The Italians at BAnQ
Notre-Dame-de-la-Défense
Montreal’s Italian community is one of the largest in Canada, second only to Toronto. With 279,795 residents of Italian ancestry as of the 2016 census in Greater Montreal,[2] Montreal has many Italian districts, such as La Petite-Italie, Saint-Leonard (Città Italiana), Rivière-des-Prairies, and LaSalle. Italian is the third most spoken language in Montreal and in the province of Quebec.
The Italian Immigrant Presence in Canada, 1840-1990 John E. Zucchi McGill University.
In the last one-hundred years, more than 650,000 Italians have immigrated to Canada, almost three-quarters of them in the period following World War I1 (Rosoli, 1978:35%5). They have settled primarily in Toronto and Montreal, and to a lesser degree in Vancouver, but also in significant numbers in scores of small and large mining and industrial towns in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Nova Scotia….. The literature on Italian immigration to Canada is extensive and is represented by a number of fields, primarily history, sociology, anthropology, geography, political science and literature.1.
In the early 20th century, a new wave of European immigrants made its way to Québec and to Montréal. Among them were thousands of Italians who brought with them their traditions, their values, and their customs, going on to form one of the oldest and largest immigrant cultural communities in Montréal.2.
Of all the immigrants Montreal has welcomed since its founding, the Italians have had the greatest impact on the city. From the arts to politics, agriculture, real estate, gastronomy and sports, the Italian community has influenced every sector of life in Montreal.
The Italian presence on Quebec soil goes back to the founding of Montreal. Italian settlers served in the French regiment of Carignan-Salières (1670) to help fight the Iroquois. In return, the King of France gave them land. More Italian migrants arrived, and in 1860, 60 Italian families called Montreal home. From 1900 to 1915, more than eight million Italians left their country. Many headed for Europe, while others ended up in North America, especially the United States, and a few settled in Quebec, primarily in Montreal.
Notre-Dame-de-la-Défense parish, also known by its Italian name, Madonna della Difesa, is the first Italian parish in Canada. It is located along Saint-Laurent Boulevard, with Saint-Zotique and Jean-Talon streets marking its limits. Educational, assistance, recreational and sports establishments quickly sprung up in the community. It was here that, in 1927, the grand Notre-Dame-de-la-Défense Church was inaugurated. In 2002, the Government of Canada designated this church a national historic site.3.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_Canadians_in_Greater_Montreal
- https://pacmusee.qc.ca/en/exhibitions/detail/italian-montreal/
- https://ahgm.org/en-ca/magazine-mtl1642-articles/petite-italie-un-morceau-ditalie-pour-fa%C3%A7onner-montr%C3%A9al
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Bonjour Mr Gagne. I am writing to you from Southern California. I have had difficulties finding Italian records pre-Italian Churches for multiple Italian Family members. I have tried to find them, but it looks like none exist. I have a lead of marriages from 1880-1906 at La Chapelle du Nazareth with the grey nuns. I tried contacting the Diocese of Montreal and the Grey Nuns, etc. I am having no luck. Do you have any resources and/or direct me to where I can find Italian family records? I am also having issues to find many Italian names in the 1901 Montreal Census Records as many lived in Mile End near the train tracks working for the Canadian Railway, etc. Any information would be greatly appreciated after almost 30 years trying to find information 3,000 miles away. Thank you in advance! Monique Juteau
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Hello Monique,
My name is Sandra and I am one of the blog’s collaborators. Unfortunately Jacques no longer contributes to this blog.
With respect to the Grey Nuns, have you tried this link?
https://sgm.qc.ca/en/archives-and-collections/
You could also try Genealogie Quebec (the Drouin collection)? You do have to pay for access but they offer a 24 hour subscription whereby you can ask all your questions in a short period of time:
https://www.genealogiequebec.com/en/search?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21001961675&gbraid=0AAAAADOXw7cK2KROatzT6SKZd8oIzG9Sp&gclid=CjwKCAjwifjVBhBKEiwAYx4K9H5bwTCHNYTsuQ5sYVa5u1Zx_4VQOh3TV5tUgFxZFErYQvpWSwEfhBoCoYYQAvD_BwE
There is also Lovell’s Directory which is available on the Bibliotheque et Archives nationales du Quebec site:
https://www.banq.qc.ca/plateformes-numeriques/collection-dannuaires-lovell-de-montreal-et-sa-region-1842-2010/
You can choose the year and the alphabetic collection and you should be able to find the addresses of your ancestors.
Also, for $55 CAD, you can become a member of the Quebec Genealogical eSociety. The membership is good for a year. They have Drouin and BMS (Birth, Marriages and Deaths) for Montreal on their site. Full disclosure: I volunteer for them. They also have other links which may be helpful.
https://genquebec.com/en
Also I would recommend the Library and Archives Canada site. While I was unable to find anything specific to Italian ancestors, there is a lot of material that may be of interest to you.
I am sorry that it took so long to answer you. I happened to be in the web site this week and noticed that you had left a comment that no one had approved. Good luck with your research.
Sandra
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