Canadian Genealogical Research

Canadian Genealogical Research
I. INTRODUCTION.
II. PRESENTATION.
A. Reasons Canadian History is Different.
B. A Short History of Canada.
1. Champlain establishes Acadia (1603-04).
2. Champlain establishes Quebec City (1608).
3. French and Indian War in North America (1754-63)
a. Le Grande Derangement – expulsion of the Acadians (1755+).
b. Wolfe defeats Montcalm at Quebec City (13 September 1759).
4. Quebec Act establishes “Quebec” as an English Province (1771).
5. Separate Colonies: Upper Canada & Lower Canada (1791).
6. One Colony in Two Parts: Canada East and Canada West (1841).
7. Canada a Nation - British North America Act of 1867.
8. Quebec immigration to U.S. (1840-1940) - one million Quebecois.
C. Some Basic Concepts Affecting Research in French-Canada.
1. Close-knit Quebec.
2. The Acadian Connection.
3. “Dit” names.
4. Notaries in Quebec.
5. Duplicate parish records; no birth certificates until 1994.
6. Women’s married surnames.
D. Acadian Research.
E. Quebec Research.
1. Primary Sources.
a. Census records.
b. Parish records. (see examples later in this handout; and, see information
on the Drouin Collection on the last page of this handout)
c. Notary records (mostly unindexed).
2. Secondary Sources.
a. Tanguay (1610-late 1700s) (available on the Internet).
b. Jette (1610-1730).
c. The “Blue” Drouin (1610-1940)
d. Charbonneau (47-volume work) (1610-1765).
e. Programme de recherche en démographie historique (PRDH) (1610-1800).
F. Research in the English-speaking Provinces.
1. Census records (1851-1921).
2. Provincial Archives databases of vital records.
G. Availability of Research Materials.
1. LDS Family History Centers and FamilySearch web site.
2. Library of Congress (call numbers CS80 and CS88).
3. American-French Genealogical Society, Pawtucket, RI.
4. The Internet (see list of URLs later in this handout).
H. Typical Baptismal, Marriage and Burial Records.
III. CONCLUSION.
12 October 2013
Adrian J. Gravelle
[email protected]
TIMELINE
United States
Quebec
Acadia
1600 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Jamestown founded
Quebec City founded
Acadia founded
(1607)
(1608)
(1603-1604)
Maryland founded
(1634)
1650 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lasalle explores the Mississippi
(1682)
1700 ---Cahokia & Kaskaskia, Illinois--------------------------------------------------------------------settled By the French (1699)
1750 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------French and Indian War
Wolfe defeats Montcalm
Acadians Expelled
(1754-63)
(13 September 1759)
(1755)
Treaty of Paris (1763)
Quebec Act (1771)
Revolutionary War
(1776-1782)
Constitution (1789)
Britain creates provinces of
Upper Canada & Lower Canada
(1791)
1800 ------------------------American Loyalists settle in Eastern Townships and Nova Scotia-------------(1785-1800)
Britain reorganizes its colonies
Canada East & Canada West (1841)
1850 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------American Civil War
(1861-1865)
British North America Act creates
Dominion of Canada (1867)
(Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia)
Immigration to the United States from Quebec
1900 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1,000,000 Quebecois immigrate (1840-1940)
USEFUL FRENCH WORDS
one/first
two/second
three/third
four/fourth
five/fifth
six/sixth
seven/seventh
eight/eighth
nine/nineth
ten/tenth
eleven/th
twelve/th
thirteen/th
fourteen/th
fifteen/th
sixteen/th
seventeen/th
eighteen/th
nineteen/th
un/premier
deux/deuxieme/second/seconde
trois/troisieme/tiers
quatre/quatrieme
cinq/cinqueme
six/sixeme
sept/septieme
huit/huitieme
neuf/neuvieme
dix/dixieme
onze/onzieme
douze/douzieme
treize/treizeme
quatorze/quatorzieme
quinze/quinzieme
seize/seizieme
dix-sept/dix-septieme
dix/huit/dix-huitieme
dix-neuf/dix-neuvieme
n. = ne/nee
b. = bapteme
m. = mariage
d. = decede/decedee
s. = sepulture
avant
apres
vers
ondoye
twenty/th
thirty/th
forty
fifty
sixty
seventy
eighty
ninety
hundred/th
thousand/th
vingt/vingtieme
trente/trentieme
quarante
cinquante
soixante
soixante-dix
quatre-vingt
quatre-vingt-dix
cent/centieme
mille/millieme
Janvier
Fevrier
Mars
Avril
Mai
Juin
Juillet
Aout
Septembre
Octobre
Novembre
Decembre
noye
tue par un Iroquois/
l’Iroquois
born
baptised
marriage
died
buried
before
after
about
privately administered baptism
drowned
killed by an/the
Iroquois
DAY
WEEK
TODAY
MONTH
SAME DAY
YEAR(S)
YESTERDAY
LAST EVENING
DAY BEFORE
YESTERDAY
COUNTY
IN THE AFTERNOON
jour
semaine; huit jours
ce jour; aujourd’hui
mois
meme jour
annee(s); an(s)
