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New Developments in French-Canadian Genealogical Research

New Developments in French-Canadian Genealogical Research. John P. DuLong, Ph.D. Local History Conference Detroit 21 April 2007. Acknowledgements. Thanks to the Local History Conference and the Detroit Society for Genealogical Research for inviting me to speak

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New Developments in French-Canadian Genealogical Research

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  1. New Developments in French-Canadian Genealogical Research John P. DuLong, Ph.D. Local History Conference Detroit 21 April 2007

  2. Acknowledgements • Thanks to the Local History Conference and the Detroit Society for Genealogical Research for inviting me to speak • Also, thanks to the members of the French-Canadian Heritage Society of Michigan for all their support over the years

  3. Embarrassment of Riches • Numerous improvements to review, difficult to limit coverage • Most improvements available online via the Internet • Also some great references on CD • Libraries and archives in Canada have undergone some important changes • Royal gateways established

  4. Québec Genealogical Records • Best preserved and indexed genealogical records in North America, if not in the world (with the exception of Iceland) • Québec always led the way in the quantity and quality of genealogical records • Now she is leading the way in making these records available online • Genealogical record envy syndrome: What non-French-Canadians suffer from when they realize what wonderful records Québec has and that they lack similar records for their ethnic group

  5. Topics • Major online databases • Beauregard’s initiatives • Reorganization of libraries and archives • Minor, but valuable, online references • Books and Databases on CD • Royal gateway breakthroughs • Future developments

  6. Online Handout • Point your browser to http://habitant.org • Select the link to “New Developments in French Canadian Genealogy” • There you will find mention of all the resources discussed in this presentation • Plus links to these online resources • Lastly, I have also included this PowerPoint presentation

  7. Website Address http://habitant.org

  8. Major Online Databases • PRDH • Drouin Collection • BMS2000 • Parchemin • Fichier Origine • Early Canadiana Online

  9. Church Copy Kept at the parish Microfilmed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Used by the PRDH Original record, fewer mistakes Few parish registers lost Civil Copy Kept at the regional branches of the Québec archives Microfilmed and used by the Drouin Collection A nearly contemporary duplicate record, but still considered an original reference Replacement of lost parish registers Parish Registers

  10. PRDH • Le Programme de recherche en démographie historique (The Research Program in Historical Demography), University of Montréal • Started in 1966 by demographers, but has only been online for a few years • Computerized population registry • All baptism, marriage, and burial records of Québec from 1621 to 1799 and a little beyond in some parishes • Based mostly on the church copies of the parish registers • Census, confirmation, lists of passengers, etc., records also included

  11. PRDH • Included three sections • Repertory of Vital Events (1621-1799) • Genealogical Dictionary of Families (1621-1765) • Repertory of Couples and Filial Relations (1621-1799) • Very limited coverage of frontier locations in the Great Lakes, Acadia, and Louisiana • Index is free, but you must pay to view records • Fees are reasonable, for instance, 500 hits for $41.95 Canadian

  12. Drouin Collection • Institut Généalogique Drouin • Leading Québec genealogical firm from 1899 to 1990 • Impressive collection of microfilmed records • Collection sold off in 1990 • Ancestry.com has purchased digital rights and makes the collection available online

  13. Drouin Collection • The PRDH people will be indexing the records • Until indexed, you must know a location and period to search • The digital images vary in quality • Usually it is the civil copy of the parish register • Some transcriptions of records are included • Coverage diminishes for the twentieth century • Frontier locations are included

  14. Drouin Collection • Quebec Vital Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967 • Ontario French Catholic Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1747-1967 • Early U.S. French Catholic Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1695-1954 • Acadia French Catholic Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1670-1946 • Quebec Notarial Records (Drouin Collection), 1647-1942 • Miscellaneous French Records (Drouin Collection), 1651-1941

  15. Drouin Collection • Must be a World Deluxe subscriber • This subscription costs $299.40 a year or $34.95 a month • Well worth it if you have an abundance of French-Canadian ancestors • Offers you the leisure to search the parish registers from the comfort of your home • The digital images are easier on the eyes than the microfilm images

  16. BMS2000 • A collaborative project involving 24 genealogical societies in Québec and Ontario • Continues the tradition of doing marriage repertoires, but online, with baptisms and burials (sépulture) included • Great resource for the nineteenth century if the parish you are interested in searching is included • The index is free, but you must subscribe to access • To view the full abstract, you must pay for a voucher, for example, $40 Canadian for 500 hits

