To look up French-Canadian Catholics:
1. Plug in the name of your ancestor in to the BAnQ archives directly (refer to our link for the right address): no need to know the church or village name.
2. Remember that in Quebec, women are listed under their birth family name in records, from birth to death, regardless of whether they married or not. There may ‘’wife of’’ or ‘’widow of’’ also included.
3. To make it even easier, parents are listed on marriage records.
You can use the Drouin collection of books, one for men and one for women, with marriages 1760-1935, or online Drouin or Ancestry or Family Search at home or at the Quebec family History Society or at numerous other sources.
Category Archives: Research tips
Acadian research guide contains hundreds of resource links
On this 259th anniversary of the Acadian deportation, those researching their Acadian heritage might find the research guide, Acadians of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland of interest. It consists of Acadian Parish Registers under the French and British regimes in addition to the modern-day period under Confederation.
Click on this link, Acadians of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland, to see a 162-page downloadable document that will help you find your family’s name in community parish records, etc.
2014 Acadian Congress
The Acadian Congress takes place August 8 to 24, 2014. The map below indicates the areas where many of the Congress activities will take place.
“Then uprose their commander, and spake from the steps of the altar. Holding aloft in his hands, with its seals, the royal commission. “You are convened this day,” he said, “by his Majesty’s orders… Painful the task is I do, which to you I know must be grievous. Yet must I bow and obey, and deliver the will of our monarch; Namely, that all your lands, and dwellings, and cattle of all kinds, forfeited be to the crown; and that you yourselves from this province be transported to other lands. God grant you may dwell there. Ever as faithful subjects, a happy and peaceable people! “
“Prisoners, now I declare you; for such is his Majesty’s pleasure!”
Silent a moment they stood in speechless wonder, and then arose louder and ever louder a wail of sorrow and anger. “
Source: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Évangéline and other selected poems – Penguin Books, 1988.
The Irish Catholic Churches of Quebec
Here’s a guide to the Irish Catholic Churches of Quebec.
Use this guide to find out where the documents you want to find are located. You can also find photos of the church parishes your ancestors attended.
See: the-irish-catholic-churches-of-quebec
This compilation was edited on Nov. 21, 2018. A new version will be coming in 2019.
Learn How to Research French Archives
One of the most experienced researchers in the Quebec Family History Society is also one of the group’s most generous members. Jacques Gagné, who has researched the records of the Protestant churches of Quebec, Scandinavian genealogy, the Huguenots, Loyalists, Acadians, Aboriginal families and other ancestral groups, has recently turned his attention to France. Now he is willing to train other members of the QFHS to research their ancestors in France. This is a unique opportunity, not only for anyone with French Canadian roots, but for those who want to expand their genealogical skills and to give back to the genealogical community.
Jacques has compiled links to the archives of 92 out of 95 departments of France into a single pdf document, which you can download from this link: Master copy 10 12 13 Les Archives départementales en France. Also included are maps so that you can figure out which modern department holds the historic records you need to find.
Updated dates: Jacques will be volunteering at the QFHS library on May 20 and May 23, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. If you are interested in researching your ancestors in France, come to the library on one of those days to learn how. Once you have experience in researching your own ancestors, Jacques hopes you will be willing to pass on that knowledge to others.
Indexing Records for LDS
Have you ever wondered who does some of the indexing for the Mormon Church in Salt Lake City? The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is actively involved in a very unique program in conjunction with the Utah State Prison. “Inmates who volunteered at the Utah State Prison Center last year indexed more than 2 million records…..They put approximately 50,000 hours of personal family research in the project.” This recent article in The Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/03/utah-prisoners-mormon-genealogy_n_5079776.html was like a breath of fresh air to learn that these prisoners are contributing in a very positive way to help genealogists. Perhaps the next time you access familysearch. org you might think about many of those prisoners who are involved in preparing the records we as genealogist so often seek .
French-Canadian-genealogy-how-to podcast
Maple stars and stripes podcast is a new podcast for anglophoneswho want to do genealogical research in Quebec. Go to maplestarsandstripes.com so you can subscribe for free and also get the notes for each. I found out while listening to Lisa Louise Cook’s Genealogy Gems podcast, another great one to listen to. I even heard her talk about our Janice Hamilton’s (QFHS) blog Writing up the Ancestors Driving from Montreal to Quebec city to a fencing competition listening to podcats for 3 hours (and another 3 coming back)…my god time flies when you are listening to great ideas. Only problem is not being able to note down what comes to mind. But I definitely made sure I did not forget the Maple one. Of course, before my tournament, I just had to go to the Quebec National Archives (BAnQ) and their next dorr neighbour, La société de généalogie de Québec: great resources. Next time I’ll plan a trip all the way to Natashquan, so i can listen to so much more podcasts!
