Navigating the world of French-Canadian genealogical research

Posted 1/25/16

I hadn’t looked at the French-Canadian branch on my family tree since 2008. This is an updated version of a column I wrote at that time — some new websites and some no longer with us.

A discovery on my paternal grandmother’s side took …

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Navigating the world of French-Canadian genealogical research

Posted

I hadn’t looked at the French-Canadian branch on my family tree since 2008. This is an updated version of a column I wrote at that time — some new websites and some no longer with us.

A discovery on my paternal grandmother’s side took me into the world of French-Canadian research — and it’s a very different world, indeed. Many genealogists consider it one of the easiest areas to research and it’s true that you can trace Catholic ancestors back into the 1600s in a pretty short period of time.

The only drawback is the language barrier (unless you’re lucky enough to speak French). But, most of the websites are offered in both English and French. And, some of the online translation programs are pretty good if you need that original document decoded.

There are two major differences between French-Canadian research and other nationalities.

1. Women keep their maiden names throughout their married lives, which is helpful in tracking female lines, even if she married more than once.

2. The other difference is the “dit” name usage. Dit (or “called”) names were a way to differentiate between people with the same name. While dit names turn up in the 1400s in France, the majority in Quebec can be traced to the practice in the 17th century in New France/Canada, for multiple soldiers with the same name. To avoid confusion, these men took a second surname, such as the place they came from, an ancestor’s name, their regiment name or a mother’s surname. The youngest Jean Ploof might become Jean Ploof dit Lajeuness. It sounds simple, but over time the dit name might be added to the surname or replace the surname. The dit name was usually passed down to children, but some might keep it and others drop it. And, the surname and dit name might be switched or hyphenated. So, you have to research all the combinations.

There also are notarial records (Greffe de Notaire) in Canada, including marriage contracts, wills, donations to heirs, indentures, guardian and trustee records, and lease, purchase, employment and share agreements. These records are in the Archival Centres in Montreal, Quebec and Trois-Riviere. The Drouin Collection includes Quebec notarial records.

Great sources are nearby

My search for my Ploof line was a huge success. The Ploof (New York), Plouffe (Montreal) and Blouf (Paris) name took me back to 1650 Paris. Included in my line are two filles du roi (king’s daughters), 770 women who came to New France from 1663 to 1673.

Most were single women and some were orphans whose transportation was paid by King Louis XIV. In some cases, he gave them a dowry if they married a male colonist in Canada — hence, “king’s daughters.” Millions of people of French-Canadian ancestry are descendants of the 737 women who married.

Most New England French-Canadians (and many in upstate New York and Michigan) are descended from about 10,000 immigrants who came to New France/Canada before 1763. Mine then came over the border from Montreal into upstate New York before settling in Massachusetts.

I mentioned the language barrier earlier. Keep in mind that mistakes were made in transcriptions. Some priests couldn’t spell and wrote the name phonetically. A genealogist I heard speak at a conference searched high and low for an ancestor named Jacques Hébert in the U.S. census. After a street-by-street search, the ancestor was found — listed as Jockey Bear. Another said her Legault family was found as Lego. So, think of how your ancestors’ names were pronounced in French and keep the phonetic spellings in mind.

Other websites

• www.afgs.org — The American-French Genealogical Society Library is in the First Universalist Church, 78 Earle St., Woonsocket.  Visit the website for hours and other details or call 765-6141. We’re lucky to have this fantastic resource, with over 10,000 volumes, including marriages, genealogies, biographies and histories, along with microfilm records, including the Drouin Institute collection of 2,500 rolls through 1935.

• If you discover a female ancestor who arrived in Quebec between 1663 and 1673, check www.fillesduroi.org to see if she was a filles du roi. Click on the English button and then “King’s Daughters.” There is also a message forum and live chat room.

• www.mesaieux.com/defaultAN.asp is a website called Your Folks with vital records in most towns and parishes in Quebec regions (they also have marriages for parts of Ontario, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Alberta and Nova Scotia). I paid $19.99 years ago, which allows me to view 150 records. They have births, marriages, deaths and obituaries. Click on FAQ/Help to see what they offer. Click on “Other Services” to see what’s offered for free and what’s included in the $19.99 membership.

• The PRDH (a register of baptisms, marriages, burials and censuses in Old Quebec) is a 47-volume dictionary for 1608 to 1799. It also has confirmations, marriage contracts and annulments, list of immigrants, list of passengers and more. The website is at www.genealogie.umontreal.ca. It’s in French and English. Do first-level research for free, but register and pay to consult the database. For $27.45 in Canadian dollars, you can view 150 pages.

• French-Canadian Genealogy Research is a portal website at www.happyones.com/genealogy/research.html. It offers hundreds of links to resources in Canada (divided by province), the United States and France, along with books, magazines, periodicals, genealogists and translators for hire, websites and more.

• www.canadagenweb.org is the Canada GenWeb Project website. Search by province and see what’s available.

• www.francogene.com has information from the New World and the Old. Click on Places under Quebec on the home page for a list of towns and villages and all the parishes. Go to Browsing the Database and choose Main Index for an alphabetical listing of the family genealogies they have. And “Overview” has lots about Quebec, including geographical data and a timeline.

• The Canadian Genealogy Center at www.bac-lac.gc.ca is operated by the Library and Archives of Canada. It has a summary of major Canadian record sources, with descriptions and links to websites and databases. There’s information on censuses, maps, vital records, home children, passenger lists, border crossings, military and much more.

• Canadian military records — Go to familysearch.org and head to their wiki for a list of all the conflicts and wars Canadians fought in. Click on each to see what records are available.

• familysearch.org has lots of Canadian records. In Quebec alone, there are VRs, Canadian censuses from 1851 to 1911, passenger lists, headstones, Catholic parish registers and more. Choose any province to see what they have. It’s all free.

• The Ontario Genealogical Society’s Provincial Index is at www.ogs.on.ca/ogspi/welcome/htm. This is a free site.

• www.gov.pe.ca is a Prince Edward Island site. Go to the bottom of the page and click on Public Archives and Records under Services. Then click on Genealogy. And, check out the Online Resources page.

• www.gov.ns.ca is a site for Nova Scotia. Click on Government, then Vital Statistics, then Genealogy.

• Search for and view Nova Scotia vital records for free at www.novascotiagenealogy.com. To order copies, there is a charge of $11.17 per e-copy and $22.39 per paper copy.

• www.westmanitoba.com is a genealogy project for West Manitoba.

Lynda Rego has a Facebook page at www.facebook.com/lynda.rego where she shares tips on genealogy and other topics. Stop by, click on Like and share any interests you have for upcoming columns.

Canada, family tree, French Canadian, genealogy

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