was painful because I wasn't really being challenged. I decided to teach instead. And since then, wherever I have lived, I have taught classes," said Kruger. Even so, her computer expertise grew.
In the mid-1990s, she and her family lived in a small town in British Columbia.
"The internet was only text-based back then, and I was looking for some information about an ancestor's grave in Copenhagen, Denmark," Kruger explained.
"I sent out a message on a Denmark genealogy list server saying I had a picture of the grave, but the death date was hidden by a bush. I asked if anyone could help me. Three days later, I got an email back from a man who said he would look for me. The man called around to 3 different cemeteries and found the information for me. That was amazing that he would take his time and help me. I was so grateful."
But then 3 weeks later, Kruger received an email from the son her 3rd cousin. After a bit of online correspondence, he and his mother sent her 5 generations of information.
"It was so inspiring how they just wanted to help a stranger," Kruger remarked. "They were so supportive and a lot of fun to work with."
Teaching Family History and Becoming a Presenter
In the early 2000s, Kruger moved to Ogden, Utah. She taught family history classes for 5 years to young adults at the Ogden Institute of Religion near Weber State University.
"I just love genealogy, and I love teaching. I love to take my computer skills of training, and teaching, and combine them with genealogy. I want to help people do their genealogy and make their research better and easier, " Kruger said.
Since 2013, Kruger has taught classes (sessions) at conferences, seminars, and webinars all over Canada, England, and the United States. She has presented for RootsTech, Legacy FamilyTree Webinars, Family Roots, Surname Society (UK); Virtual Genealogical Society, Ontario Ancestors, Southern California Gen Society, WikiTree, We Are Cousins, and the National Genealogical Society.
A RootsTech Influencer since 2020, Kruger enjoyed her 5th year as a speaker at RootsTech 2023, where she conducted 2 labs on Google Maps, a session on Surname Studies, and recording family and life histories through PowerPoints converted into video, "Instead of writing—because not everybody likes to write," she points out.
Volunteering with the Alberta Genealogical Society
Eventually, Kruger returned to Canada, and her family settled in Red Deer, located midway between Calgary and Edmonton. An acquaintance told her there was a local branch of the Alberta Genealogical Society (AGS) in town.
"I joined in 2013 and became president of the branch immediately," she laughed. "But it went well."
Kruger served for 2 years as the president of the local branch, then became the Vice President of the whole province, a capacity she served in for 6 years.
"The people are amazing," she said. "I became great friends with the people that I have worked with through the years."
For the last few years, Kruger has served as AGS's database chair, and website and social media manager.
"I have a hashtag that I use every once in a while, #NoTears because a lot of people will say, 'technology hates me. I can't do it.' I like putting them at ease and showing them in a fun, relaxed way that they can do this, and it can help them," said Kruger.
Distinguished Service at AGS
The Alberta Genealogical Society (AGS) was formed in 1973. Within the first year members of the branches, throughout the province, were recording cemetery markers in their area. Each branch also recorded births, marriages, and deaths from the local newspapers. Each year AGS compiles all this information into one database, a practice that still continues. Combined with names and dates from books and other collections, the whole compilation, known as Alberta Records Names Index (ARNI), is available on the AGS website and is an invaluable database for anyone looking for family in Alberta. As webmaster, Lianne helped, in a small way, to get this database on the AGS website.
For her service with AGS, Kruger has received 2 special achievement awards (in 2015 and 2018) and the President award (in 2020) for her service.
"Every year the President of AGS can issue an award for someone who has done a lot of volunteering to promote AGS. With my work on the database, helping other libraries become affiliated with FamilySearch, and the many years involved, they gave me an award," Kruger said.
Sharing Family History Experiences with Her Husband in Western Canada
When Western Canada was going to be homesteaded, they divided up the provinces in meridians, and they are exactly the same difference on the bottom.
"My husband and I drove out along Highway 1. Along the way, we stopped at each Meridian sign and took a photo. So, when I speak about homesteading, I have been to each of these imaginary lines" Kruger said.
It was fun when she spoke about homesteading once and someone asked her where she got photos, and she was happy to say she "had taken them on this memorable journey" with her husband, Kruger said.
Furthering Her Education in Family History Research
From 2017 to 2022, Kruger furthered her education at Brigham Young University–Idaho, where she received a bachelor's degree in professional studies, which included a certificate and associate's degree in family history research.
"My 5 kids had all graduated from high school and were attending college, so I decided to join them. I was able to complete all my classes online. It was a wonderful experience. I love to learn. I think this just comes with teaching. A lot of teachers like to learn," Kruger said.
Kruger continues to teach whenever she can. She now teaches computer classes at Red Deer Polytechnic College and continues to present for seminars and conferences like RootsTech, Family Roots, and others.
Learning More about DNA and Volunteering with mitoYDNA
In 2019, Kruger presented a class in Ontario for the Ontario Ancestors. While there, she met Mags Gaulden, another professional genealogist who was starting a nonprofit website where users can upload their Y-DNA and mitochondrial DNA results for free and search their database.
Kruger started as a team member and now serves as a board member.
"You can see if you have relatives there. It got me going and learning more about DNA. A lot of people say, 'I know all the family that I need to know. Grandma has done the genealogy; I don't need to take a DNA test.' Maybe you don't, but sometimes if you do, then you can help someone else. The YDNA goes from father to father, so it can give you more understanding of where your family is from on your paternal line. Mitochondrial can track your mother's line. It can give you a better understanding of your history," Kruger said.
Becoming a Published Writer
Kruger has written over 20 articles for many publications over the last 10 years such as BYU Studies, FamilySearch, AGS Relatively Speaking, and Tree Climber. She has also written articles for Ancestry Canada and currently serves on the advisory board. Click here for a comprehensive list of her articles.
No matter what the future holds for Lianne, she will continue to combine her love of technology, teaching, and genealogy to find family and help others find theirs for many years to come.