hier
la veille
avant hier; avant
veille
comte
apres-midi
Etats-Unis
EU
PQ
USA
USA
Quebec
THIS NIGHT
IN THE MORNING
TWO EVENINGS AGO
cette nuit
le matin
la surveille
pere father
mere mother
fils/fille son/daughter
oncle uncle
neveu nephew
veuf widower
veuve widow
grand-pere grandfather
grand-mere grandmother
parrain
marraine
epoux
epouse
belle-mere
belle-soeur
beau-pere
beau-frere
godfather
godmother
husband
wife
mother-in-law
sister-in-law
father-in-law
brother-in-law
frère
soeur
brother
sister
CANADA-WIDE GENEALOGY WEBSITES
The LDS Church provides much helpful advice at its FamilySearch website at:
http://www.familysearch.org/ This web site is the best all-around genealogical site on the Internet. For
specialized advice and search strategies, look at the Research Wiki, Research Courses and Discussion
Forums at https://familysearch.org/learn The Family History Library Catalogue [now known as the
FamilySearch Catalogue] of books and microfilms is at: https://familysearch.org/catalog-search
Library and Archives Canada (LAC) at http://www.collectionscanada.ca/ has many searchable
databases, including the 1851 through 1921 nationwide Canadian Census, scanned images of records of
Canadian Soldiers of World War I, and an on-line copy of the Dictionary of Canadian Biography.
FamilySearch has indices for the 1851-1911 Canadian Census at
https://familysearch.org/search/collection/list#page=1&recordType=Census&region=CANADA There
are scanned images of the earlier 1825, 1831 and 1842 Lower Canada [Quebec] census records here too.
The 1901 Canadian Census, complete with scanned images and index, is available on line at
http://automatedgenealogy.com/census/index.html. This excellent resource provides an index and
extracted census data in tabular form, but also shows the scanned images of the actual census records.
Using a unique split-screen option, it is possible to compare the extracted data with the actual census
record. One of the interesting features included in the 1901 census was the birth date of each person
enumerated. (But, a high percentage of the census birth dates are wrong, usually by exactly one year.)
The 1906 Canadian Census, which encompassed only the western provinces of Alberta,
Manitoba and Saskatchewan, is available at http://automatedgenealogy.com/census06/index.html
The 1911 Canadian Census, from the same organization that indexed the 1901 Canadian
Census and with all the wonderful features of the 1901 census, is available at
http://automatedgenealogy.com/census11/Test4.jsp (index searchable province by province), with a
nationwide index available at http://automatedgenealogy.com/census11/Test20.jsp
The 1916 Canadian Census of the prairie provinces only – available at Library and Archives
Canada website, in ancestry.com and also at FamilySearch.
The 1921 Canadian Census - released 1 June 2013; became available at ancestry.com in August
2013; index promised by ancestry.com later this year.
Canada GenWeb is located at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~canwgw/ Available at this
web site are the provincial GenWeb sites and for each of the provinces, and the county GenWeb sites.
Ancestry.com, and its Canadian subsidiary, Ancestry.ca, is especially good for Quebec, Ontario
and British Columbia records. The site also has indices for the 1842, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891,
1901, 1906, 1911 and 1916 Canadian Census with links to scanned images of the original census
reports. This resource is available at no cost at any Family History Center.
Natural Resources Canada has a web site at http://www2.nrcan.gc.ca/sr/index-eng.cfm which
is helpful in locating past and present incorporated and unincorporated places in Canada.
Obituaries - The Federation of Quebec Genealogy Societies has a data base of 775,000
obituaries (1999-2013) for Quebec, Ontario and a few from the western provinces and the U.S. at
http://federationgenealogie.qc.ca/base-de-donnees/avis-de-deces
QUEBEC GENEALOGY WEBSITES
The Department of Demographics of the University of Montreal maintains Le Programme de
recherche en démographie historique (the PRDH) at: http://www.genealogie.umontreal.ca/en/
The National Library and Archives Quebec (Bibliothèque et Archives nationales Québec)
at http://www.banq.qc.ca/portal/dt/accueil.jsp (in both French and English) is a treasure trove of
resources from indexed notary records to Lovell’s annual directories of Montreal (1842-1977) to Quebec
folk music. Tanguay’s Dictionnaire Genealogique is at
http://bibnum2.banq.qc.ca/bna/dicoGenealogie/ (in French).
