My Folders let you save records you find on Genealogy Québec and organize them into custom folders. Organize your finds your way: by person, family, place, parish, lineage, or research project.
Update the name and/or add a description, and click Save.
You can change a folder’s name and description at any time.
Delete a folder
Open the folder you want to delete.
Click Edit folder (gear icon).
Click Delete folder, then confirm. This action cannot be undone.
Naming your folders
Use clear, descriptive folder names so you can find them quickly. You can name folders by person, family, region, parish, or lineage—whatever matches your workflow. Here are some suggestions:
Tremblay family
Descendants of Marie Gagnon
Notre-Dame Parish (Montréal)
Project: maternal line
Louis Cyr
Save a record to a folder
From a record page
Go to the page of the record you want to save.
Click Save, then select the folder you want. You can also create a new folder directly from this drop-down menu.
You can save the same record to multiple folders.
From My Folders
In one of your folders, find the record you want to add to another folder, then click the + icon.
The Add to a folder menu opens. Select the folder or folders you want to add the record to.
Remove a record from a folder
Open My Folders and select the folder you want.
Click the trash icon on the record you want to remove.
The record is removed from the current folder only.
Browsing My Folders
Find a folder
The search bar lets you search your folders by name—start typing to narrow the list.
Pagination and navigation
Up to 20 folders are shown at a time in the navigation panel. Within a folder, up to 20 records are shown per page, in the order they were added (most recent first).
Limits
You can create up to 500 folders on your account. A maximum of 200 records can be added to each folder.
Additional information and FAQ
Institutional access
My Folders isn’t available when you’re using the site through an institutional access (library, university, etc.).
Expired subscription
Even if your subscription has expired, you can still access My Folders and continue to manage and view your folders. However, you’ll need to resubscribe to view the full record pages on the site—only the previews remain visible in your folders.
Privacy
Your folders are private and only visible within your account. Other Genealogy Quebec members can’t access them.
Legacy Tools
My Folders isn’t available in Genealogy Québec’s Legacy Tools. You can only save records found through the Global Search engine.
Interest in Canadian citizenship by descent has increased sharply following recent changes to Canada’s citizenship rules—most notably Bill C-3 (in force December 15, 2025), which removed the first-generation limit to citizenship by descent in some situations.
For many applicants, the main challenge is not understanding the concept of citizenship by descent—it is proving a clear, documented lineage from the applicant to the relevant Canadian ancestor.
This article focuses on the practical side of that problem: how to build a proof-ready lineage trail using historical records.
A note on the “official process”
Citizenship eligibility and application requirements must always be taken from official Government of Canada resources. In most cases, the official workflow involves:
The sections below focus on what applicants can control: building a documented lineage trail that supports the file.
How to prove your lineage: a practical approach
Think “chain of evidence,” not “family tree”
For citizenship-by-descent research, the goal is usually not to build a large family tree. The goal is to build a chain connecting one generation to the next:
You → parent → grandparent → (repeat) → Canadian ancestor
Each link in that chain must be supported with documentation that clearly identifies the person and the relationship. A single weak link can create uncertainty that affects the entire chain.
Prioritize records that establish parent-child links
The most useful documents are typically those that explicitly identify parents or clearly connect generations. In many lineages, the “core” record types are:
Birth records or baptism records
Marriage records
Death records or burial records
These records are valuable because they can provide the names of parents, the spouse, places of origin or residence, and other identifiers that help confirm the correct person, and establish filial links between individuals.
Marriage records often name the bride and groom’s parents, helping move one generation back when documenting a lineage for Canadian citizenship by descent. This GenealogyQuebec.com example shows how original historical sources connect generations.
From online research to a certified copy
Genealogy databases such as Genealogy Quebec help locate the correct record and confirm the family links, but IRCC applications typically require official documents or certified true copies from the appropriate authority.
Here’s how you can go from your online research to the certified copy:
Locate the record (birth/baptism, marriage, death/burial) using indexed search and open the original image when available to confirm you have the right person. Record the reference details (parish/municipality, date, type of act, names, page/act number or image reference).
Request the official or certified version from the appropriate authority:
For Quebec civil-status certificates/copies of acts, this is typically the Directeur de l’état civil.
For older Quebec parish registers held by the archives, a certified reproduction can be requested from BAnQ. Here is an English-language guide that will guide you through the process.
For the rest of Canada, request the official certificate from the vital statistics office in the province/territory where the event was registered (contact list: Vital statistics offices by province/territory).
Follow IRCC’s checklist for what to submit (format, quality, translations).
