Abrams Collection Genealogy Highlights
July/August 2002
Volume 4, Number 4

King François, The First, asked Jacques Cartier to undertake the official exploration of North America, an effort which was launched in 1534. This first planned journey, and the subsequent efforts, secured France's claim to the Saint Lawrence River Valley and Eastern Canada. The French Régime in Canada dated from 1524 when Giovanni da Verrazzano sailed in the service of France to 1763 when France signed the Treaty of Paris that acknowledged Britain's claim to all Canadian territories. Prior to 1763, French Canadian citizens moved within Canada and immigrated to the United States in hopes of avoiding British governmental control. As a result, there is a diaspora of Americans with French Canadian ancestry throughout the United States. Concentrations of French Canadian descendants are located in Michigan (Habitants) and Louisiana (Acadians or Cajuns).

This publication is to aid you in researching your French Canadian or Québécois ancestors at the Library of Michigan. It is not intended as a comprehensive list of genealogical resources for this population, rather as a list of notable materials available at the Library.

Searching ANSWER, the Library's online catalog, is the only way of determining if the Library of Michigan holds the resources that you seek. Use the following keywords on ANSWER to retrieve the greatest number of genealogy citations; clicking on the links in this publication will take you to the ANSWER catalog search results or the catalog record for a particular item:

• French Canadians Genealogy
• Canada Genealogy Dictionaries
• Marriage records Québec
• Church records and registers Canada
• Registers of birth-Canada
• Public Archives Canada
• New France Biography
• Jesuits North America
• French United States Genealogy
• Acadians Genealogy
• Québec Genealogy
• Nova Scotia Genealogy
• Catholic Genealogy

Adding a geographical location will allow you to narrow your search. For example, Québec and Saint-Hyacinthe will retrieve genealogical resources that focus on that area of Québec. Proper family names may also be searched, for example: Margry, Pierre. When searching by keyword, it is not necessary to capitalize proper nouns.

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Key Sources

Charbonneau, Hubert and Jacques Légaré, eds. Répertoire des Actes de Baptême, Mariage, Sépulture et des Recensements du Québec Ancien. Montréal: Presses de l'Université de Montréal, 1980-1990.
Genealogy F 1051.8 R46 1980

Denissen, Christian. Genealogy of the French Families of the Detroit River Region Revision, 1701-1936. Detroit: Detroit Society for the Genealogical Research, 1987.
Michigan F 565 .D4z 1987

Dulong, John P. French-Canadian Genealogical Research. Palm Harbor, FL: Lisi Press, 1995.
Genealogy CS 88 .Q4 D84 1995

Institut généalogique Drouin. Répertoire Alphabétique des Mariages des Canadiens-français, 1760-1935: Ordre Masculin. Longueuil, QU: Services Généalogiques Claude Drouin, 1989-1990.
Genealogy Microfiche CS 88 .Q4 I57 1989
For women/brides, see call number CS 88 .Q4 I572 1991.

Jetté, René. Dictionnaire Généalogique des Familles du Québec. Montréal: Presses de l'Université de Montréal, 1983.
Genealogy CS 88 .Q4 J47 1983

Loiselle, Antonin. Loiselle Card Index to Many Marriages of the Province of Quebec and Adjacent Areas. Montréal: A. Loiselle, 1986.
Genealogy Microfiche F 1054.5 .Q3 L64 1986

Tanguay, Cyprien. Dictionnaire Généalogique des Familles Canadiennes Depuis la Fondation de la Colonie Jusqu'a nos Jours. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1967
Genealogy F 1051. T16 1967

---. Searching through the Old Records of New France: For All of Those Precious Genealogical Details. Pawtucket, RI: Quintin Publications, 1999.
Genealogy F 1035 .F8 T36 1999

Zaleski, Jan Steven. Guide to Records of Border Crossings between the United States and Canada, 1895-1954. Detroit: J.S. Zaleski, 1993.
Genealogy JV 6654 .Z3 1993

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Source Books

Archives Nationals du Québec. Rapport des Archives Nationals du Québec. Québec: Ministèrs des Affaires Culturelles, 1976.
Genealogy F 1051 .Q25

Arsenault, Bona. Histoire et Généalogie des Acadiens. Québec: Leméac, 1978.
Genealogy F 1038 .A7 1978z

Askin, John. John Askin Papers. Detroit: Detroit Library Commission, 1928-.
Michigan F 574 .D4 A8

Baxter, Agnus. In Search of Your Roots: Tracing Your Family Tree in Canada. Toronto: M&S, 1999.
Genealogy CS 82 .B393 1999

Beauregard, Martha F. Population des Fortes Français d'Amérique (XVIIIe siecle): Répertoire des Baptêmes, Marriages et Sépultures Célébres dans les Fortes et les Établissements Français en Amérique du Nord au XVIIIe Siécle. Montréal: Bergeron, 1982.
Genealogy E 184 .F8 B43 1982

Beers, Henry Putney. French & British in the Old Northwest: A Bibliographical Guide to Archive and Manuscript Sources. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1964.
Main F 478.2 .B4 1964

Brault, Gerard J. French-Canadian Heritage in New England. Kingston, ON: McGill-Queen's University Press, 1986.
Genealogy F 15 .F85 B73 1986

Carter, Clarence Edwin, ed. Territory of Michigan, 1805-1837.
Michigan F 566 .T472

Checklist of Parish Registers, 1986 = Répertoire de Registres Paroissiaux, 1986. Ottawa, ON: Manuscript Division, National Archives of Canada, 1987.
Genealogy CS 89 .C47 1987

Collet, Mathieu Benoît. Catholic Missions in Canada: 1721; A Profile for Genealogy and Microhistory. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1942-1945.
Genealogy BV 2815 .Q3 C64