For research in the Eastern Townships, largely an English-speaking and Protestant area east of
Montreal, see Marlene Simmons’ very informative Internet web site at: http://simmons.b2b2c.ca/
Le Societe Genealogique Canadienne-Francaise (SGCF), in Montreal, has a web site (in
French) at http://www.sgcf.com/ (largest genealogy society in Quebec; has a quarterly publication
(Memoires) in French, which contains a forum for asking questions and getting information about
missing ancestors; communication normally in French, but English is tolerated).
The American-French Genealogical Society, in Woonsocket, Rhode Island is at:
http://www.afgs.org/ (communication in English; provides genealogy searches for a very reasonable fee;
fee schedule and policy at this site; search may be requested by e-mail from this site). The society also
has an extensive mail lending library of microfiche available to members. From this source, members
may borrow microfiche of the "blue" Drouin, the Loiselle Index, the Rivest Index, and over a hundred
different parish marriage repertoires.
Ancestry.ca at http://search.ancestry.ca/search/db.aspx?dbid=1091 (for a monthly or yearly fee
but free at any Family History Center) has the Drouin Collection of scanned images of the Quebec
Catholic, Protestant and Jewish vital records (1610-1968) (has an index). The LDS’s FamilySearch web
site at https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1321742 has far superior scanned images, but very few
(so far) indexed names. Click on “Browse through 1,407,644 images” at bottom of page to search
parish-by-parish. Use the LDS FamilySearch images when the images at ancestry.com are unreadable.
The Quebec Family History Society specializes in the genealogy of Protestant and Englishspeaking Quebecois. The Society’s web site is at: http://www.qfhs.ca/
Quebec GenWeb is at http://www.rootsweb.com/~canqc/index.htm (in English and French).
ACADIAN GENEALOGY WEBSITES
Stephen White’s Dictionnaire Genealogique des Familles Acadiennes (in French, but available
with an English supplement), the best and most recent secondary source for Acadian family information;
book described and available for purchase at http://www.umoncton.ca/umcm-ceaac/node/38
Denis Beauregard’s Dictionnaire généalogique de l'ancienne Acadie is located at:
http://www.francogene.com/dgaa/index.php (explanation in both English and French at viewer’s option,
dictionnaire in French). His Francogene, an extensive list of Acadian genealogical sources and
bibliography is located at: http://www.francogene.com/acadia/resources.php (in English).
Acadian Cajun Genealogy and History website (gives brief history of Acadia and some
selected Acadian family trees; contains much Louisiana cajun information; has short history of Acadians
in Maryland; in English): http://www.acadian-cajun.com/ (in English).
Acadian and French Canadian Ancestral Home (a searchable data base of web sites with
information on early Acadian families. http://www.acadian.org/ (in English).
Center for Acadian Studies, University of Moncton (New Brunswick), has short genealogies of
37 Acadian families at http://www.umoncton.ca/umcm-ceaac/node/55 (in French).
NOVA SCOTIA WEB SITES
Nova Scotia Vital Statistics Records has over a million early birth, marriage and death records
for Nova Scotia at https://www.novascotiagenealogy.com/
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND WEB SITES
The Prince Edward Island Public Archives and Records Office does not have vital records
data bases, but has information on genealogical resources at
http://www.edu.pe.ca/paro/research/births.asp and at
http://www.gov.pe.ca/infopei/onelisting.php3?number=43516
NEWFOUNDLAND WEB SITES
The Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Archives has no on-line indices but has
information on how to obtain early birth, marriage and death records at
http://www.therooms.ca/archives/distance_research.asp and at
http://www.therooms.ca/archives/family_history_collections.asp
ONTARIO WEB SITES
The Archives of Ontario has information for finding and obtaining vital records of Ontario that
are available on microfilm, at http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/english/archivalrecords/interloan/vsmain.aspx
The Ontario Genealogical Society has a whole series of county/district/regional web sites with
vital records information at http://www.ogs.on.ca/services.php
The Ontario Vital Statistics Project, at http://www.rootsweb.com/~onvsr/, is in the process of
summarizing all Ontario birth, marriage and death records, and has thousands of vital records from the
1850s into the 1920s.
The Ontario Cemetery Finding Aid at http://www.islandnet.com/ocfa/homepage.html has a
database of over 2 million burials in Ontario. See also Northern Ontario Gravemarker Gallery at
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~murrayp/ (photos of thousands of markers).
Ancestry.com has an index of Ontario births (1869-1913), marriages (1857-1928) and deaths
(1869-1938) and has the scanned images of the actual records (available for a fee, or free at any Family
History Center and at many public libraries).