Quebec birth records (Drouin Collection): using baptisms to obtain a certified copy
In many historical Quebec cases, the “birth record” researchers need is actually a baptism entry recorded in a parish register. These parish registers are often found through the Drouin Collection on GenealogyQuebec.com, where researchers can view the original images and extract the exact reference details.
Example of a Quebec baptism (“birth”) record from the Drouin Collection on GenealogyQuebec.com, showing the original register image alongside indexed details such as the parents’ names, date, and parish—key information for documenting a lineage for Canadian citizenship by descent.
Once the correct record has been identified online, the next step for official purposes is to obtain an official certificate or a certified copy from the appropriate authority (in Quebec, this is typically the Directeur de l’état civil, or BAnQ for older parish registers).
For parish church records, the underlying record usually is the same parish register entry you’ll have found through your research—BAnQ simply issues the certified copy which is required for the citizenship application process. Once the correct act is found, note the key identifiers (parish, date, names, page/act) and file a BAnQ request for a certified reproduction.
Ultimately, Canadian citizenship by descent is a documentation exercise: build a defensible lineage chain, then obtain the official or certified documents required for submission.
For research that runs through Quebec and Acadia/New Brunswick (and selected Ontario records), GenealogyQuebec.com is one of the most comprehensive resources available: it lets you search and verify births/baptisms, marriages, and deaths on original document images and indexed results, so you can pinpoint the exact act before requesting the official or certified copy from the appropriate authority. Start your research on GenealogyQuebec.com to locate and verify the records needed to document your lineage chain.
This article is provided for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Canadian citizenship rules are fact-specific and may change. Always confirm your situation and the current requirements using official Government of Canada (IRCC) resources.
A brand-new collection of directories and censuses featuring over one million individuals is now available on Genealogy Québec!
New collection
This collection features directories and censuses spanning the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries from across Quebec. While the information varies by source, records often provide key details such as the city and year of residence, date of birth, and occupation.
Enjoy a FREE 7-day trial
Explore over 100 million historical records and discover your family history with Genealogy Quebec today!
16,000 images from the registers of 35 parishes in Quebec and Acadia have been re-digitized in high definition on Genealogy Quebec, offering greatly improved readability.
Re-digitized Registers
Nearly 1.5 million parish register images from Quebec and Acadia have now been re-digitized — exclusively on Genealogy Quebec.
At first glance, you might assume that Genealogy Quebec is exclusively dedicated to the history of Quebec families. In reality, the site’s mission goes far beyond the province’s borders. GenealogyQuebec.com is about tracing French-Canadian and Canadian ancestry across North America — and that includes a wealth of documents from Ontario, home to countless descendants of Quebec settlers.
If your roots stretch into Ontario, you’ll find nearly five million records and images covering the province’s rich genealogical history right here on Genealogy Quebec. Below is an overview of the Ontario material available to our members.
Discover your Ontario ancestors with full access to millions of records.
Begin your journey with a free 7-day trial to Genealogy Quebec.
Ontario’s birth, marriage, and death records form the backbone of genealogical research, and Genealogy Quebec offers hundreds of thousands of them in searchable and image form.
Across our collections, you’ll find 100,000+ births, 450,000+ marriages, and 140,000+ deaths from Ontario, along with 220,000 family files that group key life events and family relationships.
The Drouin Collection Records add depth with the parish registers of over 250 Ontario parishes and locations, totaling more than 290,000 digitized images, while our BMD Cards collection includes 118,000 handwritten or typewritten cards containing birth, marriage, and death information of Ontario residents.
When using the global search engine, you can refine your results by location using the filters on the left side of the page.
Start by selecting Canada, and choose Ontario to display only records from that region. It’s an easy way to focus your research and quickly find Ontario ancestors.
Obituaries and Headstones
Obituaries and cemetery records are essential for tracing more recent generations and uncovering family connections that parish records alone can’t reveal.
Genealogy Quebec features nearly 1.3 million Ontario obituaries, drawn from both online and newspaper sources. These obituaries often include detailed biographical information, family relationships, and even photographs, making them invaluable for documenting 20th- and 21st-century ancestors.
Complementing these are over 42,000 headstone photos from Ontario cemeteries, providing an enduring record of burial sites and family links.
All of these collections can be searched through Genealogy Quebec’s global search engine.
1881 Ontario Census
The 1881 Ontario census on Genealogy Quebec includes over 1.9 million indexed individuals, providing a detailed snapshot of the province’s population at the time. These records capture information on age, birthplace, language, religion, and place of residence — essential data for situating your ancestors in their historical context.
You can search the entire 1881 census through Genealogy Quebec’s global search engine and cross-reference results with other Ontario collections to expand your family history research.
