Births, marriages and deaths
ABCD Couples
ABCD Miscellaneous
ABCD Individuals
ABCD Births, ABCD Marriages, ABCD Deaths
Acadia – Families
Drouin Great Collections
LaFrance Births, LaFrance Marriages, LaFrance Deaths
NBMDS Births, NBMDS Marriages, NBMDS Deaths

Obituaries, Headstones and Memorial cards
Internet Obituaries
Newspaper Obituaries
Memorial Cards
Groupe Nécro – Headstones

Census
Ontario 1881. Québec 1881 and 1901 Censuses

Notarized Documents, Land Records and Court Records
Notarized Documents

Pictures, Cards and Postcards
Postcards

Phonebooks, City Directories, School Yearbooks
ABCD Directories

ABCD Couples

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

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

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

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

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

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

LaFrance Births, LaFrance Marriages, LaFrance Deaths

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.

Number of documents
Births – 2,050,017 records, 2,040,373 images
Marriages – 5,158,145 records, 3,438,555 images
Deaths – 3,752,127 records, 942,334 images

Period covered
17th to 21st century

Regions covered
Quebec, Eastern Ontario, Northeastern U.S. and Acadia

Source quality – ★★★★★
Direct transcriptions of original documents, source documents often available

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.

Number of documents
Births – 3,129,829 records, 420,715 images
Marriages – 2,108,160 records, 78,256 images
Deaths – 1,488,097 records, 260,485 images

Period covered
17th to 21st century

Regions covered
Quebec, Northeastern U.S. and Ontario

Source quality – ★★★★
Direct transcriptions of original documents, source documents sometimes available

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

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
1,460,000 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

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

Genealogy Quebec

Genealogy Quebec is a subscription based research website regrouping all of the collections and tools developed by the Drouin Institute over the course of its existence.

The website’s 15 tools and collections total for over 100 million images and documents covering all of Quebec as well as part of the United States, Ontario and Acadia from 1621 to this day. Genealogy Quebec is by far the largest collection of Quebec genealogical and historical documents on the Web.

More information about Genealogy Quebec

PRDH-IGD

The PRDH-IGD is a directory of ALL vital events (baptisms, marriages and burials) recorded by the Catholic church in Quebec and French Canada from 1621 to 1861, as well as a genealogical dictionary of families commonly referred to as  “Family Reconstructions”.

The PRDH-IGD database contains over 3.2 million records and can be described as a comprehensive family tree of the French-Canadian population from the beginnings of the colony to 1861.

More information about PRDH-IGD

Fichier Origine

The Fichier Origine is a repertory of baptisms of immigrants to Quebec found in their country of origin (France, essentially) within a collaborative project between French and Quebec genealogy federations coordonated in Quebec

Trace my roots

The Trace my roots Website gives you the opportunity to purchase geolocalized tours in English or in French which you can follow at your own pace, by bike or car, using a phone or tablet. Depending on the route, you will discover, for example, the home of an ancestor, the great career of one of your ascendants or the bridge bearing their name. These excursions have something to captivate the interest of those who are interested in history, especially if they are passionate about genealogy.

Acadian.org

Come visit our website which holds over 520 Acadian and French Canadian resources. We also hold researchable databases that has over 2.5 million individual lineages for 2500 family trees.
Contact is cajun@acadian.org

Whether you are a genealogist or a history enthusiast, you probably have accumulated a lot of information and documents over the years.

The Drouin Genealogical Institute, whose mission is the preservation and democratization of the historical and genealogical heritage of Quebec, is constantly looking for documents and data to add to the collections available on Genealogy Quebec.

If you would like to donate your documents and ensure their preservation and access for future generations, please contact us at contact@institutdrouin.com.

We are mainly interested in the following types of archives:

• List of electors
• Censuses
• Birth, marriage, and death registers
• Obituaries
• Baptism, marriage, and burial directories
• Headstone pictures
• City directories
• Property assessment rolls (List of land owners)
• Memorial cards
• Wedding photos (with names)
• Postcards
• Newspapers
• School yearbooks
• Boarding school registers (Adoption, nurseries, hospices, orphanages, schools, convents)
• Other historical documents with a high density of names

Whether your documents are listed or not, do not hesitate to contact us!

