Canada, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection contains images of Catholic parish registers of baptisms, marriages and burials. the records include some confirmations and some index entries for Montréal and Trois-Rivières.

The great majority of registers have been well preserved by both Church and state institutions. A few have been destroyed by fire. Because the registers were made in duplicate, a copy may exist even if one was destroyed. Some of the information in the registers has been published.

The earliest, covering events through 1760 and including information from records that no longer exist, is Cyprien Tanguay's Dictionnaire généalogique des familles canadiennes (Genealogical Dictionary of French Canadian Families). A supplement volume is J. Arthur Leboeuf’s “Complément au Dictionnaire Tanguay” (“Supplement to Tanguay’s Dictionary”), which is still in print.

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

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Baptism
 * Date and parish of baptism
 * Name and gender of child
 * Child's date and place of birth
 * Names of parents, including mother's maiden name
 * Names of godparents

Marriage
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Name and age of groom
 * Names of groom's parents and their residence
 * Name and age of bride
 * Names of bride's parents and their residence
 * Whether parents are living or deceased

Burial
 * Name, age and gender of deceased
 * Burial date and place/parish of burial
 * Name of spouse if deceased was married
 * Names of parents if deceased is a minor

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * The date of the event, or the name of a relative
 * The town/city or parish where your ancestor lived

Search the Index
Since this is a limited index, if you do not find your ancestor, browse the images for the parish where your ancestor was living. You may be able to find the name of the parish by checking family information, or by searching the Canada census records.

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 the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Add the new information to your records
 * 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 the Person 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
 * Women in Quebec kept their maiden names in official records, so look for burial records using her maiden name
 * Sometimes an alias name or second surname was added to family names. Dit names were used to distinguish between different families with common names or different branches of the same family. Dit in French means "he is named or called."

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.