Other Historical and Genealogical Documents
Beyond parish records, obituaries, and censuses, Genealogy Quebec also offers a variety of unique Ontario sources that bring additional depth to your family research.
Within theglobal search engine, you’ll find over 1,100 notarized contracts, offering insights into property transactions, agreements, and other civil matters that help flesh out family histories.
Généalogie Saint-Laurent – 64,000+ images featuring obituaries, family genealogies, repertories, and wedding photographs.
The Chesterville Record – 12,000+ digitized pages from a historical Ontario newspaper.
Cornwall Directory (1973–1980) – 1,700+ pages documenting local residents and businesses.
Great Ottawa and Hull City Directories (1875–2000) – coming early 2026, a collection of over 150,000 images of directories covering the Ottawa–Hull region.
Together, these archives highlight Ontario’s cultural and genealogical richness and make Genealogy Quebec a one-stop destination for discovering the province’s past.
Why Ontario Matters in French-Canadian Genealogy
French-Canadian presence in Ontario dates back to the 17th century, when explorers, missionaries, and fur traders from New France traveled along the Ottawa River and the Great Lakes. Permanent French-Canadian settlement, however, developed mainly in the late 18th and 19th centuries, as families from Quebec moved westward in search of farmland and work in forestry, mining, and railway construction. These movements established enduring Francophone communities in regions such as Ottawa, Sudbury, and Hearst, which remain culturally vibrant today.
Historically, the border between Ontario and Quebec was far less rigid than it is today. Many individuals who believed they lived “in Quebec” were, in fact, residing in areas that are now part of modern Ontario. Exploring Ontario records on Genealogy Quebec helps reconnect these intertwined histories — tracing French-Canadian families on both sides of a border that was once much more fluid.
Accessing Ontario Records on Genealogy Quebec
Most Ontario genealogy records mentioned above can be searched directly through Genealogy Quebec’s global search engine, while others are available in their own dedicated sections elsewhere on the site. Through the search engine, you may perform free searches — results will show limited details, giving you a glimpse of the records available before subscribing.
To access full record details and explore millions of Ontario and French-Canadian documents in depth, start your free 7-day trial at GenealogyQuebec.com.
• 70,000 new obituaries • From across Canada • Covering the period from September 2024 to September 2025 • Available through the search engine in the Internet Obituaries collection
Acadian Obituaries – Viateur Robichaud Collection
• 65,000 new obituaries • From Acadia • Covering the years 1967 to 2024 • Available through the search engine in the Newspaper Obituaries collection
Obituaries of French-Canadian Descendants from Alberta – Northwest Genealogical Society Collection
• 2,800 new obituaries • Primarily from Alberta • Covering the years 1960 to today • Available through the search engine in the Newspaper Obituaries collection
91,000 new images from the registers of 39 parishes have been added to Genealogy Quebec!
Parish Registers
These 91,000 new images come from the Cornwall region in Ontario and span from the 18th century to the 1990s. They can be consulted in the Drouin Collection Records under the folder “Ontario/Alexandria, Diocèse d’ (Catholiques)/”.
25% Off Your Subscription
Enjoy 25% off the yearly subscription to Genealogy Quebec up until September 26!
Don’t miss this opportunity to explore your roots at a discounted rate!
Here is the list of parishes added through this update.
Alexandria (Sacré-Cœur) — 1911–1977
Alexandria (St-Finnan’s) — 1836–1977
Apple Hill (St-Anthony) — 1914–1977
Collected Data and Memories of R. J. MacDonald
Cornwall (Blessed Sacrament) — 1965–1977
Cornwall (Christ-Roi) — 1964–1977
Cornwall (Cimetière Notre-Dame Cemetery)
Cornwall (General history of Diocese Alexandria-Cornwall)
Cornwall (Hôtel-Dieu) — 1929–1990
Cornwall (Nativité) — 1887–1977
Cornwall (Orphelinat) — 1909–1952
Cornwall (St-Columban’s) — 1834–1977
Cornwall (Ste-Croix) — 1954–1977
Cornwall (Ste-Thérèse-de-Lisieux) — 1955–1977
Cornwall (St-Félix-de-Valois) — 1937–1977
Cornwall (St-François-de-Sales) — 1937–1977
Cornwall (St-Jean-Bosco) — 1944–1977
Cornwall (Sts-Martyrs-Canadiens) — 1963–1977
Crysler (Notre-Dame-du-Rosaire) — 1879–1977
Dalkeith (St-Paul) — 1940–1977
Diocèse d’Alexandria (32 paroisses) — 1977–1990
Finch (St-Bernard) — 1946–1977
Glen Nevis (Ste-Marguerite-d’Écosse) — 1881–1977
Glen Robertson (St-Martin-de-Tours) — 1920–1977
Glen Walter (Précieux-Sang) — 1913–1977
Green Valley (Ste-Marie-de-l’Assomption) — 1956–1977
Greenfield (Ste-Catherine-de-Sienne) — 1894–1977
Histoire d’un Diocèse – Alexandria-Cornwall
Ingleside (Our Lady of Grace) — 1898–1977
Lancaster (St-Joseph) — 1904–1977
Lochiel (St-Alexander) — 1863–1977
Martintown (St-Guillaume) — 1949–1977
Maxville (St-Jacques) — 1946–1977
Moose Creek (Notre-Dame-des-Anges) — 1883–1977
St-Andrews West — 1807–1978
St-Raphaël — 1804–1976
St-Régis — 1762–1977
The Fate of Glengarry
Williamstown (St-Mary’s) — 1854–1977
The Drouin Collection Records
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 the parish registers up to the 1940s–2000s, depending on the parish.