Genealogically yours,

The Drouin team

Welcome to Genealogy Quebec!

On the site, you will find over 50 million images and files that will allow you to retrace the history of your family in Quebec and the surrounding area. These documents are divided into several tools. In order to get the most out of the website, it is important to know which tool to refer to depending on the nature of your research.

Your first search on Genealogy Quebec

Whether you are looking for an individual in particular or want to trace an entire line, your first search on the site is likely to be on the LAFRANCE.

The LAFRANCE contains millions of births, marriages and deaths from Quebec, Ontario, Acadia and the United States from 1621 to the present day. It is with these records, and specifically marriages, that you will be able to trace your ancestry.

Tracing a lineage on Genealogy Quebec

To trace a lineage, you will have to begin by finding a marriage belonging to that line on the LAFRANCE. If you are looking for your own lineage, your parents, grandparents or great-grandparents’ marriage is a good place to start.

The parents of the spouses will generally be listed in a marriage record. By searching for the parents’ names in the LAFRANCE, you should be able to find their marriage and, as such, go back one generation in the line. Thus, you can trace an entire lineage through the chain of marriages of the individuals forming it.

The names of the groom’s parents are listed in the marriage on the left. Searching for them in the LAFRANCE allows us to find their marriage. By repeating the process, we can go back to the first immigrant of a lineage in Quebec territory.

You will find a guide detailing this process at this address.

Tip: Can’t find the marriage you are looking for? Try limiting your search queries to the last names of the spouses, or try different variations of the search such as the first name of the husband and the last name of the wife, or the last name of the husband and the first name of the wife. By doing so, you limit the risk of the record being excluded from the results of your search, which can occur when one of the search queries does not match the information contained in the document.

Advanced search and other types of documents

In addition to its collections of births, marriages and deaths, Genealogy Quebec offers a multitude of tools containing documents of all sorts.

For example, all obituaries, tombstones and memorial cards on the site can be found in the Obituary section.

Genealogy Quebec also allows you to search for births, marriages and deaths that may not be listed in LAFRANCE by using the Connolly File, NBMDS, and BMD Cards collections.

You can find a detailed list of the tools and their contents on the Tools page.

Tip: We recommend that you keep your searches vague, and refine them if necessary by adding one piece of information at a time. When the first or last name you are looking for is unusual, it is seldom necessary to add more information to a search.

The more detailed a search, the more likely it is to omit the result you are looking for, as all the search queries must match the document. For example, your first search could start with the last names of the spouses. If the number of results is too high, you may add an additional variable such as a first name or a year.

Additional documentation and tutorials

Genealogy Quebec user guide

Establishing your ancestry using Genealogy Quebec

Tool specific guides

Using the LAFRANCE
Using the Obituary section
Using the Drouin Institute’s Great Collections
Using the Petit NBMDS tool
Using the Connolly File
Using the Drouin Family Genealogies
Using the Census tool
Using the Notarized documents tool
Using the Post cards tool
Using the Acadia – Families tool
Using the Drouin Collection Records
Using the Drouin Institute’s Miscellaneous Collections
Using the BMD cards
Using the City Directories

Research help

For questions regarding the use of the site, you can contact us at contact@institutdrouin.com.

For research questions, you can also call on our community on the Genealogy Quebec Forum*.

* Please note that you will need to create an account directly on the forum in order to participate.

Best of luck in your research and enjoy the website!

This guide will help you navigate the various pages and collections available on GenealogyQuebec.com.

Table of contents

• Subscribing to GenealogyQuebec.com
• Unsubscribing from GenealogyQuebec.com
• Logging into your Genealogy Quebec account
• Password recovery
• Accessing GenealogyQuebec’s tools and collections
• Other useful links (guides, tutorials, FAQ)
• Research helper
• Using the LAFRANCE
• Using the Obituary section
• Using the Drouin Institute’s Great Collections
• Using the Petit NBMDS tool
• Using the Connolly File
• Using the Drouin Family Genealogies
• Using the Census tool
• Using the Notarized documents tool
• Using the Post cards tool
• Using the Acadia – Families tool
• Using the Drouin Collection Records
• Using the Drouin Institute’s Miscellaneous Collections
• Using the BMD Cards
• Using the City Directories

Subscribing to GenealogyQuebec.com

GenealogyQuebec.com’s tools and collections require a subscription to use. In order to subscribe, head over to the subscription page, and select the subscription of your choosing (24h, 1 month, 1 year).

