Tracing your ancestors in Quebec is like embarking on a journey to the heart of your identity. It’s diving into the history of those who shaped this land, discovering their challenges, their courage, and the traditions they passed down to us. Their stories still resonate today in our collective memory, forming an invaluable part of our cultural DNA.
Every name you uncover, every record you find, is a piece of the great puzzle of your past. By exploring your origins, you not only honor your ancestors’ memory but also gain deeper insight into your own story.
This quest is both collective and deeply personal. It allows you to reconnect with forgotten links, understand certain family customs, or simply satisfy your curiosity about your roots.
Why Start This Research?
To better understand who you are, connect with your Quebec heritage, and celebrate those who helped build the Quebec of today.
An exciting journey awaits—one that leads you in the footsteps of your ancestors.
Example: Patrick’s Genealogical Research
At 56, as he begins to look ahead to retirement, Patrick feels the need to reconnect with his roots. With more time on his hands and a growing curiosity about his family history, he embarks on genealogical research to better understand where he comes from. His goal: to trace the journey of his ancestors, preserve his family’s memory, and perhaps even pass this heritage on to future generations.
Throughout this genealogy guide, we will follow Patrick’s research as a common thread. His journey will serve as a concrete example to illustrate the key steps, guide you through your own process, and inspire you to explore your family history.
The Fundamentals of Genealogical Research
Genealogy is both an art and a science—it’s about tracing the history of your ancestors and reconstructing your family tree. To begin this fascinating adventure, certain basic principles are essential—we will explore them in detail in upcoming lessons.
Be Methodical and Organized: Genealogy requires patience and precision. We will discuss how to start small, carefully record every detail (names, dates, locations, sources), and use tools to stay organized.
Start with Yourself and Work Backward: The easiest way to begin is by relying on what you already know. We will go over how to interview relatives and gather family documents to launch your search.
Identify Information Sources: Quebec genealogy offers many valuable resources. While GenealogieQuebec.com will be our main tool, we will also explore other archives and platforms to provide a comprehensive and nuanced approach to genealogical research.
Understand the Different Document Types: During your research, you will come across various types of records. We will take a closer look at parish registers, notarial acts, censuses, and other key documents that will help you trace your lineage.
Stay Curious and Persistent: Genealogical research can sometimes present challenges. We will offer advice on how to stay motivated and explore different paths that may lead to valuable discoveries.
By keeping these fundamentals in mind and familiarizing yourself with the many genealogical tools available, you will be well-prepared to embark on your journey into your Quebec family history.
Our upcoming lessons will delve deeper into each of these aspects to guide you step by step.
The Importance of Reliable Research Tools and Sources
The accuracy of your genealogical journey depends largely on the reliability of your sources.
The Importance of Reliable Research Tools: Powerful research tools greatly facilitate the exploration of vast amounts of structured data. The collections available on Généalogie Québec, such as LaFrance, have been specifically designed to meet the needs of Quebec genealogists.
TheProgramme de recherche en démographie historique (PRDH) is also a highly valuable resource for older Quebec genealogy. This academic database is recognized for the rigor of its information and its expert-validated lineage connections, making it extremely reliable for more distant historical periods.
The Need for Reliable Sources: The quality of your discoveries directly depends on the credibility of your sources. Always prioritize original records or high-quality reproductions from reputable institutions (national archives, historical societies) and specialized sites like Généalogie Québec, which strive to properly reference their information.
Be cautious with unsourced information found on collaborative platforms where verification is often limited. While such sites may provide helpful leads, it’s essential to validate any findings with primary sources or authoritative compilations like those available in the PRDH.
By using recognized research tools and relying on rigorous sources, you can make credible and well-founded progress in uncovering your Quebec roots.
