Re: Julia Bursey m. Joseph Goodro/Goodroe/Gaudreau
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In reply to:
Julia Bursey m. Joseph Goodro/Goodroe/Gaudreau
Mary Alvarado 1/28/03
Mary: I hope you find this after almost 4 years since you first posted the request ... I apologize if some of the internet references are out-of-date or closed, also if the cost of research fees have changed - I drew up this info about 1999 and have not had time to correct it for a number of years. You can now find almost any of these references by using GOOGLE.COM and entering the word or phrases you are looking for.
All the French names I notice you have been searching (Boucher, Charbonneau, Gaudreau, Patenaude, Plouffe, etc.) are from Quebec. This is good because French Catholic family names and marriages are very well documented, but it can be bad if you do not read French or do not know how to check out Quebec church records.
St Albans, VT is right on the American-Canadian border, and many people living there today have family surnames that were from Quebec, just across the border. If they were French-Canadian and Catholic, sometimes the priest had a 'circuit' and visited on a regular basis to conduct baptisms, marriages, and funerals, but the church where the records of these events were kept may have been on the Canadian side of the border. They may still be at the parish church - or more likely they were moved to the nearest regional branch of the Archives de Quebec (Quebec Archives). The VT border area is about 50 miles or so from Montreal, so that is likely where many paper documents you are seeking may exist.
The National Archives of Canada in Ottawa have the following census records for Quebec: 1666-1681 (N); 1825, 1831, 1842 (HF); 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891, 1901 (N). HF means they only list the head of the household, N means they list other people living there by name as well. They also have land petitions from 1764-1867.
NOTE: A census was not taken in 1841 but rather in 1842. It lists only the head of the house. There are 4 rolls of film for Ontario and 9 rolls of film available for Québec. These are listed in the LDS Family History Catalogue.
The 1851 census was actually done in Jan./Feb. 1852 so birth dates can be calculated from 1851. The birth dates in this census are not always accurate because many of the enumerators were semi-literate.
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Pour trouver de renseignements au Québec tels que les PAROISSES, les MUNICIPALITES, etc., un site excellent est - http://www.toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/chercheSimple.asphttp://www.toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/chercheSimple.asp - English transalation: to find information about Quebec such as Parish names or Municipalities (Counties) one excellent site is - http://www.toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/chercheSimple.asphttp://www.toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/chercheSimple.asp -
"Loiselle Index of French-Canadian Catholic Marriages"
Govt of Québec - Commission du Toponymie - To find places in Quebec - http://www.toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/topos.htmhttp://www.toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/topos.htm - The information is in French but once you have identified the "municipalité" a map comes up so you can see exactly where it is. Almost all land transactions in colonial Québec were recorded with notaries. These notary acts can be readily searched through a compact disk program called "Parchemin". You can access "Parchemin" through the American-Canadian Genealogical Society for a modest fee. Go to URL - http://www.acgs.orghttp://www.acgs.org - Donald Chaput, queries editor for “The American-Canadian Genealogist”, journal of the American-Canadian Genealogical Society receives e-mail at - 102475.2260@compuserve - The Society website is - http://www.acgs.orghttp://www.acgs.org - Look at their Research Services. They charge modest fees for research. Fees are halved if you join the society which is also modestly priced. If you live in New England, visit them because they are the best library for French-Canadian genealogy research.
- http://www.genealogy.umontreal.ca/en/default.htmhttp://www.genealogy.umontreal.ca/en/default.htm - The University of Montreal has put on-line ALL of Québec's notary records (births, marriages, deaths, census, etc.) from 1608-1799 - a monumental task. Fee = CAN$20ºº (ca. US$13ºº) for max. 30 days access.
The civil archives of all baptisms and deaths in the district of Montreal are available, but this list is certainly incomplete. One big problem is that until 1878, no parents are listed for children ! You have to check the parish register, and that is a very big task.
In Québec, notarial records exist because Québec, being a colony of France, ran under the principles of French law and all civil or non-criminal matters were handled by notaries. They drafted many commercial transactions such as land sales/purchases, mortgages, leases, powers of attorney and loans. Notaries also were responsible for papers of great interest to genealogists such as marriage contracts, wills, discharges of bequests, and applications for tutorships for insane individuals or minor aged children, among others.
Besides wills or marriage contracts, land transactions should be scanned because they sometimes note a familial link between the seller and purchaser. Married women were almost always referred to under their maiden names, making notarial records often the only source for this all too rare information. Some notaries even made a practice of referring to previous husbands if a widow was remarried, sometimes proving a link which is very difficult to establish through church records. Thus, you might see a land sale referring to a woman as Mary Smith, wife of John Baker and widow of Thomas Best. If you make in-person visits, it is important to read the little scraps of paper salted in among the legal documents.
Most pre-1900 notarial records are available to researchers on microfilm at the regional branches of Les Archives Nationales du Québec, grouped under the old system of judicial districts just as church records are.
The "Loiselle Index of French-Canadian Catholic Marriages" can be obtained at a local LDS Family History Centre. If they do not have the film, they can order it. It is in English and lists parents of bride and groom, where married and date. It goes by alphabetical listing and has about 100 films. It lets you follow lines back some eight generations.
"Le Dictionnaire national des Canadiens francais: 1608-1760"
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Crown grants are held in a Quebec office. Quebec itself holds copies of civil registration records from the early 17th century, but you do need the exact date in order to obtain copies from them. Copies of wills are held in judicial offices of each district in Quebec.
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I hope some of this is helpful for you.
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Re: Julia Bursey m. Joseph Goodro/Goodroe/Gaudreau
Mary Alvarado 12/02/06