You can access them with a Genealogy Quebec subscriptionat this address.
All Catholic marriages celebrated in Quebec from 1862 through 1871 are now online at PRDH-IGD.com, adding more than 75,000 records to the database.
Of the 150,000 spouses mentioned in these marriages, over 85% have been integrated into the PRDH family reconstructions. They now each have their own family file, in addition to appearing in their parents’ file.
Explore this new data by subscribing to PRDH today!
PRDH-IGD is a database of all Catholic baptisms, marriages and burials recorded in Quebec between 1621 and 1861 – and now up to 1871 for marriages – as well as a genealogical dictionary of families commonly known as “Family reconstructions”.
Every individual mentioned in these records receives their own “individual file” which centralizes the information available on the individual, along with links to the records in which they are mentioned.
In addition, every married couple receives their own “family file”, which fulfills a similar role as the individual file, but for a family unit.
It contains a list of the couple’s children with links to their respective individual files and vital events, as well as additional information about the married couple.
As a result, PRDH-IGD can be described as a detailed family tree of the entire French-Canadian population from the colony’s beginnings to the 1860s.
If you have genealogy experience but are new to Genealogy Quebec, click here.
The Basics of Genealogy
Genealogy is the science dedicated to researching family lineages. But more specifically, what does this research involve?
It all depends on your goal. In fact, there are several types of genealogy, and the scope of your research will depend on the type of ancestry you wish to build.
Linear ancestry
All the direct-line ancestors of the individual of your choice (generally your father) — their parents, then paternal grandparents, and so on. This is the simplest and quickest type of ancestry to complete, and it connects you directly to the most distant direct ancestor bearing your family name.
Complete Ancestry
All the ancestors from whom you descend. This type of ancestry includes every known ancestor in your lineage, with the number doubling each generation: two parents, four grandparents, eight great-grandparents, and so on.
Your Genealogical Research in 3 Steps
Whether you’re working on linear or complete ancestry, the key to your research is the marriage record.
Indeed, officiants were generally required to record the names of the spouses’ parents. By finding the marriage records for these individuals, you can trace back to the previous generation, and then repeat the process to go back through the generations.
The marriage record on the left includes the names of the groom’s parents. Using this information, we can locate their marriage record. By repeating this process across generations, it becomes possible to trace the family line back to the very first ancestor who arrived in Quebec.
Step One – Gather Information
To trace your ancestors, the first step is to establish the information you already know — such as names, dates, and places — by speaking with relatives if necessary.
It is strongly recommended to record as much information as possible so you can refer to it during your research.
Step Two – Use This Information to Find a Marriage in the Lineage
It’s now time to use the information gathered in the first step to locate a marriage record in the lineage, which will serve as your starting point.
A search for François Eugène Desjardins’s marriage.
Step Three – Trace Back Generation by Generation
With a marriage record in hand, you are now in a position to trace the ancestors in your lineage. You can go back one generation by finding the marriage of the groom’s or bride’s parents, whose names are listed in your starting marriage record.
To do this, simply search for the names of the groom’s or bride’s parents, as applicable.
Search for Charles Eugène Desjardins’s marriage, father of François Eugène Desjardins.
This process is repeated until you reach the first generation of your lineage to set foot in Quebec, often in the 18th or even 17th century. Depending on the family, you may have to go back more than ten generations before reaching the first immigrant.
Marriage of Antoine Roy Desjardins, the first Desjardins in New France.
Additional Documents – The Little History of Your Ancestors
Tracing the individuals in your lineage is the foundation of genealogy. But once these people are identified, is your research over? Once again, it all depends on your goals.
