Canada, Quebec Index to Civil Copy of Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Canada Quebec

What is in this Collection?
This article describes two collections. One is the civil copy of Quebec church records. The other contains images of the original indexes of those same vital records. Both cover the years 1642-1900. Records after 1902 are not currently available due to privacy laws.

These collections are a copy of baptism, marriage, and burial records which were sent to the civil government. Up until 1994, the Quebec government did not keep its own separate vital records. Therefore, churches were required to send copies of their records to the government archives. These are those civil copies. Both Catholic and Protestant churches are included.

Reading These Records
These records are in French. For help with reading the records, see the following resources:
 * French Word List
 * Quebec Language and Languages
 * French Handwriting Help

How Do I Search the Collection?
You can search the index or view the images or both. To begin your search it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * The name of a relative or date of the event

Search the Index
Search by name by visiting the Collection Page.
 * 1) Fill in the search boxes on the Collection Page with the information you have
 * 2) Click Search to show possible matches

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page.
 * 1) Select Denomination
 * 2) Select County and City or Town
 * 3) Select Record Type
 * 4) Select Name Range, Year Range and Archival Number

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images.

For more tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * Use the information to find other records such as birth, christening, census, land and death records.
 * Use the information to find additional family members.
 * Repeat this process with additional family members found, to find more generations of the family.
 * Church Records often were kept years before government records were required and are a good source for finding ancestors before 1900.

I Can’t Find Who I’m Looking for, What Now?

 * Try viewing the original record to see if there were errors in the transcription of the name, age, residence, etc. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * If the ancestor was Catholic, you may be able to find their original entry in the Quebec Catholic Registers collection online. Images are included as well as an index.
 * If the ancestor was Protestant, or Non-Catholic, you may be able to find their original entry in the Quebec Non-Catholic Registers collection. This collection only includes images, so if an index card was previously found, it will be very helpful in finding the date and page your ancestor's event was recorded on.
 * Collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you identify possible relations that can be verified by records.
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby locality in an area search.
 * Standard spelling of names typically did not exist during the periods our ancestors lived in. Try variations of your ancestor’s name, especially versions.
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names. Try searching for these names as well.
 * Search the indexes and records of Quebec, Canada Genealogy.
 * Search in the Quebec Archives and Libraries.
 * Search in the FamilySearch Library Catalog

Citing This Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection citations:

Image citation:

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