After selecting your subscription option, you will be redirected to the account creation process, where you will need to enter your email address as well as a username and password of your choosing.

Once you have entered and validated your account information, your account will be created. You will then be prompted to purchase your subscription.

On the subscription purchase page, you will be asked to select your payment method (Paypal or Credit Card) as well as to confirm your subscription option. Clicking on the “Pay” button will redirect you to Paypal or Stripe, depending on your payment method, and allow you to proceed with the payment.

Your subscription will be activated as soon as the payment is processed, which should be instant.

Please note that you can also subscribe by phone using your credit card by calling us at 514-400-3961.

Unsubscribing from GenealogyQuebec.com

If you’ve subscribed using Paypal or your credit card, your subscription will be set to renew automatically. To cancel this automatic renewal, head over to the unsubscribe page and click on “Stop the automatic payments”. If you’re having trouble with this process, contact us at contact@institutdrouin.com or 514-400-3961.

Logging into your GenealogyQuebec.com account

To start using your subscription, you must log into your Genealogy Quebec account. To do so, head over to the login page and enter the username and password you have selected earlier.

Password recovery

If you have lost or forgotten your password, head over to this page and enter your email address. You will receive an email containing a link which will allow you to select a new password for your account.

Accessing GenealogyQuebec.com’s tools and collections

To access Genealogy Quebec’s tools, you can use the “Search tools” tab in the menu bar.

Genealogy Quebec’s tools are separated in 3 categories.

• Primary research tools

These are the most comprehensive and detailed tools available on the website: The LAFRANCE, the Marriages and Deaths 1926-1997 tool, and the Obituary section. For most of our subscribers, these tools will be sufficient to find their ancestors and retrace their lineage. All of these tools are equipped with a search engine.

• Secondary research tools

These are our complimentary research tools. They are used to address potential gaps in searches made using our primary research tools, or to add additional sources and information to these searches. All of these tools are equipped with a search engine.

• Archival funds and databases

These tools use a file tree structure. They are not equipped with a search engine and must be browsed manually.

On the Tools page, users may get more information regarding each tool, such as the type of document, the period and region covered as well as a short tutorial, by clicking on “More information”.

Other useful links (guides, tutorials, FAQ)

Quick Start Guide

What is the PRDH-IGD?

What is Genealogy Quebec?

Genealogy Quebec and PRDH-IGD: the similarities, differences, and why you should subscribe to both

Establishing your ancestry and finding your ancestors using Genealogy Quebec

FAQ – Frequently asked questions

Research helper – Keywords

This section gives you a concise overview of the period, regions and type of documents covered by each of Genealogy Quebec’s tools. Complimentary information is included between parenthesis when the period, region or type of document is only partially covered by the tool.

Period

17th century

• LAFRANCE
• Drouin Great Collections (10 – Prévôté de Québec, 11 – DNCF)
• Connolly File
• Drouin Institute’s Family Genealogies
• Acadia – Families
• Drouin Collection records
• Drouin Institute’s miscellaneous Collections
• BMD cards

18th century

• LAFRANCE
• Drouin Great Collections
• Petit NBMDS
• Connolly File
• Drouin Institute’s Family Genealogies
• Acadia – Families
• Drouin Collection records
• Drouin Institute’s miscellaneous Collections
• BMD cards

19th century

• LAFRANCE
• Obituaries
• Drouin Great Collections
• Petit NBMDS
• Connolly File
• Drouin Institute’s Family Genealogies
• Censuses (1881-1901 Quebec and Ontario)
• Notarized documents
• Acadia – Families
• Drouin Collection records
• Drouin Institute’s miscellaneous Collections
• BMD cards
• City directories

20th century

• LAFRANCE
• Obituaries
• Drouin Great Collections
• Petit NBMDS
• Connolly File
• Drouin Institute’s Family Genealogies
• Censuses (1881-1901 Quebec and Ontario)
• Notarized documents
• Postcards
• Drouin Collection records
• Drouin Institute’s miscellaneous Collections
• BMD cards
• City directories