De Ville, Winston, trans. Acadian Church Records, 1679-1757. Mobile, 1964.
Genealogy F 1036.8 .D4

Déziel, Julien. Médaillons d'Ancêtres. Montréal: Éditions du Saint-Laurent, 1970.
Genealogy CS 89 .M4 1970

Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français (1608-1760). Montréal: Institut généalogique Droiun, 1965.
Genealogy F 1035 .F8 D5 1965

Dionne, Narcisse Eutrope. Les Canadiens-Francais: Origine des Familes Émigrées de France, d'Espagne, de Suisse, etc., pour Venir se Fixer au Canada Depuis la Fondation de Québec Jusqu'à ces Derniers Temps, et Signification de leurs Noms. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1969.
Genealogy F 1035 .F8 D565 1969

Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1996.
Reference F 1002 .D49

Directory of Canadian Records and Manuscript Repositories. Ottawa, ON: Association of Canadian Archivists, 1977.
Genealogy CD 3620. D5z

Elliot, Noel Montgomery. French Canadians, 1600-1900: An Alphabetized Directory of the People, Places and Vital Dates. Toronto: Genealogical Research Library, 1992.
Genealogy CS 81 .F7 1992

Gee, Patricia. Guide to Quebec Vital Records. Dearborn: Dearborn Genealogical Society, 1977.
Genealogy CS 88 .Q4 G43 1977

H. Belden & Company. Illustrated Atlas of the Eastern Townships and South Western Quebec. Owen Sound, ON: Richardson, Bond and Wright, 1972.
Genealogy Oversize G 1140 .B44 1972

Hillman, Thomas A. Catalogue of Census Returns on Microfilm = Catalogue de Recensement sur Microfilm, 1666-1881. Hull, QU: Public Archives Canada, Federal Archives Division, 1981
Genealogy HA 745 .H54 1987

Hillman, Thomas A. Catalogue of Census Returns on Microfilm = Catalogue de Recensement sur Microfilm, 1901. Hull, QU: Public Archives Canada, Federal Archives Division, 1993
Genealogy HA 741.5 .H543 1993

Historical Atlas of Canada. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1987.
Reference Oversize G 1116 .S1 H57 1987

Kerr, Donald and Gordon Grady. Historical Atlas of Canada. Don Mills, ON: Nelson, 1996.
Reference G 1116 .S1 K4 1966

Konrad, J. French and French-Canadian Family Research. Munroe Fall, OH: Summitt Publications, 1993.
Genealogy CS 583 .K6 1993

Lebel, Gerard. Our French-Canadian Ancestors or Nos Ancêtres. Palm Harbor, FL: Lisi Press, 1993.
Genealogy CS 89 .L413 1993

Québec (Province). Judicial Archives. Inventaire des Contrats de Mariage du Régime Français Conserves aux Archives Judicaires de Québec. Québec: 1937.
Genealogy F 1051.8 .Q84 1937

Rieder, Milton P. Acadian Exiles in the American Colonies, 1755-1768. Metairie, LA: Rieder, 1977.
Genealogy E 184 .A2 R53

Saint Pierre, Telesphore. Histoire des Canadiens du Michigan et du Comté d'Essex, Ontario. Montréal Typ. de la "Gazette," 1895.
Genealogy Microfilm F 575 .F85 S75 1895a

Smith, William Henry. Smith's Canadian Gazetteer: Comprising Statistical and General Information Respecting All Parts of the Upper Province, or Canada West...with a Map of the Upper Province. Toronto: H. and W. Roswell, 1846.
Genealogy Microfiche LH 12213

White, Stephen A. Dictionnaire Généalogique des Familles Acadiennes: Premiére partie, 1636 à 1714, en Deux Volumes. Moncton, NB: Centre d' Études Acadiennes, Université de Moncton, 1999.
Genealogy CS 89 .W457 1999

---. English Supplement to the Dictionnaire Généalogique des Familles Acadiennes. Moncton, NB: Centre d' Études Acadiennes, Université de Moncton, 2000.
Genealogy F 380 .A2 W45 2000

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Periodicals

Canadian Genealogist. Agincourt, ON: Generation Press, 1979-1987.
Genealogy Periodicals

French Canadian and Acadian Genealogical Review. Québec: Centre Canadien des Recherches Généalogiques, 1968-1978.
Genealogy Periodicals

Michigan's Habitant Heritage. Lansing: French Canadian Heritage Society of Michigan. 1980-2000.
Genealogy Periodicals

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Web Sites

Archives Nationales du Canada: Les Recensements
www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/

Bibliothèque et Archives Nationales Du Québec
www.banq.qc.ca/portal/dt/accueil.jsp (French)

Bibliothéque Nationale du Québec. Catalogue. 2002. May 30, 2002.
catalogue.bnquebec.ca:4400/cap_en.html

Genealogie.com. Le Portail de la Généalogie Francophone dans Internet. 1995. May 30, 2002.
www.genealogie.com/index.html (French)

Le Centre de Généalogie Francophone d'Amérique. 2001. May 30, 2002.
www.genealogie.org/accueil.htm (French)

Civilizations. ca. 2001. Oct 2, 2002.
www.civilisations.ca/

Société Franco-Ontarienne d'Histoire et de Généalogie. Les Régionales de la Société Franco-Ontarienne d'Histoire et de Généalogie. 1998. June 13, 2002.
www.sfohg.com/default.aspx?lan=2&selm=0

Société Généalogique Canadienne-Française. Fédération Québécoise des Sociétés de Généalogie. 1997, May 30, 2002.
www.federationgenealogie.qc.ca/ (French)

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Updated 05/06/2009