Overview of the Most Reliable Genealogical Resources
To explore Quebec’s past, you have access to rich and trustworthy online resources. Here are the key tools that will guide your research:
GenealogieQuebec.com: A major gateway to Quebec genealogy, offering a vast collection of digitized records: parish registers (baptisms, marriages, burials), notarial acts, Quebec and Canadian censuses, and a cutting-edge search engine.
Programme de recherche en démographie historique (PRDH): A leading academic resource for early Quebec genealogy, especially for New France and later centuries. Its expert-validated lineage connections make it an extremely reliable source for building solid family trees.
PatrimoineQuébec.ca: Created by Nico Lefrançois, an associate genealogist at Institut généalogique Drouin, this free website is a crucial complementary tool for Quebec genealogy. It features Le Fureteur, a database filled with valuable information, as well as a genealogy book library and historical maps.
Here’s a list of additional Quebec and Canadian genealogy resources:
BMS2000 (Paid) – Index of baptisms, marriages, and burials in Quebec.
Fichier Origine (Free) – Directory of French immigrants who arrived before 1865.
Parchemin (Paid) – Database of notarial acts from the 17th to 20th centuries.
FamilySearch (Free) – Civil and religious records, collaborative family trees.
Ancestry (Paid) – Censuses, civil records, family trees, DNA tests.
MyHeritage (Paid) – International records, user trees, DNA tests.
Findmypast (Paid) – British records with some Canadian collections.
All of these tools will provide a strong foundation for your Quebec genealogical research.
Now that you understand the importance of research and reliable sources, the next lesson will guide you through the concrete steps of starting your own genealogy journey—how to collect family information, organize your data, and establish an effective research plan. Stay tuned for the next installment of this tutorial !
44,000images from the registers of 75 Quebec parishes have been re-digitized in high definition on Genealogy Quebec, offering greatly improved readability.
Re-digitization of the Registers
In total, over 1.4 million images from the Drouin Collection have been re-digitized and enhanced for significantly improved readability — exclusively on Genealogy Quebec.
25% Off Your Subscription
Enjoy 25% off a yearly subscription to Genealogy Quebec when you subscribe before June 28!
There’s no better time to dive into your family history.
The Drouin Collection Records, also known simply as the “Drouin Collection,” consist of digitized images of parish registers (baptisms, marriages, and burials) covering all of Quebec and French Acadia, as well as parts of Ontario, New Brunswick, and the Northeastern United States. The collection spans from the opening of parish registers up to the 1940s, and in some cases, the 1960s.
You can access them with a Genealogy Quebec subscriptionat this address.
Searching in the Drouin Collection
You can search in the Drouin Collection using our search engine, which now offers advanced search features!
We have some exciting news to share! Advanced Search is now available on Genealogy Quebec, allowing you to add the following events to your search queries: birth, marriage, death, residence, and publication.
Explore our collection of over 60 million records like never before with Advanced Search — try it free for 7 days!
You can also try a limited version of the search without a subscription at this address.
How to use Advanced search
To activate Advanced Search, go to the search engine and click on Advanced Search, located to the right of the Search button.
You can then select the event(s) you’d like to include in your search. To learn more and make the most of all the features offered by Advanced Search, we invite you to consult our user guide.
Advanced search feedback
To share your suggestions or report any issues with Advanced Search, please use the feedback form available at this address.
Thousands of families have been added to the Acadia – Families collection on Genealogy Quebec! It’s the perfect time to explore your Acadian roots with this exclusive collection.
Try Genealogy Quebec FREE for 7 days and discover your family history with over 100 million archives.
A credit card is required. The subscription automatically renews to a monthly plan after the trial, unless cancelled. Can be cancelled at any time during and after the trial period.
About the Acadia – Families collection
The Acadia – Families collection contains 190,000 family files reconstructed from Acadian parish records from the 17th to the 20th century.
Each file usually lists a couple and one of their children, with dates of birth, marriage and death for one or more of the individuals listed. Complementary information is also included.
A link to the original source document(s) is often available within the file.
Join the Genealogy Quebec community on Facebook!
