Research Tools on the Internet

 

Programme de Recherche en Démographie Historique"; the comprehensive site of Quebec French-Canadian genealogy of the XVIIth and XVIIIth centuries. This site includes a directory of civilian proceedings for 1621-1799, a genealogical dictionary of families for 1621-1765 and a dictionary of marriages and lineages for 1621-1799.

Fichier Origine  A computerized dictionary of baptisms of immigrants found as part of a research project on the first families of French and foreign immigrants to settle in Québec, from the beginning to 1865. In French only, but well worth the visit.

The 1st portal for french-speaking genealogy in North America: your gateway to Franco-American and French-Canadian genealogy on the Internet. An impressive site...

They offer a vast collection of old digitalized books and documents, accessible and downloadable free of charge, including the TANGUAY Dictionary on-line (Banque Images & Sons).

Here you will find a full complement of information not to be missed: the Pistard database, a database of inventories of the assets of a person upon their death, for the regions of Québec, Charlevoix, Beauce, Montmagny and Kamouraska, from 1796 to 1955. You will also find numerous catalogued collections and virtual expositions that are very interesting. Again, in French only, but well worth the visit.

A digital library with more than 1,180,000 pages to review on Canadian history. There is a section dedicated to genealogy research, including several sources to consult on-line. You will also find the 1901 Canada Census and the 1906 North-West Census. The Digital Library of Canada, including the Jesuit Relations from 1632 to 1672 is available on-line. An impressive site is the Virtual Museum of a Portrait of Canada and at Images of Canada, pictures of Canadian events, people, locales and artifacts found in Canada.

An impressive site; another inescapable site that all good genealogists must visit if they want to better understand this period and the life styles of our ancestors.

An Internet gateway for researchers, genealogists, historians and authors. You will find, in addition to an exhaustive list of genealogical and history clubs and societies, the addresses of family associations and family sites to review, not counting all the other sites hosted by the center. For those of you who can manage a little French!

by Claude Routhier: key additional information for those interested in the history of Québec, from the beginning up to today. Lots of interesting and pertinent information, necessary to better understand the reality of our ancestors and their migratory movements (French only).

For those who are interested in Quebec history after the fall of New France, one of the best site can be found at the Marianopolis College. Although its first purpose is to provide material for their students, the site is opened to the public at large,  as there is a need for serious academic English material on the history of Quebec. Beginning with the period of 1760-1763, you will find a considerable amount of information about not only the history of Quebec but also the migration of its people, Federalism and the Constitution, biographies of important characters, and a lot more...

Racines Rochelaises   Our French cousins from the Aunis region offer us an absolutely unavoidable site, a veritable jewel for its type, particularly for those whose ancestors originated from this region. This site teems with information that is not found elsewhere, especially on immigrants from La Rochelle, Île de Ré, and their neighbouring regions, who settled in New France. (French only)

"Groupement Généalogique du Havre et de Seine Maritime":  an interesting French entry point for those whose ancestors originated in Normandy, and there are a great number of us!

The genealogical site of Lucie LeBlanc Consentino contains more that 3,000 pages of information on Acadian and Canadian history.  The quality of its information, impeccable presentation and ease of access requires a viewing.

Cindy's List of Internet Genealogical Sites:  an exhaustive list of suggestions on sites to visit, whether you are researching your genealogy, or simply making a virtual visit to the site of another researcher. You can spend hours of surfing on the Web by consulting this list of references, that can, then, be added to your favorites.

A community site dedicated to genealogy. Their mission is to provide access to all the genealogical data existing in the world, available or not on the Internet, free or 'for fee', so that everyone has access to practice their passion for genealogy. They have multiple genealogical databases containing more than 77,000,000 individuals, personal pages, powerful search engines, free hosting, etc...

Consisting of more than 4 million names in 119 databases. Lots of advertising, but also lots of pertinent and very interesting information. Who knows, you could find some ancestors that you lost track of ...

As a research tool on the Internet, one should not forget about the genealogy forums and mailing lists. A few of them come to mind, particularly Rootsweb, because of their powerful research engines, allowing to browse thru all their boards and archives. They are a great tool for those who are encountering those famous brickwalls. Rootsweb is also the host of thousands of free genealogy web sites, where you can spend hours browsing for some of your ancestors or affiliated families.

Another popular web site offering thousands of browsable and researchable forums. Part of the  MyFamily.com Inc. network, the GenForum is also a great tool when trying co climb those famous brickwalls we all encounter...

And finally, we are keeping the best for last...! All data pertaining to vital records, such as baptisms, marriage and burial, should always be verified against its primary source: the parish records available on microfilms. You now have a choice of resources from which to do that, without even leaving the cosiness of your home ! The Drouin collection of vital records is available directly from the Drouin Institute at https://www.genealogiequebec.com/, as well as at https://www.ancestry.ca/ and https://www.ancestry.com/ (membership required $). On the other hand, there is a great resource available to all for free: https://familysearch.org/. This one is a must to visit, as it includes census records, parish records,  municipal and national archives records, nationwide...! A wealth of information at your fingertips...

For all reseachers who are beginning the long trek of reconstructing their family history, from the start of the colony until today, you will find numerous obstacles and difficulties sometimes impossible to overcome. However, new technology is available to the researcher which constantly brings new solutions. Sadly, it is at this point that the beginner quickly loses himself. That is why we strongly suggest the first step is to visit a genealogical club or society near you. Most of them have a library allowing you to consult various publications on baptisms, marriages and burials, leading you to the parish register, not only for Québec and Canada, but also many parishes in New England. The microfilms containing the religious and notarial documentation for Québec, from the beginning up to 1940, are available for review at certain libraries. Beginner's courses for genealogical research, as well as paleography, the art of reading old documents, are offered by numerous societies, to members and non-members, alike. Some societies publish a quarterly revue or newsletter, with genealogical news of interest to all researchers, included in the annual cost of a membership. The annual membership cost is minimal compared to the advantages it provides. The volunteers working in the research centers can guide you adequately in your research and show you all the resources that are at your disposition, and there are many. You can spend hours of futile research to find where and how to conduct your research. Many researchers give up too quickly, discouraged in the face of the difficulties met, believing that it will be impossible to overcome them. Accept the help offered to you by the genealogical club and society volunteers, you will gain a big advantage in your genealogical research, and lots of pleasure in return.

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