21th century

• Obituaries
• Petit NBMDS
• Connolly File
• Postcards

Location

Quebec

• LAFRANCE
• Obituaries
• Drouin Great Collections
• Petit NBMDS (Laurentides, Outaouais, Bas-St-Laurent and the city of St-Hubert.)
• Connolly File
• Drouin Institute’s Family Genealogies
• Censuses (1881-1901 Quebec and Ontario)
• Notarized documents
• Postcards
• Drouin Collection records
• Drouin Institute’s miscellaneous Collections
• BMD cards
• City directories (Cities of Quebec and Montreal)

Acadia

• Drouin Great Collections (05 – Fichier HISTOR, 06 – Fiches Acadiennes)
• Acadia – Families
• Drouin Collection Records (“Acadie” and Registres paroissiaux du Nouveau-Brunswick” folders)

Rest of Canada

• Obituaries (Online obituaries and tombstones)
• Censuses (1881-1901 Quebec and Ontario)
• Drouin Collection Records (“Ontario” and “Registres paroissiaux du Nouveau-Brunswick” folders)
• BMD cards (Ontario)
• Petit NBMDS (Ontario)
• Drouin Institute’s miscellaneous Collections (Notarized documents from the Cornwall region, under the “Contrats notariés de l’Ontario” folder)

United States

• Drouin Great Collections (05 – Fichier HISTOR, 21 – Fiches franco-américaines)
• Drouin Collection Records (“États-Unis” and “Registres divers” folders)
• BMD cards (Fall River, MA et Manchester, NH)
• Petit NBMDS

Religion

Catholic

• LAFRANCE
• Obituaries
• Drouin Great Collections
• Petit NBMDS
• Connolly File
• Drouin Institute’s Family Genealogies
• Censuses (1881-1901 Quebec and Ontario)
• Acadia – Families
• Drouin Collection Records
• BMD cards

Protestant

• LAFRANCE (Protestant marriages from 1760 to 1849)
• Obituaries
• Drouin Great Collections (05 – Fichier HISTOR)
• Petit NBMDS
• Connolly File
• Drouin Institute’s Family Genealogies
• Censuses (1881-1901 Quebec and Ontario)
• Drouin Collection Records
• BMD cards

Other

• Obituaries
• Censuses (1881-1901 Quebec and Ontario)

You will find a more detailed version of this research helper on this PDF file.

Using the LAFRANCE

The LAFRANCE (Births, marriages, deaths)

Using the Obituary section

The Obituary section

Using the Drouin Institute’s Great Collections

The Drouin Institute’s Great collections

Using the Petit NBMDS tool

The NBMDS tool (births, marriages, deaths)

Using the Connolly File

The Connolly File (births, marriages, deaths)

Using the Drouin Family Genealogies

The Drouin Institute’s Family Genealogies

Using the Census tool

Censuses (1881-1901 Quebec and Ontario)

Using the Notarized documents tool

The Notarized documents collection

Using the Postcards tool

The Postcards collection

Using the Acadia – Families tool

The Acadia – Families collection

Using the Drouin Collection Records

The Drouin Collection Records

Using the Drouin Institute’s Miscellaneous Collections

The Drouin Institute’s Miscellaneous Collections

Using the BMD Cards

BMD Cards (Baptisms, Marriages, Burials)

Using the City Directories

City directories – Montreal (Lovell), Laval (Lovell) and Quebec (Marcotte)

Genealogy Quebec is a subscription based research website regrouping all of the collections and tools developed by the Drouin Institute over the course of its existence.

Trace your ancestors with over 100 million images and documents covering all of Quebec as well as parts of the United States, Ontario and Acadia from 1621 to this day. Genealogy Quebec is by far the largest collection of Quebec genealogical and historical documents on the Web.

A state-of-the-art search engine lets you explore this extensive archive and uncover records connected to your ancestors.

Try the search engine for free

Collections available on Genealogy Quebec

A Genealogy Quebec subscription gives access to the following collections.