Are you passionate about genealogy and want to connect with other researchers? Join the Généalogie Québec Communauté group on Facebook today!
This bilingual community has been created as a place for genealogy enthusiasts to help each other. Come ask questions and share your findings! What’s more, you’ll be able to interact directly with the Drouin Institute team.
48,408 baptism, marriage and burial records have been added to the LaFrance database on Genealogy Quebec. These mid-19th century records are from francophone parishes in Ontario and the United Stats, as well as Protestant parishes in Quebec.
Dive into your family’s history with over 100 million historical archives by becoming a Genealogy Quebec member today!
Get 25% off the yearly subscription until March 28th!
The LaFrance is a collection of birth, marriage and death records from Quebec, Ontario, Acadia and the United States, spanning from the arrival of the first settlers in North America to the present day.
This database includes an index of the Drouin Collection (all Quebec parish registers from 1621 to the 1940s) and the Marriages and Deaths 1926-1997 collection (all marriages and deaths registered by the Quebec government between 1926 and 1997).
Trace your ancestors with these documents and more right now!
More than 60,000 obituaries have been added on Genealogy Quebec!
Explore these documents alongside 60 million historical archives on the website’s new search engine.
And for a limited time, get 25% off the yearly subscription to Genealogy Quebec! There’s never been a better time to dive into your family history.
Newspaper obituaries from Quebec
22,000 obituaries have been added to the Newspaper Obituaries collection. These notices are from all over Quebec and date from 1850 to 2024.
The Newspaper Obituaries collection, available exclusively on Genealogy Quebec, now contains 1,475,000 death notices.These are mainly from Quebec and Ontario, but also from the rest of Canada and the United States.
A fruitful collaboration with the Société d’histoire de La Prairie-de-la-Magdeleine has enabled us to add all of La Nativité de la Sainte-Vierge de Laprairie de la Magdelaine (Notre-Dame) parish’s baptisms and burials from 1862 to 2000, as well as all marriages from 1919 to 2000.
In all, nearly 30,000 records have been added.
Jewish births, marriages and deaths
We have also added over 56,000 records from various Jewish synagogues in Montreal, Quebec and Sherbrooke, as well as 2,300 headstones from the Jewish section of Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Laval. A digitized picture of the register or stone is available with each record.
Canadian obituaries
Finally, we are pleased to share with you some 2,316 obituaries from various Canadian provinces, covering the years 1950 to 1990. These obituaries relate to French-Canadian families, and are courtesy of the Société généalogique du Nord-Ouest.
Dive into your family history with over 100 million historical archives, become a Genealogy Quebec member today!
This database contains files based on couples. The files list various pieces of information relating to the couple, such as dates and places of birth, marriage and death, and the names of the individuals’ parents and previous spouses.
This information comes from the research of numerous genealogists who have shared their data with the Drouin Institute. It is important to verify the content of these files by referring to the primary sources associated with the events and individuals listed.
Number of documents 4,189,539 couple files
Period covered Late 16th century to present day
Regions covered Mainly Quebec, but also a small part of Ontario, the United States, and France
Source quality – ★★★ Information gathered from various sources, source documents not available
Accessing the collection This collection is available through the website’s search engine.
ABCD Miscellaneous
ABCD Miscellaneous is a database based on individuals and couples, containing information of all kinds. This information comes from source documents such as birth, marriage and death certificates, censuses, city directories, as well as Jean-Pierre Pepin’s personal research.
Number of documents 35,244 files
Period covered From the 17th century to the present day
Regions covered Mainly Quebec
Source quality – ★★★★ Information gathered from various sources, but generally taken from primary documents, source documents sometimes available
Accessing the collection This collection is available through the website’s search engine.
ABCD Individuals
This database contains files based on individuals. The files in this collection list various pieces of information relating to the individual, such as dates and places of birth and death, and the names of the individual’s parents.