FamilySearch has a whole series of data bases of Ontario vital records, available on line. See list
at https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/list#page=1&countryId=1929952
NEW BRUNSWICK WEB SITES
The New Brunswick Provincial Archives maintains a database of early birth, marriage and
death records at http://archives.gnb.ca/APPS/GovRecs/VISSE/?L=EN
MANITOBA WEB SITES
The Province of Manitoba has a database of early birth, marriage and death records at
http://vitalstats.gov.mb.ca/Query.php. Vital records may be ordered on line at
http://www.vitalcertificates.ca/manitoba/?gclid=CMniguLS8bECFQhN4AodN0MABQ
SASKATCHEWAN WEB SITES
The Province of Saskatchewan maintains a database of early birth, marriage and death records
at http://genealogy.ehealthsask.ca/vsgs_srch.aspx Records may be ordered at
http://www.vitalcertificates.ca/saskatchewan/?gclid=CKfR4o3U8bECFYFo4Aoddx8AKQ
The Saskatchewan Genealogical Society has much helpful advice on research in that province
at its web site at http://www.saskgenealogy.com/
ALBERTA WEB SITES
The Provincial Archives of Alberta does not have any on-line vital records. The Vital Statistics
Office has information for obtaining them at http://www.servicealberta.gov.ab.ca/vitalstatistics.cfm
BRITISH COLUMBIA WEB SITES
British Columbia Archives has indexes of early birth, marriage and death records and is
available at http://www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/textual/governmt/vstats/v_events.htm
Trente-quatrieme feuillet
B43
Marie-Celina
Lacroix
Le vingt-sept Juin mil huit cent soixante-trois, nous pretre
vicaire soussigne, avons baptise Marie-Celina, nee le dix-sept
Juin courant du legitime mariage de Abraham Lacroix,
cultivateur, et de Celina Vezina, de cette paroisse. Parrain:
Anselme Lacroix; marraine: Marie Jaulin, que n’ont su signeur.
/s/ Th. Gagne, ptre, vicaire
S18
Marie-Ollier
Turgeon
M9
David Breton
et
Marie Labbe
Le vingt-sept Juin mil huit cent soixante-trois, nous pretre
vicaire soussigne, avons inhume, dans le cemetiere de cette
paroisse, le corps de Marie-Ollier Turgeon, decidee avant veille,
age de dix mois et vingt-six jours, enfant legitime de Charles
Turgeon et de Julie Boulanger, de cette paroisse. Presents:
Francois Lemieux et Didace St-Pierre, qui n’ont su signer.
/s/ Th. Gagne, ptre, vicaire
Le dix-sept Fevrier mil huit cent cinquante-sept, après le
publication de trois bans de mariage, faite aux prone de nos messes
paroissiales, entre David Breton, cultivateur, domicilie dans le
township d’Armagh, fils majeur de defunt Francois Breton et
de Louise Gosselin de la paroisse de St-Vallier, d’une part; et
Marie Labbe, aussi domiciliee dans le township d’Armagh, fille
mineure de Gabriel Labbe, cultivateur, et de Julie Roy, d’autre
part; ne s’etant descouvert aucun empechement au dit mariage,
nous pretre cure soussigne , avons recu leur mutual consentement
de mariage et leur avons donne la benediction nuptiale, en
presence de Nazaire Breton et Sifroi Breton, freres de l’epoux;
et Nazaire Labbe, son frere, que avec les dits epoux, n’ont su
signer.
/s/ Jos. Neree Gingras, ptre
THE GOLD STANDARD OF QUEBEC RESEARCH
The Drouin Collection
[available at ancestry.com]
A. QUEBEC VITAL AND CHURCH RECORDS (1621-1967).
1. Has scanned images of the civil record copies of all Quebec Catholic, Protestant,
Jewish and civil records of births, marriages and deaths.
2. Contains 37 million names, which are indexed.
3. Searchable by surname, given name, year, type of record, town and/or parish.
B. ONTARIO FRENCH CATHOLIC CHURCH RECORDS (1747-1967).
1. Appears to cover most/all Ottawa parishes; for rest of Ontario, covers only Catholic
parishes with a significant French presence.
2. This data base entirely indexed, searchable by surname, given name, year, type
record, town and/or parish.
C. ACADIAN CATHOLIC CHURCH RECORDS (1670-1946).
1. Most of the records in this collection include baptisms, marriages, and burials, but
has some parish census records, confirmations, etc.
2. Covers area of “old Acadia” (Nova Scotia and New Brunswick).
D. EARLY UNITED STATES FRENCH CATHOLIC CHURCH RECORDS (1695-1954).
1. This database only contains the French Catholic parish records from the U.S.
2. Records are from French Catholic churches in Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana,
Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New York and Pennsylvania.
E. QUEBEC NOTARIAL RECORDS (1647-1942). Includes legal documents such as
marriage contracts, wills, deeds, agreements, and inventories; records are organized by the
notary’s name; contains only indices and inventories and does not have the notary
documents themselves.
F. MISCELLANEOUS QUEBEC RECORD (1651-1941). Records in this database include
family genealogies/histories, journals, letters, catalogues, and topographic dictionaries.