Collections available through the search engine

• Detailed list of the collections available in the search engine

Collections available manually through a folder-based structure

• Drouin Collection Records – All of Quebec’s parish registers from 1621 to 1940, as well as some from parts of Ontario, New England and Acadia.
• Drouin Institute’s miscellaneous Collections – Collection of images, documents, books, pictures and directories of historical and genealogical relevance. Contains the PRDH books, the Jetté dictionary, some municipal archives, old newspapers and much more.
• BMD Cards – A repository of millions of baptism, marriage and burial cards from Quebec, Ontario and the United States. Contains, among other things, the “Antonin Loiselle” and “Kardex” collections.
• City directories –  Contains a digitized version of Montreal (Lovell – 1843 to 2000) and Quebec city’s (Marcotte – 1822 to 1904)  directories.

Subscriptions

There are 2 types of subscriptions to GenealogyQuebec.com. Both subscriptions give access to the entire library of tools and databases; only the length and price of the subscriptions differ.

Monthly subscription – 17,95$

Yearly subscription – 140$

A 7-day FREE trial period is also available.

User guide – Getting familiar with the website

Genealogy Quebec is geared towards both seasoned genealogists and novices alike.

To get the most out of the website, we recommend that you consult the User Guide.

PRDH-IGD.com and GenealogyQuebec.com are genealogical research websites managed by the Drouin genealogical Institute.

Genealogy Quebec

Genealogy Quebec offers over 100 million historical images and documents which can be used to trace one’s family history throughout New France and modern Quebec.

You will find more about the website at this address.

PRDH-IGD

PRDH-IGD is a database of all Catholic baptisms, marriages and burials recorded in Quebec between 1621 and 1861 (nearly 3.2 million records) as well as a genealogical dictionary of families commonly known as “Family reconstructions”.

You will find more information about PRDH-IGD in this article.

What are the differences between PRDH-IGD.com and GenealogyQuebec.com?

What are the advantages of being subscribed to both websites, and how do the subscriptions interact?

Members who are subscribed to both GenealogyQuebec.com and the PRDH-IGD.com have access to the following exclusive features:

• View the original document (parish register) on GenealogyQuebec.com from any PRDH-IGD.com certificate

• View the PRDH-IGD.com individual file of any individual named in a GenealogyQuebec.com‘s LAFRANCE certificate

• 10% bonus PRDH-IGD hits free of charge on purchase for GenealogyQuebec.com subscribers (up to 100 hits)

In this guide, you will learn how to trace your ancestry using your subscription to Genealogy Quebec.

Defining ancestry

Your ancestry denotes all of your ancestors as far back as they are traceable, starting with your parents. With each generation, the amount of ancestors you have doubles: 2 parents, 4 grandparents, 8 great grandparents, etc. An ancestry can be total, or can be limited to a subset of ancestors:

• Paternal ancestry (all the ancestors on the paternal side of your ancestry) or maternal ancestry (all the ancestors on the maternal side of your ancestry)
• Patrilineal (father, grandfather, great grandfather, etc.) or matrilineal (mother, grandmother, great grandmother, etc.) An ancestry can be unlimited, going as far back as the genealogical sources allow, or limited to a certain amount of generations.

The key to tracing a line in genealogy is the marriage record, as it contains, in most cases, the names of the parents of the spouses. With these names, you should be able to find the marriage of the parents in question and go back a generation.

Tools

Genealogy Quebec offers multiple tools allowing you to find all kinds of documents and information about your ancestors. However, the LAFRANCE will be your main tool to trace your lineages on the website. It contains the majority of marriages, births and deaths available on Genealogy Quebec and covers a period stretching from the beginnings of the French colony to today.
The process begins with finding a marriage that belongs to a couple of the lineage you are tracing, such as your parents or your grandparents’ marriage, and using the information contained in the record to jump back from generation to generation.

Tracing a line on Genealogy Quebec

Step one – Gathering information

To trace your ancestry using Genealogy Quebec, you must begin by writing down as much as you know about your ancestors, such as names, dates, and locations. It is always a good idea to ask parents, grandparents and other family members for clues and information regarding the family. The more information you start with, the easier your research will be. Make sure to have all this information readily available when starting your research.

Example case, click to expand

Step two – Using this information to find a marriage from the lineage

We now have to use the information gathered in the first step to find a marriage from the lineage which will serve as a starting point. To do so, go to the LAFRANCE.