This information comes from the research of numerous genealogists who have shared their data with the Drouin Institute. It is important to verify the content of these records by referring to the primary sources associated with the events and individuals listed.
Number of documents 1,582,418 files
Period covered Late 16th century to present day
Regions covered Mainly Quebec, but also a small part of Ontario, the United States, and France
Source quality – ★★★ Information gathered from various sources, source documents not available
Accessing the collection This collection is available through the website’s search engine.
ABCD Births, ABCD Marriages et ABCD Deaths
The ABCD Births, Marriages and Deaths databases contain transcriptions of Quebec church and civil records. These are direct transcriptions from the original documents.
Number of documents Births – 1,538,509 files Marriages – 2,618,611 files Deaths – 681,737 files
Period covered Early 17th century to present day
Regions covered Mainly Quebec
Source quality – ★★★★ Direct transcriptions of original documents, source documents not available
Accessing the collection This collection is available through the website’s search engine.
Acadia – Families
The Acadia – Families database contains files reconstructing Acadian families using parish records. The files generally contain the parents and one of their children, dates of birth, marriage and death for one or more of the individuals listed, as well as other complementary information. A link to the original source document(s) is often available.
Number of documents 180,690 files
Period covered 17th to 20th century
Regions covered Acadia
Source quality – ★★★★★ Direct transcriptions of original documents with additional information, source documents often available
Accessing the collection This collection is available through the website’s search engine.
Drouin Great Collections
The Drouin Great Collections database contains a digitized version of the Great Collections published and edited by the Drouin Institute over the course of its existence. They include the following:
La Masculine (Men Series): Alphabetical index of marriages of French-Canadian families from 1760 to 1935, classified by the man’s surname.
La Féminine (Woman Series): Alphabetical list of French-Canadian family marriages from 1760 to 1935, sorted by the woman’s surname.
Le Fichier Histor: A collection of marriage records, including the origin of the individuals and a marriage contract. This collection includes all Catholic and Protestant marriages celebrated in Quebec from 1730 to 1825, as well as marriages celebrated in western French forts such as Detroit, and Acadian marriages.
Les Fiches Acadiennes: This series contains over 50,000 files of Acadian births, marriages and deaths.
Dossiers généalogiques Drouin: Contains first-hand data collected before 1960 by Joseph and Gabriel Drouin to constitute the sum of family genealogies.
Petit Drouin: Directory of Catholic marriages in Quebec from 1760 to 1825.
As well as the following collections: Dossiers généalogiques Drouin, Affinités généalogiques Drouin, and Petit Drouin.
Number of documents 293,402 files and images
Period covered 17th to 20th century
Regions covered Quebec and Acadia
Source quality – ★★★★ Direct and indirect transcriptions of original documents and additional information
Accessing the collection This collection is available through the website’s search engine.
The LaFrance is a database of birth, marriage and death records from Quebec, Ontario, Acadia and the United States, covering from the arrival of the first settlers in North America to the present day.
The collection includes an index to the Drouin Collection (parish registers for Quebec and Ontario) and the Marriages and Deaths 1926-1997 collection (marriage and death forms registered by the Quebec government during the 20th century). The original document is often available for consultation.
Regions covered Quebec, Eastern Ontario, Northeastern U.S. and Acadia
Source quality – ★★★★★ Direct transcriptions of original documents, source documents often available
Accessing the collection This collection is available through the website’s search engine.
NBMDS Births, NBMDS Marriages, NBMDS Deaths
The NBMDS collection contains millions of births, marriages and deaths from a variety of sources, mainly parish and civil registers. These documents cover mainly Quebec, but also parts of the rest of Canada and the United States. The source document is sometimes available.
Regions covered Quebec, Northeastern U.S. and Ontario
Source quality – ★★★★ Direct transcriptions of original documents, source documents sometimes available
Accessing the collection This collection is available through the website’s search engine.
