About the Project
A Living Family History
This project is an effort to document, preserve, and share the history of our family across generations. It combines genealogical research, historical records, and narrative storytelling to bring earlier generations more clearly into view. The goal is not just to record names and dates, but to place individual lives within the larger stories of family, community, and history.
The Smith Family Roots project is both a genealogical archive and a storytelling project. It traces the lives of family members across several centuries and several countries, documenting how their experiences intersected with larger historical events.
I have been working on our family history for more than 20 years. But the project is far from over. While I will continue to work away at the tree itself, I also want to convert the raw data found there into stories about some of the many characters that make up our family’s history, along with context taken from the real economic, political and social events of their time.
Our family and Canada’s story
The history of our family reflects, in many ways, the history of Canada itself. From the fur trade era of the early nineteenth century to the migration waves of the twentieth century, different branches of the family participated in many of the events that shaped the country.
Our story includes:
- the pioneering efforts of the Selkirk Settlers in what became the Red River Settlement, and the early roots of modern-day Winnipeg
- engagement and leadership within the early Métis community and eyewitnesses of the Battle of Seven Oaks
- participation in governance of the newly-formed Province of Manitoba
- military service and wounding at the nation-defining Battle of Vimy Ridge in WW1
- service aboard merchant marine ships that were torpedoed and sunk in the North Atlantic by German U-boats in WW2
This project also reflects the families that have shaped my own life. My first wife, Sandra Pegolo, who is no longer with us, was the mother of my two daughters, and her Italian family roots are an important part of their heritage and this wider family story. My wife today, Patricia Smyth, brings with her Irish family roots, which I also plan to explore and incorporate as the site continues to grow. In time, the history documented here will extend beyond any single line, reflecting the many paths that have come together to form our shared family.
An invitation
Above all, this is meant to be a living, collaborative project — one that grows through shared knowledge, contributions, and ongoing discovery. I hope others in our extended family will take the opportunity to add to it.
If you notice an error in the tree, or have photographs, documents, or stories that could add to the record, I hope you will consider contributing to the project.
A note on privacy and accuracy
This website is intended to be respectful, accurate, and appropriate for a broad audience. Information about living individuals is handled with care, and sensitive personal details are limited or omitted where appropriate. If something on the site raises a concern, or if you believe a correction is needed, I welcome the opportunity to address it.
Wherever possible, information is supported by historical records, documents, and reliable sources. At the same time, family history is more than a collection of facts. In some cases, and always with care, I may include story-based or narrative accounts intended to help bring historical experiences to life. These stories are grounded in documented facts, timelines, and context, but may include imagined dialogue or perspectives to make the history more accessible and engaging.
Whenever a story or personal account includes fictionalized elements, this will be clearly noted within the story itself, so readers can easily distinguish between documented history and interpretive narrative. The goal is not to blur fact and fiction, but to use storytelling thoughtfully — as a way to deepen understanding while remaining honest about what is known, what is inferred, and what is imagined.