En route de Montréal à Québec vers le championnat d’escrime du Québec, j’écoutais les baladodiffusions de Lisa Louise Cook, Genealogy Gems. Une peu de rattrapage pour les derniers mois. J’ai même entendu l’animatrice citer notre Janice Hamilton, à la QFHS, à propos de son blog Writing up the Ancestors. Merveilleux toutes les bonnes idées ou pistes que nous fournissent ces podcasts. Une de celles-ci: Maplestarsandstripes.com. Cette dernière est un mini mode d’emploi pour les anglophones, pour débuter des recherches généalogique au Québec. On y présente Drouin, les filles du Roy, les noms-dit, de la prononciation française… Sur le site, on peut s’abonner à la baladodiffusion de même que trouver des notes sur chacune. Quand on a les mains et les yeux occupés, rien de tel que d’écouter. Le temps passe si vite, que j’aurai pu continuer jusqu’à Natashquan! Bien sûr, j’ai fais un petit tour à la bibliothèque et archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ) avant mon tournois, ainsi qu’à la société de généalogie de Québec, la porte juste à côté.
Marriage Contracts in New France 1635-1765
Contrats de mariage du Régime Français 1635-1765
Typical marriage contract during the French Regime in Nouvelle France from 1635 to 1765
Please note, the text below has been reproduced precisely in the French language as it was written from 1635 to about 1765.
Pardevant le greffier et notaire de lisle de Montreal et temoins soubzsignez furent presant en leurs personnes sieur Anthoine Athanville marchand bourgeois demeurant de presant au Montreal fils de deffunt sieur Nicollas Athanville marchand bourgeois de Paris et de Marie Leducq ses peres et meres demeurans en la rue de la pelleterie proche le pallais a Paris paroisse de Saint Jacques la Boucherie d’une par et Jeanne Gadois fille de Pierre Gadois maître armurier et bourgeois de ce lieu et de Jeanne Begnard sa femme…
Référence: le 2 janvier 1683, Claude Maugue, notaire, Montréal
Translation of a same marriage contract during the French Regime in Nouvelle France
In the presence of the court clerk and notary of the Island of Montréal and witnesses listed below being present at said reading, Sieur Anthoine Athanville merchant and member of the middle class of Montréal, son of the late Sieur Nicollas Athanville, merchant and member of the middle class of Paris and of Marie Leducq his father and mother whom resided on de la Pelleterie street, near the Palace in Paris within the parish of Saint Jacques la Boucherie in the first part and Jeanne Gadois, daughter of Pierre Gadois, master gunsmith and member of the middle class of this city of Montréal and of Jeanne Begnard, his wife…
Reference: January 2 1683, Claude Maugue, notary, Montréal
At the QFHS Library, one will find 6 volumes of indexes of marriage contracts written by notaries during the French Regime of Nouvelle France from 1635 to 1765.
A total of about 27,000 marriage contracts are listed in about 1,800 pages.
QFHS books #GN-150.3 R6 – Vol 1 to 6
Inventaire des Contrats de mariage du Régime Français – Archives judiciaires du Québec
A typical index will read as follow:
> Gagné (Gasnier), Pierre, et Louise Faure (Auber, 28 octobre 1668)
The latter refers to Claude Auber, notary who served in Québec City from 1650 to 1693
Furthermore in order to determine precisely which Archives nationales du Québec (nine in total across the province plus one research centre), one must determine in which ”district judiciaire” (judicial district) a notary served. For notarial acts prior to 1900 in the majority of cases are stored within the nine Archives nationales du Québec, depending of the location a notary served during the years of his or her practice.
In order to determine precisely where a notary practiced, refer to the following index kept at the QFHS Library.
QFHS book #GS-150.3 L3
Parchemin s’explique – Guide de dépouillement des actes notariés du Québec ancien
284 pages
In order to facilitate the access to the above books, they have been moved to the Estelle Brisson cabinet.
A future posting will deal with the availability online of notarial acts at www.banq.qc.ca
Posted by Jacques Gagné for Genealogy Ensemble
History of Compton County by L.S. Channell
History of Compton County in the Eastern Townships of Québec by L.S. Channell
QFHS Library #UEL-REF HG-153.01 C46
295 pages large format – Two copies available at the Library.
Being a U.E.L. Reference book, said books cannot be taken out of the Library.
The history of 400 pioneer families of Compton County plus those in Sherbrooke County and those within the district of St. Francis from the birth of the region in 1782.
At the close of the Revolutionary War in 1782, many thousand United Empire Loyalists were offered lands in Canada by the British Government. A few hundred families came to the townships of Eastern Canada.
There can be no doubt that United Empire Loyalists took up their residence in our Townships before 1792, but the official records of such are missing.
The first settlers are heard of on Missisquoi Bay and Lake Memphremagog. At the head of the Connecticut River in the township of Hereford, Colonel John Pope settled as early as 1792, and there is not much doubt but that settlers were there for several years previously.
In the year 1796 the first lands in Lower Canada were granted in free and common soccage.