Drouin Collection Records
The Drouin Collection Records is a collection of images of parish registers (baptisms, burials and marriages) as well as of other documents of historical and genealogical significance. It covers multiple North American regions.
This massive collection contains the entirety of Quebec’s civil registry from 1621 to the 1940s, which encompasses the vast majority of individuals who lived in the province during that period, making it an invaluable tool for genealogical research in the province.
Number of documents 5,370,628 parish registre images
Period covered 17th to 21st century
Regions covered Quebec, Northeastern U.S., Acadia, New Brunswick, France and Ontario
Source quality – ★★★★★ High quality digitization of original documents
Accessing the collection The collection can be consulted via a folder tree at this address. Registers are sorted by collection, location and year.
BMD Cards (Baptisms, Marriages, Burials)
The BMD Cards collection is a repository of baptism, marriage and burial cards from Quebec, Ontario and the United States.
This tool contains the Antonin Loiselle, Kardex and Fabien fonds, as well as Ontario BMD cards, BMD cards sorted by cities and families, adoption cards, and death cards sorted by family name, provided by the Quebec Family History Society.
Regions covered Quebec, Northeastern U.S. and Ontario
Source quality – ★★★★ Digitized cards made using the original church registers
Accessing the collection The collection can be consulted via a folder tree at this address. Cards are sorted by collection and alphabetical order.
Internet Obituaries
This collection contains obituaries published online by various Canadian funeral homes and newspapers. These notices come from across Canada and date from 1999 to the present. The index contains the name of the deceased, the date of death and the date of publication, as well as the full text of the obituary. A photo of the deceased is also often available. The collection is updated once or twice a year, to include obituaries from recent months.
Number of documents 3,000,000 obituaries, 1,980,000 images
Period covered 1999 to today
Regions covered All of Canada
Source quality – ★★★★★ Information and complete original text, plus photo of deceased when available
Accessing the collection This collection is available through the website’s search engine.
Newspaper Obituaries
This collection contains obituaries published in Quebec and Ontario newspapers. An image of the original obituary is available in all cases.
Number of documents 1,670,000 obituaries and images
Period covered From the 18th century to the present day, but mainly from the 20th century
Regions covered Mainly Quebec and Ontario, but also the rest of Canada and the US
Source quality – ★★★★★ Index and original document available in all cases
Accessing the collection This collection is available through the website’s search engine.
Memorial Cards
This collection contains memorial cards. An index and an image of the card are available.
Number of documents 99,699 cards and images
Period covered Mid-19th century to present day
Regions covered Mainly Quebec
Source quality – ★★★★★ Index and original document available in all cases
Accessing the collection This collection is available through the website’s search engine.
Groupe-Nécro – Headstones
This collection contains indexed tombstone photos from over 830 cemeteries in Quebec and Ontario. A photo of the tombstone is available in all cases.
Number of documents 739,343 headstones and images
Period covered Mid-19th century to present day
Regions covered Quebec and Ontario
Source quality – ★★★★★ Transcription and photo of the stone available in all cases
Accessing the collection This collection is available through the website’s search engine.
Ontario 1881, Québec 1881 and 1901 censuses
The Ontario 1881, Québec 1881 and 1901 censuses collections contain a detailed index to these censuses. It contains the following information:
Last name
First name
Sex
Marital status
District
Subdistrict
Age
Place of birth
Occupation
Religion
Language
The original document is not available for consultation.
Number of documents Quebec 1881 – 1,358,566 records Quebec 1901 – 1,730,150 records Ontario 1881 – 1,924,191 records
Period covered Quebec – 1881 and 1901 Ontario – 1881
Regions covered Quebec and Ontario
Source quality – ★★★★ Census transcriptions. Original document not available.
Accessing the collection This collection is available through the website’s search engine.
Notarized documents
The Notarized documents collection contains tens of thousands of notarial contracts indexed by type of document, names cited, name of notary, as well as dates and places mentioned in the contract. These documents come mainly from Quebec and Ontario. The original digitized documents can also be consulted.