Some researchers set out to find the children of the couples they’ve traced or to supplement the lineage(s) with birth and death dates and locations for each individual. These additional searches are generally done using birth and death records. However, Genealogy Quebec also offers a wide variety of documents that can add color and depth to your family tree.
On the search engine, you will find the following types of documents:
Obituaries and memorial cards: May contain additional information about the deceased and their family.
Headstones: Provide a place of memory and reflection for your ancestors.
Censuses: Offer a variety of information about the family unit.
Notarial contracts: Give fascinating insight into various aspects of our ancestors’ daily lives.
Postcards: Offer a unique glimpse into the everyday life of our ancestors.
Other miscellaneous documents
You now have all the tools you need to start your genealogical research!
Want to go further? Check out our complete 7-part genealogy guide, which explores each step of the process in detail and supports you throughout your discoveries:
Whether you’re searching for a specific document, an individual, a lineage, or a complete genealogy, Genealogy Quebec’s search engine has got you covered.
The search engine is divided into two sections that operate independently, each with its own features: Basic Search and Advanced Search.
By default, Basic Search is enabled. You can activate Advanced Search by clicking the Advanced Search button.
Basic Search
Basic Search, with its 4 fields, works on a simple principle: you are searching for a specific individual, and the search engine provides you with every document on the site that mentions the individual. The results are ordered according to the probability that the document in question relates to the individual you’re looking for.
The more the information contained in a document matches your search parameters, the earlier it will appear in the results list.
First name(s) and last name(s)
This is where you enter the name of the person you’re looking for. This person can have any role in the document (subject, parent, spouse, godparent, or simply being mentioned anywhere within the document), but documents where the person is the subject are prioritized.
Accents, capital letters and hyphens may or may not be used in your search without affecting the results.
Adjusting the search broadness
Under the first name and last name, you have the option of adjusting the broadness of your search, i.e. the level of difference between the name you entered, and the name found in the corresponding document.
In the year of birth box, it is important to enter the exact or approximate year of birth, not the year of marriage or death.
The engine performs a calculation based on the year of birth to show you results relevant to your search. If you enter a date other than the approximate year of birth, many relevant records will be excluded from the search results.
You can adjust the range of years searched by clicking on +/-.
Location where your ancestor may have resided
The location is used to order and prioritize search results. For example, if two documents contain the name entered, but only one contains the location searched for, the document also containing the matched location will appear first in the results.
You can use the location search box freely, by entering a district, town, region, parish or even a country.
Please note that a match between the searched location and the location listed in the document is not necessary for the document to appear in the search results. The location is only used to prioritize results, not to exclude them.
Advanced Search
Advanced Search allows you to refine your search using additional parameters. It consists of two parts: adding events and adding individuals (coming soon).
Add an Event to the Search
This feature allows you to specify the date and/or location of events related to the individual or document you are searching for.
Available Events
Birth: Add the year and place of birth or baptism for the person you are searching for.
Marriage: Add the year and place of marriage for the person you are searching for.
Death: Add the year and place of death or burial for the person you are searching for.
Residence: Add the year and place of residence for the person you are searching for.
Publication: Add the year and place of publication, prioritizing documents published at that date and/or in that place.
Any Event: Search for a year and/or place appearing in a document, regardless of the event to which that date or place is associated. The year and place entered do not need to belong to the same event.
When you add an event year or location to your search parameters, the search engine uses it to rank the results by relevance. The more closely a document matches your search criteria, the higher it will appear in the results list.
However, you can require a parameter to be present by using the “Must Match” checkbox. When this box is checked, only documents in which this information is explicitly mentioned will appear in your search results.
Search filters
The search engine offers filters that allow you to refine your search results.
Three filters are available: filter by document type and source collection, filter by location, and filter by date.
When you apply a filter, any documents that do not match it are removed from the results list.
For more information about the search engine and usage tips, please refer to our Search Engine User Guide.
Other Tools and Collections
Finally, Genealogy Quebec offers directories of parish registers and various documents, accessible through structured folder trees:
Drouin Collection Records: All parish registers from Quebec and French Acadia, as well as some from Ontario and the Northeastern United States, dating from 1621 to the 1940s.
Drouin Miscellaneous Collections: An assortment of archival fonds, images, documents, books, photos, and directories of historical and genealogical interest.
City Directories: Various city directories and phone books from across Quebec and Ontario, often dating back to the 19th century.
Although these sources are less accessible than the collections integrated into the search engine, they remain extremely valuable and can greatly assist your research.
Finally, feel free to contact us at contact@institutdrouin.com with any questions about the site or genealogy.