When searching for a record on the LAFRANCE, it is important to stick to the following principles:

• Do not fill in too many fields on your initial search. Your first search should only include the surnames of the spouses. By doing so, you limit the risk of the record being excluded from the results of your search, which can occur when one of the search queries does not exactly match the information contained in the document.

• Try different variations of your search. If your initial search does not allow you to find the document you are looking for, this does not necessarily mean that the document is not available on the LAFRANCE. It is likely that the document is there, but that one of the parameters of your search did not exactly match the information contained in the document, which excluded it from the results.
  To overcome this problem, you can try different variations of your search. For example, your initial search might contain the spouses’ surnames only. Your second search would be limited to the husband’s first and last name, without including the wife in the query. Your third search would use the husband’s last name and wife’s first name, and so on. Eventually, if the record is available on the LAFRANCE, one of the variations of your search should allow you to find it.

Finally, it is important to know how to interpret the list of results produced by a search on the LAFRANCE. When you carry out a search by Couple, the results will list every record in which the couple is mentioned, regardless of their role in the record. These can be baptism, marriage or burial records, and the couple can play the role of subjects (the spouses) or parents (parents of the spouses, parents of the newborn child or parents of the deceased person).

In the list of results obtained from a search on the LAFRANCE, the Type column indicates the type of record in question:

• b: baptism
• m: marriage
• s: burial

The Roles column indicates the role held by the couple in the record:

• S-S: Subject-Subject, the spouses
• P-M: Father-Mother, the parents
• S-C: Subject-Spouse, used when one of the spouses is widowed and the previous spouse is mentioned in the record

As such, in the image above:

• The records highlighted in green are baptisms and burials in which the searched couple are the parents
• The record highlighted in red is a marriage record in which the searched couple are the parents of one of the spouses
• The records highlighted in yellow are marriage records in which the searched couples are the spouses

It is with marriages (m) in which the searched couple are the subjects (S-S) that we will be tracing lineages.

Example case, click to expand

Equipped with the information gathered during the first step, Bertrand is now ready to find the marriage that will serve as the starting point for his research.

Bertrand initially decides to begin his research with the marriage of his parents François-Joseph Desjardins and Suzanne Bertrand. Unfortunately, despite multiple attempts, the marriage does not seem available on the LAFRANCE.

Therefore, Bertrand turns to the marriage of his grandparents, François Eugène Desjardins and Anna Jacques.

His search successful, Bertrand now has the information required to go back a generation in his paternal line. To do so, he will have to find the marriage of the parents of François Eugène Desjardins: Charles Eugène Desjardins and Marie Malvina Fortin.

Third step – Going back one generation at a time

With a marriage from your lineage in hand, you are now in a position to find your ancestors. To do so, you will have to find the husband’s (or wife’s) parents marriage, which will allow you to go back a generation.

A simple LAFRANCE search using their names should allow you to do so.

This process is repeated until you reach the first generation of your line to have set foot in Quebec, often in the 18th or even the 17th century. Depending on your family, you may have more than a dozen generations to trace back before you get to the first immigrant.

Example case, click to expand

Thanks to the marriage of his grandparents found earlier, Bertrand knows that his paternal great-grandparents are Charles Eugène Desjardins and Marie Malvina Fortin. He must now find their marriage using the LAFRANCE.

Charles Eugène Desjardins’ marriage indicates that his parents are Alexandre Roy Desjardins and Léocadie Gagnon. Bertrand must now find their marriage and repeat the process again and again, until he reaches the first immigrant of his paternal line.

Six generations later, Bertrand finds the marriage of the first immigrant of his line, Alexandre Roy dit Desjardins, who married Marie Major on September 11, 1668 in Quebec.

Thanks to the LAFRANCE, Bertrand was able to trace his paternal line as far back as the 17th century in minutes.

If you cannot find a marriage in the LAFRANCE

The LAFRANCE contains all Catholic marriages recorded in Quebec prior to 1919, but coverage from 1919 to the present day is not exhaustive. Because of this, you may not be able to find a marriage of your lineage if the information gathered in the first step of your research does not allow you to go back to 1919 or prior.

If this is the case, we suggest that you carry out a search in the LAFRANCE for a death record relating to an individual of the lineage you are researching, since these can also be used as a starting point for your research.

