Between 1840 and 1930, about 900,000 French Canadians emigrated to the United States.
A paper written in 1999 by professors at the Université de Montréal and Marianapolis College explains why so many French Canadians left Canada and it shows where they settled in New England in 1880 and 1930. “According to the 1980 American census, 13.6 million Americans claimed to have French ancestors. While a certain number of these people may be of French, Belgian, Swiss, Cajun or Huguenot ancestry, it is certain that a large proportion would have ancestors who emigrated from French Canada or Acadia during the 19th and 20th centuries.” To learn more, read French Canadian Emigration to the United States 1840-1930 by Damien-Claude Bélanger and Claude Bélanger.
At the Quebec Family History Society’s (QFHS) Brick Wall Solutions special interest group meeting last night, member Geneviève Rosseel led the meeting and made a terrific presentation about how to use newspapers to search for ancestors. Geneviève’s presentation included a handout she had put together that listed webinars, books, magazines, preservation techniques, Society resources, and 12 pages of newspaper websites.
The Brick Wall Solutions group, also known as the Brickers, is one of four special interest groups that QFHS members have formed where like-minded people get together to share ideas and solutions. The Brickers group is the largest and an excellent example of how genealogists work together to learn from each other. Each month, a member volunteers to lead a meeting and talk on one topic. Topics range from creating a research log to genealogical proof standards to mind mapping.
The Society’s other special interest groups are Family History Writing, the French Connection, and Newfoundland and Labrador Research Interest. More information is available on the Society’s website.
Here are some of Geneviève’s favourite websites:
1. Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec for Quebec newspapers –
The Kitchener Public Library in Ontario is looking for your help. In honour of the upcoming 100th anniversary of the beginning of the First World War, the library’s staff has created soldier information cards about the many courageous men and women of the province’s Waterloo County who served Canada in the First and Second World Wars. These cards were created during and shortly after each war and were compiled using newspaper and magazine clippings, photographs, and information contributed by soldiers and their families.
The library needs virtual volunteers to transcribe the content of the soldier card sets, making them searchable on the library’s online photograph site. The transcription process will involve copying the information on the soldier card into a text (.txt) file and sending the finished transcription back to staff for upload. If you are interested in volunteering for this project, contact the library at volunteer@kpl.org or telephone 519-743-0271, ext. 275. Read more about the project on the library’s website.
Perhaps genealogy societies should approach their local library to find out if they hold treasures that need to be digitized and posted online. This would be an excellent opportunity to support a library, create a new collaboration, and uncover genealogy gems.
What role do well-written bylaws play in association governance? Can you see how strong an association is by its bylaws?
Those are just some of the questions Canadian genealogy association members are asking as they go through processes to update their bylaws. In some cases, the associations are mandated to update their bylaws by the federal government or the province in which they are located. Sometimes they also must include specific clauses in their new bylaws.
Welcome to a new collaboration between family history researchers who are keen to share ideas with other genealogists. 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 tell stories and talk about everything from new websites, books, local archival centres, genealogy societies, and conferences to new technology and genealogical proof standards.
We are members of several genealogy societies and believe in the importance of good governance. To that end, we will also share societies’ best practices and discuss initiatives that can help a society play a role in the future of genealogy and grow its membership.
We hope you will join us on a regular basis and share your thoughts and viewpoint.
Ruth Dougherty (left) and Joan Benoit chat in front of Earl John Chapman who is seated at the table speaking with Oskar Keller during Military Roots Day.
The Quebec Family History Society (QFHS) Heritage Centre and Library in Pointe Claire held an open house for people interested in genealogy and history related to their Canadian Roots last year, Wednesday, February 20.
The event was the brain-child of executive secretary Joan Benoit, who has been helping run the QFHS for the past 32 years. “We basically want to bring members together to celebrate and share our common interests in a fun way.” she said. “It caught my imagination.”
The event took place from 1:30 until 4 p.m. at 173 Cartier Avenue, Pointe-Claire, just south of the highway. About a dozen showed up to enjoy coffee out of their own mugs and pleasant family history research discussion.
This was the third in the “Roots Day” series that took place last year. The previous one, Scottish Roots, was the most popular, attracting some 55 people. It was followed up by Irish Roots on March 20, English Roots on April 17, Female Roots on May 15, and Quebec Roots on June 19.
The series began the previous December with an event focussed on military traditions. That one attracted about thirty people over the afternoon and evening. Author and amateur historian Earl John Chapman was there talking about his books, including a history of the Black Watch and his most recent work, “Bard of Wolfe’s Army: James Thompson, Gentleman Volunteer, 1733-1830.” The work collects Thompson’s journals together with historical commentary to help readers understand the times. It might appeal to people with ancestors who served during the siege of Louisbourg, the Battle of the Plains of Abraham or the attack on Quebec City.
Genealogy Ensemble 