The Drouin Collection: Six Databases

THE DROUIN COLLECTION:

This French-Canadian collection has over 15 million genealogical and vital records entries; they were microfilmed by the Institut Généalogique Drouin. In Quebec, under the French Regime, there were two sets of records kept: a copy for the civil government archives and a copy for the ecclesiastical church archives. The Drouin collection is a civil copy of these entries. Please note that the cutoff date of this collection is in the early 1940s; only a small percentage of entries were covered from 1948 to 1967.

This collection is divided into six databases: 1. Quebec Vital and Church Records, 1621-1967  2. Ontario French Catholic Church Records, 1747-1967, 3. Early U.S. French Catholic Church Records, 1695-1954, 4. Acadia French Catholic Church Records, 1670-1946, 5. Quebec Notarial Records, 1647-1942, and 6. Miscellaneous French Records, 1651-1941.

When searching these databases, be creative in the spellings when searching for an ancestor. The French language has many possible spellings for a name, as well as there are errors in the indexing.

The Drouin Collection is available on Ancestry.

The Drouin Collection 1621-1967 ($) (Canada) The Drouin Collection 1621-1967 ($) (U.S.)

Following is the description of coverage of these six databases:

1. Quebec Vital and Church Records, 1621-1967: This database includes all the church records for the province of Quebec, that is, for the Adventist, Anglican, Apostolic, Baptist, Christ Church, Christian Brethren, Christian Missionary Alliance, Church of Christ, Church of England, Church of Scotland, Congregartional, Episcopal, Evangelical, Free Church, Greek Orthodox, Holiness Movement, Jewish, Lutheran, Methodist, Romanian Orthodox, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Protestant, Russian Orthodox, Salvation Army, Unitarian, United Church, and Universalist denominations. The types of records include baptisms, marriages, and burials as well as confirmations, dispensations, censuses, statements of readmission to the church, and so on. They are written mainly in French, as well as English, Latin, and Italian. (14.5 million records)

2. Ontario French Catholic Church Records, 1747-1967: This database only contains the French-Canadian Catholic parish records in the province of Ontario. The types of records are the same as mentioned in #1, as well as the languages used. (1.3 million records)

3. Early U.S. French Catholic Church Records, 1695-1954: This database only contains the French Catholic parish records from the United States; in the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New York, and Pennsylvania. The types of records and languages used are the same as mentioned in #1 above. (abt 228,000 records)

4. Acadia French Catholic Church Records, 1670-1946: This database only contains the French Catholic parish records from the old Acadia. In the 1600s and early 1700s, Acadia covered today's provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, as well as Prince Edward Island and part of Quebec (i.e. the Gaspé Peninsula). The types of records and languages used are the same as mentioned in #1 above. (abt 922,000 records)

5. Quebec Notarial Records, 1647-1942: This database does NOT contain the notarial records for the province of Quebec; it contains the repertories and some indexes, compiled by various notaries. So, this database is organized by the name of the notary. Please note that there are many types of notarial records (over 50 types); some types are marriage contracts, wills, deeds, inventories, agreements and settlements, transfers of property or money, donations, legal documents (such as, pre-wills), and so on. Again, the language is written mainly in French, with some English (especially in the Eastern Townships and Montreal), Latin, or Italian. (1055 records)

6. Miscellaneous French Records, 1651-1941: This database only contains miscellaneous records, mainly from the province of Quebec (there are some in other parts of the "old" French-Canada and the United States). The types of records include topographic dictionaries, family genealogies/histories, journals, letters, manuscripts, registers of notaries, acts, and so on. Again, the language is written mainly in French, with some English, Latin, or Italian. (180 records)

For more information, regarding the "Institut Généalogique Drouin," please go to http://www.drouininstitute.com