In 1803 the courts of Montréal rendered a decision that no right of property in slaves could exist in Lower Canada, and the few slaves in this country were thus manumitted. The people in the Townships were too poor to own slaves in those days, and two only are known to have been in what is now Compton County. They belonged to Colonel John Pope, and remained with him until their death when they were sent back to the old plantation in Massachusetts for burial.
L.S. Channell
Posted by Jacques Gagné for Genealogy Ensemble
Huguenot Refugees
On August 25, 1572, on the feast day of St Bartholomew, thousands of Huguenots were massacred by government forces in Paris and in other regions of France.
From the same year of 1572 a large-scale emigration from France by Protestant familiies began.
Over the next few weeks, I will post web site addresses which are known to many family researchers but perhaps some of you who might be beginners in the field of family searches, some of these web sites might open doors to your research endeavours.
As part of these overviews I will concentrate on web sites which are linked indirectly to Canada and especially to Québec.
Michel Barbeau in his precise and well researched web site Huguenots in Canada has identified 321 Huguenots who settled into Nouvelle France from about 1634 to 1763. You can find this important database online at http://pages.infinit.net/barbeaum/fichier/index.htm
Unfortunately, Protestants were not welcomed to Nouvelle France. The majority of Protestant families during the period under the French Regime were forced to abjure (renounce) their Protestant faith, see: http://www.guyperron.com/ptdaniel_perron_abjuration.html.
On the subject of abjuration in Nouvelle France, I will address this issue at a later date and indicate where one can obtain copies of acts of abjuration in Québec during the period under the French authorities.
Following the British conquest at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in Québec on September 13th 1759 by the Imperial Army under the command of General James Wolfe, French language Protestants were welcomed into the new British Colony of Québec.
And in future postings I will try to identify some of the families who were considered to be Huguenots in Québec.
A limited number of United Empire Loyalists who settled into Québec and Lower Canada were Huguenots, I will also address these immigrants to Québec and Lower Canada.
Subsequent postings to this blog will include shortly research guides dealing with the Huguenot emigration routes through France, Switzerland, the Netherlands and the Walloon region of modern-day Belgium from about 1596 onward.
For the time being I have selected a few web addresses which might shed lights on your research process of the Huguenot families who might have settled into Québec (British North America) and Lower Canada from 1759 onward.
> Huguenots of France and Elsewhere –http://huguenots-france.org/english.htm
> Huguenot & Walloon Genealogy – http://www.olivetreegenealogy.com/hug/index.shtml
> Huguenot Surname Index – http://www.aftc.com.au/Huguenot/Hug.html#A
> Huguenots in the Channel Islands– http://www.theislandwiki.org/index.php/Huguenot_refugees
> The Huguenots in France and the Atlantic Diaspora – http://www.huguenot.netnation.com/books/Diaspora.html
Much more to follow over the next few weeks.
Jacques Gagné
French and French-Canadian resources at QFHS
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L’association Quebec Family History Society, à Pointe -Claire dans l’ouest de l’ile de Montréal, a une groupe de recherche francophone en plus de toutes les activités orientées vers les recherches anglophones. M Jacques Gagné, un membre de la société et chercheur chevronné du côté de la recherche française, nous offre quelques mots et conseils:
” En plus de posséder un des plus grands dépôt de revues et publications anglophone des iles britanniques et du Canada, à part de celui du BAnQ sur Viger à Montréal, la société reçoit plusieurs publication en français. Le plus importantes étant:
>> Mémoires de la Société généalogique canadienne-française
>> L’Ancêtre de la Société de généalogie de Québec >> L’Entraide généalogique de la Société de généalogie des Cantons de l’est Les membres de la QFHS qui désirent devenir des experts en recherches d’ancêtres de France, devraient commencer par les publications à la QFHS.
C’est en fait comment j’ai débuté il y a plusieurs années”
Jacques Gagné
La QFHS a même un spécial pour nouveaux membres jusqu’en juillet 2014
The Quebec Family History Society in Pointe-Claire (West Island of Montreal) has a wonderful library that is opened quite a few hours a week, and from which members from out of town may even borrow books by mail. Jacques Gagné, one or our members for quite a few years, our local French research expert supports the France Research Group at QFHS. Here’s his two cents worth about starting some French Quebec research: ”Periodicals at QFHSOver the years under the leadership of Claire Lindell, Mary Plawutsky, Daphne Phillips, Bruce Henderson, Ted Granger, Diane Bissegger, the QFHS Library has been a primary repository of periodicals from the British Isles and from most provinces of Canada.To my knowledge, only the Archives nationales du Québec on Viger has a larger collection of genealogical magazines.This article will only address the aspect of research tips dealing with France.
Three periodicals in Québec, all three kept at the QFHS Library are superior to others in regard to the French Canadians and Acadians; Others revues (periodicals) dealing with the French Canadians and Acadians are also stored within the shelves of the QFHS Library. QFHS members who wish of becoming experts in the research process of ancestors in France, should begin their expertise journey with the French language periodicals kept at the QFHS Library. This is basically how I started a number of years back.” Jacques Gagné The QFHS is even having a new-members special until July 2014
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