Indeed, death records usually mention the names of the parents of the deceased person. As a result, you could search for the death record of your most distant known paternal ancestor, and obtain the names of his parents from the record, thus allowing you to go back one generation. The next step is to find the marriage of the parents in question, and follow the procedure explained in step two.

Example case, click to expand

Thanks to the information gathered by Bertrand at the start of his research, it was easy for him to find the marriage of his grandparents in the LAFRANCE.

Now imagine a scenario in which Bertrand was unable to gather basic information such as the names of his grandparents. Essentially, Bertrand’s starting point is the names of his parents, their date of marriage, their year of birth and the date of death of his father.

• François-Joseph Desjardins, born in 1908, died on September 1st 1963
• Suzanne Bertrand, born in 1919, died on December 31st 2014
• Married in 1943 in Montreal

The marriage of Bertrand’s parents can be found in the LAFRANCE, but it does not contain the names of his grandparents; it’s a dead end.

Therefore, Bertrand turns to death records. A LAFRANCE search for a Desjardins who died in 1963 allows Bertrand to find his father’s death record.

The record indicates that the names of François-Joseph Desjardins’s parents are F. Desjardins and A. Jacques. A search for a Desjardins/Jacques couple in the LAFRANCE leads to their marriage, which will serve as Bertrand’s starting point in his attempt to trace his paternal line.

Do not hesitate to contact us at contact @ institutdrouin.com if you have any questions regarding this guide or the process of retracing your ancestors.

PRDH-IGD is a database of all Catholic baptisms, marriages and burials recorded in Quebec between 1621 and 1861 (nearly 3.2 million records) as well as a genealogical dictionary of families commonly known as “Family reconstructions”.

All individuals mentioned in these records receive 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 1861.

PRDH-IGD is the result of a rigorous academic effort spanning decades and is recognized worldwide as one of the most detailed and reliable demographic databases.

To better understand the value of family reconstructions, we will explore the database by using the case of François Plouf, who lived in St-François-Xavier-de-Verchères in the 18th century.

To begin, the information is entered in the search engine. In this case, we are searching for any mention of a Francois Plouf in the database, without limiting the search to a specific period or parish.

We obtain a list of results for our search.

• The first column gives us the record number, which is used to identify the record in the database
• The second column gives us the date of the event
• The third column gives us the type of record (baptism, burial or marriage)
• The fourth column gives us the parish in which the event was celebrated
• The role column tells us what role the individual has in the record

We will select the baptism of François Plouf, recorded on the 27th of November 1718 in Contrecoeur.

This baptism certificate was created from the original church record. It highlights all the relevant information from it and presents it in a convenient manner.

In a PRDH-IGD baptism, marriage or burial record, every name is a link to that person’s individual file. By clicking on François Plouf’s name, we are taken to the their individual file as seen below.

The individual file centralizes every mention of an individual found within the database, namely their baptism, burial and marriage. The individual file also mentions the individual’s parents and spouse(s).

Again, every name is also a link to that person’s individual file. Additionally, written dates can be clicked to be taken to the event related to the date.

Finally, the “First marriage” and “Family” mentions link to the relevant Family File. Let’s use François Plouf and Marie Ursule emery Codere’s Family File as an example:

A Family File is created for every married couple mentioned in a record within the database. This Family File centralizes all the information available on the couple as well as all of their children, and provides links to the individual files and records that pertain to the family.

Ultimately, the PRDH-IGD database can be described as a massive family tree of all Catholic individuals who lived in Quebec between 1621 and 1861.

GenealogyQuebec.com integration

Members who are subscribed to both GenealogyQuebec.com and the PRDH have access to the following exclusive features:

1. View the original document (parish register) on GenealogyQuebec.com from any PRDH-IGD.com certificate
2. View the PRDH-IGD.com individual file of any individual named in a GenealogyQuebec.com‘s LAFRANCE certificate
3. 10% bonus PRDH-IGD.com hits free of charge on purchase for GenealogyQuebec.com subscribers (up to 100 hits)

What are the differences between the PRDH-IGD.com and GenealogyQuebec.com?

How to subscribe to the PRDH-IGD?

PRDH subscriptions use “hits”. A “hit” is debited from your account every time a record certificate, an individual file, a family file or a couple file is displayed. However, the initial search that leads to a list of results is free.

You will find the various subscription options at this address.