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

Title in the Language of the Record
Québec, Copie civil de registres paroissiaux

Record Description
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.

These records are written in French. If you need help with translation, please see the section. If you read French, please consider helping us with translations by visiting the How You Can Help page.

Record Content
Index records may contain the following information:
 * Names of those involved with event (usually sorted alphabetically by last name)
 * Date of event
 * Place of event
 * Where to find the original record (volume and folder, etc.)

Baptism records may contain the following information:
 * Birth date and/or baptism date
 * Name at birth
 * Parents’ names
 * Names and relationships of witnesses

Marriage records may contain the following information:
 * Names of bride and groom
 * Birth dates and/or ages of bridge and groom
 * Date of marriage
 * Parents’ names

Burial records may contain the following information:
 * Date of death and/or burial
 * Name of deceased
 * Location of grave
 * Cause of death

How to Use the Record
To begin your search it is helpful to know:
 * Your ancestor’s name.
 * The county and town they lived in
 * Your ancestor’s religion
 * A general time frame for the event you are searching for

Search the Collection
To search the collection Index to Civil Copy of Church Records by image: ⇒Select “Browse through images” on the initial collection page ⇒Select the appropriate “Denomination” ⇒Select the appropriate “County and City or Town” ⇒Select the appropriate “Record Type” ⇒Select the appropriate “Name Range, Year Range and Archival Number" which takes you to the images

To search the collection Civil Copy of Church Records by image: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the appropriate "County" ⇒Select the appropriate "City/Town/Parish" ⇒Select the appropriate "Denomination" ⇒Select the appropriate “Record Type and Year Range" which takes you to the images

Look at each image, comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

Keep in mind that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name or your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life. You may also need to search in nearby parishes or other denominations.

For Help 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

Related Websites

 * Quebec Parish Registers
 * Quebec Research
 * Religion in Quebec

Related Wiki Articles

 * Quebec Church Records
 * Quebec Civil Registration
 * Quebec, Catholic Parish Registers (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Quebec, Non-Catholic Parish Registers (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Citations for 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: