R E S E A R C H   G U I D A N C E

Québec
Research Outline
   

Table of Contents
Québec Search Strategies
Records At The Family History Library
The Family History Library Catalog
Archives And Libraries
Biography
Business Records And Commerce
Cemeteries
Census
Church Records
Court Records
Directories
Emigration And Immigration
Gazetteers
Genealogy
Historical Geography
History
Land And Property
Language And Languages
Military Records
Names, Personal
Native Races
Naturalization And Citizenship
Newspapers
Notarial Records
Periodicals
Probate Records
Societies
Vital Records
For Further Reading
Comments And Suggestions
Loiselle Marriage Index
     Appendix A
The Rivest Marriage Index
     Organization Of The Index
     How To Use The Index
     Names And Film Numbers
Tanguay's Genealogical Dictionary
     Information In The Dictionary
     Organization Of The Dictionary
     Common Terms And Abbreviations
     Names And Film Numbers
     How To Read An Entry
     Finding An Immigrant Ancestor
     Miscellaneous Situations
     Other Information In The Dictionary

VITAL RECORDSLook this term up in the glossary.

From 1679 to 1993, most vital records for Québec were copies of church records. The province required churches to send copies to government archives. On 1 January 1994, the government began to keep separate vital records.

Vital records could be registered civilly without a church record as early as 1926. Beginning in the 1960s, many births and marriages were recorded only in civil registers.


Availability

Records before 1900. Church records and civil copies of church records prior to 1900 are available on microfilm from the Family History Library and at several archives and libraries in North America. (See the “Church Records” section of this outline.)

Records after 1900. Only the person named in the record or that person's legal representative may have access to civil registration and civil copies of church records after 1900.

Application forms for information from civil registration after 1900 must be obtained from:

Direction de l'État civil
Service à la clientèle
205 rue Montmagny
Québec QC CANADA G1N 2Z9
Telephone: 418-643-3900

Indexes

Some indexes to civil registration copies of church records are available. The indexes list only the name of the individual and the date and place of the event. Names of the parents or spouses are usually not given.

For an index to notarial marriage contracts, see the “Notarial Records” section of this outline.

Indexes for MontréalLook this term up in the glossary.. The Family History Library has microfilm indexes to records for the Montréal Judicial District (island of Montréal and nearby counties). The indexes are for christenings, marriages, and burials for Catholics from 1648 to 1899 and for non-Catholics from 1766 to 1899 and 1900 to 1993.

Catholic Records in MontréalLook this term up in the glossary.. A card index to the Catholic records is:

Fichiers de l'état civil (District judiciaire de Montréal). Registres paroissiaux, 1648–1899 (Card Index of Baptisms, Marriages, Burials of Parishes of Montréal and Neighboring Rural Parishes, 1648–1899). Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1989–1991. (On 192 FHL films beginning with film 1614024; computer number 561715.) Text in French.

Protestant Records in MontréalLook this term up in the glossary.. The indexes to the early Protestant records were in book form. They were divided into three sections: 1766–1834, 1835–1875, and 1876–1899. Microfilm copies are listed in the catalog as:

Index relié de baptêmes, mariages, sépultures non-catholiques, paroisses de Montréal et des paroisses rurales. Registres paroissiaux, 1760–1899 (Index of Baptisms, Marriages, Burials for Non-Catholics of Montréal and Neighboring Rural Parishes, 1760–1899). Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1991. (FHL film 1684034–35; computer number 719742.) Text in French and English. The title is 1760–1899, but the earliest entries are from 1766.

There are several sets of indexes to Montréal Protestant records after 1900. They all have Index de l'état civil (Index to Civil Registration) as part of the title.

Catholic and Protestant indexes are listed in the Locality Search of the Family History Library Catalog under QUEBEC, ILE DE MONTREAL, MONTREAL - CHURCH RECORDS - INDEXES.

Indexes for the City of Québec. An index to civil copies of church records for the Protestants of the city of Québec and the surrounding area is:

Index des baptêmes, mariages et sépultures des protestants de la région de Québec, ca. 1790–1875 (Index to Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials of Protestants in the Region of Québec about 1790–1875). [Sainte-Foy, Qué.]: Archives nationales du Québec, 1983. (On 182 FHL fiche 6334276; computer number 657686.) Text in French.

Indexes for other areas will be listed in the catalog when they become available. Even though these are indexes to records kept by the government, most of them will be listed in the Locality Search of the Family History Library Catalog under QUEBEC, [COUNTY], [TOWN] - CHURCH RECORDS - INDEXES.


Return to top of page


FOR FURTHER READING

More detailed information about research and records of Québec is in:

Boudreau, Dennis M. Beginning Franco-American Genealogy. Pawtucket, R.I.: American-French Genealogical Society, 1986. (FHL book 973 D27bo; computer number 479066.) Prepared for speakers of English who know little French, this brief book includes sample genealogical documents from Québec and tells how to read them. Includes a list of useful addresses and English translations of French Canadian occupations (job titles).

Faribault-Beauregard, Marthe, and Ève Beauregard-Malak. La Généalogie: Retrouver ses ancêtres. (Genealogy: To Find One's Ancestors.) [Montréal, Qué.]: Les Éditions de l'Homme, 1987. (FHL book 971.4 D27b; computer number 471855.) Text in French. This is a reliable, readable discussion of Catholic sources for French Canadians in Québec and other areas. Appendixes list addresses of societies and repositories in North America and in France.

France Research Outline (34715.) Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1996. (FHL book 929.1F21ro Europe-France; fiche 6068531; computer number 789791.) The “Emigration and Immigration ,” and “Names, Personal” sections contain information that applies to research in Québec.

Jetté, René. Traité de généalogie (Treatise on Genealogy). Montréal, Qué.: Les Presses de l'Université de Montréal, 1991. (FHL book 971.4 D27j; computer number 687322.) Text in French. This 716-page work is the most complete scholarly book on French Canadian research. It rewards careful study. For an overview by Jetté in English, see:

“Researching Ancestors in French Québec.” Lifelines: Official Journal of the Northern New York American-Canadian Genealogical Society 12, no. 1 (1995): 25–31. (FHL book 974.7 D25L v. 12; computer number 314396.)

Chapters on Québec research are included in some handbooks listed in the “For Further Reading“ section of the Canada Research Outline (34545).


Return to top of page


COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS

The Family History Library welcomes additions and corrections that will improve future editions of this outline. Please send your suggestions to:

Publications Coordination
Family History Library
35 N. West Temple Street
Salt Lake City UT 84150-3400
USA
We appreciate the archivists, librarians, and others who have reviewed this outline and shared helpful information.

Return to top of page

Previous Document   Next Document

©1998, 2001 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA. No part of this document may be reprinted, posted on-line, or reproduced in any form for any purpose without the prior written permission of the copyright holder. FamilySearch is a trademark of Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
[FamilySearchTM: Research Guidance
Version of Data: 6/9/2001]