We are a group of friends in Montreal, Quebec who meet on a regular basis to discuss our genealogy research and brick walls. Together, we offer suggestions and share ideas. We tell stories and talk about everything from new websites, books, local archival centres, genealogy societies, and conferences to new technology, and genealogical proof standards. Our ancestors came from Canada, the British Isles, France, Scandinavia, the United States, Italy, and many other countries.
We want to share our discussions with you. By doing so and working together, we hope to help you discover your ancestors.
Genealogy Ensemble 
Hello,
I’m looking for a plat map of Compton Township, Compton, Que. for the time period 1850-1880. I’ve seen one that specified Ranges and has plats named by owners last name. I’d welcome help.
Also, I have historical photos and other papers from the Eastern Townships. Where are the best places to donate them?
Thank you in advance for your consideration.
Elizabeth
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Hello Tracy, I am researching a crash with a Lancaster bomber 25 March 1944 over Weebosch. I am in touch with the Families of Coates and Nicholas Pilot and Flight enginee6r of the Lancaster. For several years i trying to get in touch with the relatives of F/O J.M.Baldwin but no lucj sofar. Anyway i just visit your excelent and informative website and found your posting about “Final letter to Mr Baldwin”. I wondering if you could send me a copy?? Also two yaers ago found the actual crashsite and found some debris from the stricken Lancaster. Looking forward to hear from you,
Adrian van Zantvoort,The Netherlands
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Hi Adrian. Thanks for your work commemorating Canadians. I’ll contact you by email. Tracey
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Thank you very much for your reply and attachments on F/O Baldwin Superb!! Will keep you updated in this matter. Spread the word and if I could be of some help about Canadians shotdown over Holland in particular over the S.E. part of Holland just let me know. Cheers,Adrian
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Thank you! Also thank her for her wonderful stories.
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Re: Visit Picton…. 20 Nov 2019 Tracey Arial. Thank you so much for this informative article. My family is from a small community outside Picton and my mother and her sisters told a lot of stories about all the boys that they met who were training at the airfield. The fellows would go out to Lake on the Mountain on Saturday nights for dancing. I shared this with my wonderful 97 year old aunt and she remembers the British boys just off of the Battle of Britain coming over here to the base to learn how to bomb. They would practice dropping bombs in Lake Ontario. She also recalls that they flew awfully low over their farm. One even dropped love letters and she and her sisters would go running through the fields trying to find them.
Thanks again
Susan Lynch Inwood
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Wow, what fabulous anecdotes Susan. Love letters? Does you aunt remember what they said? I’d love to know.
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I am lunching with her this week and will ask her.
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Sorry that I did not get back to you. My Aunt tells me that the notes were very simple…”You are beautiful” or simply “I love you”.
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How poignant! Thanks so much for letting me know.
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I’m writing a book on my own, but I’d love to join a group such as yours. I live in Illinois. How do I find other who want to write a book in the way that you found one another? So cool!
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I am always pleased to see family historians assemble details and tell stories about their ancestors. I began this labor of love a long time ago. As I learned more about the society of New France, I had to revise and update some of my early judgments and beliefs. In particular, I was delighted to learn about the marriage contract under the legal system called the Custom of Paris / Coutume de Paris that was law in the colony (but not in France, which had additional “customs”). So when I read Tracey Arial’s understanding of her Filled du Roi ancestor in this passage from the link above I wanted very much to give her (and you, who may have read her version) some refinements. Tracey Arial writes:
“Shortly after the Phoénix arrived in Quebec City on June 30, 1663, she married Rivet as planned. That decision saved her a bizarre-sounding 15th century version of speed-dating. Many Kings Daughters took a boat ride down the St. Lawrence, stopping from town to town to meet eligible bachelors.[2]
“Something went horribly wrong with her marriage and the church annulled it on November 17, 1664[3].
She celebrated Christmas that year alone, but married Mathurin Chaille on January 11, 1665 and their first child, a son was born nine months later.”
She does cite sources for these statements, but she has misunderstood a marriage contract for a Church marriage. A marriage contract was a legal _promise_ to marry as soon as possible in the Holy, Roman, and Apostolic Catholic Church. It was not the sacrament and legal act of marriage. It could be, and often was, annulled before any religious rite took place. Some women annulled more than one contract before settling on a husband. She (or he) as prospective spouses were the ones to cancel the contract, even at the advice of witnesses or family, not the Church. This is what happened to Catherine and the legal document with Rivet. Nothing went “horribly wrong,” as far as can be known without further explanation. The first contract was written by notary Duquet 17 November 1764; the second on 30 December 1664 (only a little more than a month later), with the marriage 11 January 1665 as soon as could be allowed after the Seasons of Advent and Christmas.
I would also like to disabuse Tracy Arial ( and all of you) that the courtships of the Filles du Roi were roadshows with serial dating! Not at all, not at all.
Please read the images of the PowerPoint I presented in May for definitions and explanations of what truly went on in marriage contracts in New France. An article is also available for you to read or print out on the Public page of our FCHSM website where you can access the PowerPoint images.
https://habitantheritage.org/cpage.php?pt=14
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Greetings I am thrilled to have found your website. Like you ,I’m one of those people working on a book about my family history –actually I’m working on two books ( one about my father’s family who came under the English flag as part of the Winthrop Fleet Puritans and my mother’s family who came under the French flag at roughly the same time). ( both sides of my family already have extensive genealogies but the reading is a bit dry. I am creating something that gives a better feel for what life was like for each generation ) I found it more difficult to locate information from the viewpoint of the French settlers of new France then it has been to find information on my father’s family. This is fantastic ! I would love to know where on your website is the link that I need to click on so that I can get on your list and start receiving emails with your latest articles Thanks so much ” Sam”
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Hi Genealogy Ensemble Team,
My name is Anuj Agarwal. I’m Founder of Feedspot.
I would like to personally congratulate you as your blog Genealogy Ensemble has been selected by our panelist as one of the Top 100 Genealogy Blogs on the web.
http://blog.feedspot.com/genealogy_blogs/
I personally give you a high-five and want to thank you for your contribution to this world. This is the most comprehensive list of Top 100 Genealogy Blogs on the internet and I’m honored to have you as part of this!
Also, you have the honor of displaying the badge on your blog.
Best,
Anuj
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A word for Mary Sutherland
I’ve read Call me Ismael and I would like to comment on it. I’v just finished a 9 page biography of Ismaël Bruneau and I would be pleased to have a chat about it.
Contact me for the biography and more.
Jean-Louis Lalonde
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Has Tracey Ariel read or seen the book John Buchan : Model Governor General written by
J Wm Galbraith which highlights John Buchan – Lord Tweedsmuir time in Canada as Governor General from 1935 until 1940 ? Published by Dundurn
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Hi Kate, Tracey says she hasn’t read it yet, but it’s on her list to do so.
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Hi Kate, I haven’t yet, but I plan to. Thanks for the suggestion.
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Could someone please contact me about obtaining the rights to reprint one of your articles in our journal? Many thanks!
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Which author’s article are you looking to reprint, Dawn?
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Hi again. I would like to have permission to publish Claire Lindell’s “FamilySearch Indexing – How you can become involved” article. In the website link I will link to the page that shows a bit about the journal we publish at Alberta Family Histories Society. If you email me directly (webmaster [at] afhs.ab.ca), I can send you a copy of the journal, as well. Thanks!
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Is there a way to receive copies of the blog by email?
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Yes. Try the instructions posted on this blog–http://infiniteshift.wordpress.com/2014/05/19/how-to-manage-your-email-settings-for-posts-from-this-blog/.
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