  17. Parchemin • Database of notarial records of Québec from 1635 to 1784 • The notaries handle all legal paperwork in New France including marriage contracts • Parchemin indexes and abstracts of these records • Original records at the regional branches of the Québec archives • Parchemin is available on CD at select libraries, archives, and genealogical societies mostly in Québec • Too expensive for individuals and most groups • Produced by the Société de recherche historique Archiv-Histo, headquartered at the Montréal regional archives

  18. Parchemin • Well worth searching, but lack of online access is frustrating • Frankly, no longer sure how to request a search • Find a Québec genealogical society with access and ask about searches for a fee • Alternatively, try contacting Archiv-Histo at the Montréal regional Québec Archives • Available for sure at the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec and Library and Archives Canada • See Pierre Benoit’s website for a list of sites with Parchemin

  19. Fichier Origine • A database reporting on records found in France indicating the origin of emigrants to Québec from the start of the colony to 1865 • Pinpoints the place of origin for immigrants usually through baptism records • Marcel Fournier is the coordinator of the project in collaboration with the Fédération québécoise des sociétés de généalogie • Hosted at Denis Beauregard’s website • Access is free • You can write to M. Fournier with your discoveries which he will have added to the database

  20. Early Canadiana Online A digital library of images from works of Canadian historical and genealogical interest Canadiana.org just formed a partnership with Ancestry.com Will soon be available to World Deluxe subscribers Too expensive now, but will be reasonable as part of Ancestry.com

  21. Beauregard’s Initiatives • Denis Beauregard is the lead person when it comes to online resources for French research in North America • His FrancoGene portal website is worth visiting frequently • His Genealogy of the French in North America is a huge genealogical dictionary that covers Québec and frontier outposts • It includes the most recent corrections and additions to other published and online resources • He is involved in the Fichier origine and Drouin Collection related projects

  22. Reorganization of Libraries and Archives in Canada • At the federal level the Library of Canada and the National Archives of Canada (formerly the Public Archives of Canada) have merged into Library and Archives Canada • Likewise in Québec, the provincial library and archives are now united in the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec • Both institutions offer expanded online websites with helpful catalogs

  23. Library and Archives Canada • Amicus, national union catalog for libraries in Canada • ArchiviaNet or Archives Search, research tools for archives, soon to be replaced by a better system • Private Archives and Colonial Records with links to many original documents • Many other indexes of genealogical interest including military records

  24. Library and Archives Canada • Canadian Genealogy Centre website is now provided as an excellent launching point for your research • Avitus, is an online directory of Canadian genealogical resources

  25. Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec • The regional branches of the Québec archives now part of this system • This is where the original records are kept • The famous Salle Gagnon, formerly located at the main Montréal library is now moved to the Centre des archives de Montréal, the regional branch of the Québec archives in Montréal

  26. Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec • Iris, online catalog for libraries • Pistard, online catalog for archived collections • Also, offers a special genealogy webpage • Several digitized books available including Tanguay’s genealogical dictionary

  27. Minor, But Valuable, Resources • Adhémer database for Montréal land records • The Canadian Encyclopedia • The Dictionary of Canadian Biography • The Atlas of Canada • The Jesuit Relations • The Champlain Society Digital Collection • Google Book Search • WorldCat, a world union catalog

  28. Books and Databases on CD • Numerous titles are becoming available on CD (especially for France, but that is another topic) • All the Mémoires de la Société généalogique canadienne-française from 1944 to 2002 are on CD, this is Québec’s leading genealogical journal • Two outstanding CD projects from Archiv-Histo: • Chronica: Collection of records relating to the Conseil Souverain (1663-1716), the Conseil Supérieur (1717-1760), and other French colonial administrative offices • Thémis: Collection of judicial records of Québec for the French and British periods

  29. Royal Gateway Breakthroughs • There are now several well researched and documented royal lineages for French Canadians • Catherine Baillon • The Le Neuf brothers • Jehan de Monteth • Antoinette de Longueval (just published) • Rolland-Yves Gagné key player in these projects • See QRD30—Québec Royal Descends at Beauregard’s website for summary details • Several other possibilities for extending the pedigrees of various bourgeois and noble families back in France, for example, Daoust, d’Anglure, Billy, etc.

  30. Important Lesson • Before writing away for an original document, try to find it online • The Library and Archives Canada and the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec are digitizing more and more documents and posting them on the Internet • Also, hunt for books you might want that have already been digitized • Lastly, I am confident I have missed some new developments because there are so many of them occurring on a regular basis now

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