Canada, Quebec, Quebec Judicial District, Guardianships - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection includes guardianship records from 1639 to 1930. This collection contains images and indexes of guardianship records. Québec notarial records are written in French. In Québec, notaires or notaries have registered contracts since 1626, including guardianships and other probate records. Guardianship papers or tutelle et curatelle, are records about orphans and the conservation of their property. Each document in a notary's minutes gives at least the name of the notary, the date and place the document was prepared, the names and addresses of the persons involved, and the names and addresses of the witnesses. The ages and relationships of the witnesses and the persons involved are sometimes included. More information about this collection is in the Quebec Notarial Records or Canada Notarial Records article.

Reading These Records
These records are in French. For help reading these records see the following guides:
 * France Language and Languages
 * French Genealogical Word List
 * French Handwriting
 * Script Tutorial for French
 * FamilySearch Learning Center videos:
 * Reading French Handwritten Records

What Can This Collection Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Guardianship
 * Name of the deceased
 * Names of children of the deceased
 * Names of other relatives of the deceased
 * Information about the guardian(s) of the children
 * Ages and relationships of witnesses

How Do I Search This 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

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the :
 * 1) Select Record Type
 * 2) Select Year Range and File Number Range to view the images.

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. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found Who I was Looking For, What Now?

 * Cite the record. See below for help citing this collection
 * Look at an image of the original record. The original may contain information that was not recorded in the index. To find a copy of the original record, visit the [Bibliothèque et Archive Nationales du Québec, Sainte-Foy] page


 * Use the information you have found to find the person in census records
 * 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?

 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This can help you find possible relatives
 * Search the records of nearby areas
 * Check for other names. An individual might appear under an unexpected name for a variety of reasons:
 * They might have been listed under a middle name, nickname, or abbreviation of their given name
 * A woman may have returned to her maiden name after the death of her husband

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in Quebec.
 * Record Finder
 * Canada Research Tips and Strategies

Citing this Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.