French-Canadians in Land Grants, Family and Regional Books and Periodicals - International Institute

Land Grants
It is both interesting and informative to know where our ancestors lived. From this information, we can gain knowledge about their life style and their economic situation. Genealogists can sometimes find the location of ancestral homes by using books published by the National Archives of Québec called Inventaire des concessions en fief et seigneurie: fois et hommages et aveux et dénombrements conservés aux Archives de la province de Québec (Beauceville: l’Eclaireur, 1927). This tool was published in 6 volumes.

There are many useful books that have been published for specific areas of research. The following books can help you trace ownership of land.


 * Roy, Christian, Histoire de l’Assomption (Québec: Commission des fêtes du 250e, 1967).


 * Trudel, Marcel, Le terrier du Saint-Laurent en 1663 / Land of the Saint Laurent in 1663 (Centre de recherches en civilisation canadienne-française, bulletin #6, 1973).


 * Gariépy, Raymond, Les seigneuries de Beaupré et de l’île l’île d’Orléans dans leurs débuts / The seigneuries (land) of Beaupré and l’île d’Orléans in their beginning (Québec: La Société historique de Québec, bulletin #27, 1974).


 * Roy, Léon,Les Terres de la Grande-Anse, des Aulnaies et du Port-Joli / The land of Grande-Anse, Aulnaies and Port Joli (1951).


 * Perrault, Claude,Montréal en 1781 (Montréal: Payette Radio, 1969).

Family and Regional Books
The dream of most amateur genealogists is to someday publish the history of their family. This dream has been realized by many.

Family books are a very important resource tool to be used when you start your research project.

Some authors have chosen to write their book as a family chronicle combined with not only ancestral and descendant lists but also including historical information. Others have compiled their material in a register format with all family members listed alphabetically. Another method sometimes used is the compilation of complete dictionaries of family names.

Should you be able to find a book with your family lineage included, you may be able to not only find factual information but also stories and anecdotes to add to your own family history.

When celebrating a special anniversary, churches, small towns, villages and cities often chronicled the history of their establishment in a book format. Individuals and families that have been instrumental in the growth of a particular area are often recognized in these books. And sometimes first settlers and their families are listed.

These books will often list those individuals who formed part of certain committees or served on the town councils over the years. You never know what kind of information you will find.

If many of your ancestors came from the same location, check to see if a book has been published about it. Check also if the church in that area has had a special anniversary book printed.

If you cannot find anything in your library, check through the genealogical society or local library close to that location. Often these books were printed in limited quantity and were distributed mainly to the residents and local depositories.

An index has been compiled of family histories that have been written. These books should be checked to see if something has been published about your family name.


 * Fortin, Francine, and Micheline DaPrato, Index d’histoires de familles (Lachine, Québec: F. Fortin, 1994).


 * Family Book “Catalogue” des livres de familles list surnames that have had family dictionaries or family history books written about them. This book also contains a list of Family Societies’ bulletins and Genealogical Societies’ bulletins.


 * Nos Ancêtres, which has been translated into English, titled Our French-Canadian Ancestors (Palm Harbor, Florida: LISI Press, 1983) provides historical information about a great number of our ancestors.


 * Mennie-de Varennes, Kathleen, Bibliographie annotee d’ouvrages genealogiques au Canada / Annotated bibliography of genealogical works in Canada (Markham, Ontario: Fitzhenry &amp; Whiteside, 1986).

There are many books which list individuals doing research on specific family names. Those who register invite inquiries from others researching the same family name. Examples of these follow.

The Genealogical Research Directory: National and International was published every year from 1981 until 2007. There are different listings for every year. It may be worth your time to check various editions to see if someone registered their name and address. Check your local library for copies.


 * Johnson, Keith A., and Malcolm R. Sainty, Genealogical Research Directory: National and International (Sydney, NSW: Library of Australian History, 1983).


 * Fédération québécoise des sociétés de généalogie, Bottin Québecois des chercheurs en généalogie ([Ste-Foy, Québec]: La Fédération, 1991).

Periodicals
One other source of information that is valuable but difficult to use are periodicals. Most genealogical societies publish some type of periodical. A lot of historical and factual information can be found in these periodicals. Unfortunately, most are not indexed.

The oldest society, Société généalogique canadienne-française, has published Mémoires and a very good index exists.

Annotated Bibliography of Genealogical Works in Canada - Sample Page



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