Number of documents 82,795 contracts, 255,490 images
Period covered 1800 to 1980
Regions covered Quebec and Ontario
Source quality – ★★★★★ Index of relevant information and full contract scan available.
Accessing the collection This collection is available through the website’s search engine.
Postcards
This collection contains postcards sent or received in Quebec and surrounding areas. They are indexed by name of sender and/or recipient. An image of the front and back of the card is available.
Number of documents 256,574 cards and images
Period covered 20th century, mainly from 1960 to 1990
Regions covered Québec and surrounding areas
Source quality – ★★★★★ Sender and/or recipient index, photos of front and back of card available
Accessing the collection This collection is available through the website’s search engine.
ABCD Directories
ABCD Directories is an individual-based database containing information of all kinds. This information comes from source documents such as birth certificates, censuses, city directories, as well as Jean-Pierre Pepin’s personal research.
Number of documents 17,000,000 files
Period covered 21st century
Regions covered Quebec
Source quality – ★★★★★ High-quality and accurate data. Source documents not available.
Accessing the collection This collection is available through the website’s search engine.
City Directories
The City directories tool contains a digitized copy of the directories of Montreal (Lovell), Laval (Lovell) and Quebec (Marcotte) as well as other municipalities. The directories have been digitized and indexed by year and category.
Number of documents 250,000 digitized pages, 40,000,000 individuals listed
Period covered 19th to 21st century
Regions covered Laval, Montreal, Quebec, Cornwall, St-Jean, Rimouski, Gatineau and Hull (coming soon)
Source quality – ★★★★★ High quality digitization of original city directories
Accessing the collection The collection can be consulted via a folder tree at this address. Directories are sorted by city and year.
Drouin Miscellaneous Collections
The Drouin Miscellaneous Collections contain a mix of images, documents, books, newspapers, pictures and directories of historical and genealogical significance.
This update affects the ABCD Couples and ABCD Individuals databases, which contain records that aggregate diverse information gathered from a variety of sources.
Preview of a record from the ABCD Couples collection. Source: New search engine, GenealogieQuebec.com
This update aims to enhance the quality and relevance of the records within these databases. To achieve this, over 5.7 million records have been corrected, merged or removed.
You will notice a significant improvement in the quality of results from these sources.
Genealogy Quebec’s new search engine lets you browse over 60 million historical documents with a single search. Try it for free today!
We are excited to announce that the next development stage of the search engine is underway! Soon, you will be able to add the individual’s mariage, death and residence dates and locations to your search.
Preview of the new search features
We hope to roll out these new features over the winter.
A new way to explore Genealogy Quebec’s millions of historical documents is now available!
Discover our brand-new search engine, giving you access to over 65 million genealogical records.
Browse through all 19 of the site’s databases with a single search using our cutting-edge technology. Tracing your ancestors on Genealogy Quebec has never been easier.
And for a limited time, get 25% off the yearly Genealogy Quebec subscription!
About the new search engine
A global search
You can now search through the entire website with a single query.
A smart search
The technology on which the new search engine is based enables much more advanced logic to be incorporated into the various search functions, giving you much greater flexibility when it comes to your queries. Approximate date, alternative spelling or typo? No problem for the new search engine; you’ll still find what you’re looking for.
Dynamic filters
Your search results can now be segmented using three categories of filters:
Type of document
Location
Year
These filters allow you to refine your search results directly from the results page. For example, you can choose to only display a specific type of document or source collection, or you can limit the results to a particular location or time period.
An abundance of new data
Millions of previously unpublished historical documents are now available exclusively on Genealogy Quebec’s new search engine.
The infrastructure on which the engine is built enables us to share collections that were previously unavailable to the general public. This new data includes BMD records, individual and family files, censuses and historical directories.
In all, we’re talking about over 35 million new documents, for a total of 65 million historical archives to be discovered on the engine.
