FRANCOGENE: Sources in Québec

1608-1763: This period covers the French Regime. Certain books include Detroit and other French forts that are outside the present borders of Quebec.

1763-1901: This period covers the British Regime and the vital statistics are preserved at the Archives Nationales du Québec.

1900-today: This period covers the vital statistics that are not archived.

References in regards of the years and content:

1608-1730: DGFQ (Jetté), all records, sorted by family and year of 1st marriage of the husband

1608-1730: DGO (complement to Jetté), like DGFQ, corrections and additions, sample available on this site

1608-1760: DNCF (Drouin, small Drouin or old Drouin), all marriages, sorted by men

1608-1765: DGFC (Tanguay), all records, sorted by family and year of 1st marriage of the husband, not complete

1608-1765: PRDH, all records, by group of years, area, county, parish, kind of record and date

1608-1765: Parchemin, summary of all notary records, on a CD-ROM with a search program

1731-1825: Histor (new Jetté), all known marriages records, catholics and non-catholics, sorted by men

1608-1876: Microfilms of catholic vital records, all records, par parish and year, often not indexed

1608-[1930]: Loiselle files, a lot of marriages, on microfilm, many series

1608-[1935]: Big Drouin, a lot of marriages, printed, many series

1851-1901: Censuses of Québec, each 10 years, by county, town and address, very few indexes

1877-1899: Microfilms of catholic vital records, all records, by parish and year, often not indexed

1926-1991: Consolidated index of marriages and deaths of Québec, 2 main series and other by year

1935-1975: Electoral listing of federal elections

Period 1608-1763

This period covers the French Regime. Certain books include Detroit and other French forts that are outside the present borders of Quebec..

Principal general dictionaries

Note: on considère généralement 1608 comme le début du Québec, mais le plus ancien acte d'état civil date de 1621. On retrouve toutefois d'autres sources de données pour la période 1608-1621.

" Dictionnaire généalogique des familles du Québec " (DGFQ), by René Jetté, 1983, published by Presses de l'Université de Montréal. Cost: $200. It is the most recent, the most precise, and the most complete. It covers all the European families of Quebec from 1621 to 1730, but not those persons mentioned in documents made after 1730. Published by Les Presses de l'Universite de Montreal, C.P. 6128, suce "A", Montreal, (Quebec) Canada, H3C 3J7. Price: $200.00

[Dictionnaire généalogique de nos origines] Complement to DGFQ: findings made since 1983 or missing from Jetté, corrections. New sections have been added to cover 1731-1765 and Acadia (target includes European records for immigrants only)

" Dictionnaire généalogique des familles canadiennes ", by Cyprien Tanguay, 1870-1877. It is the oldest... with many errors and omissions, but it is also a classic. It covers Quebec families from 1608 to 1760 with a few more recent lineages.

" Répertoires des actes de baptêmes, mariages, sépultures du Québec ancien ", produced by P.R.D.H. (programme de recherches en démographie historique), published by Presses de l'Université de Montréal (address above). 47 volumes containing all the vital records of Quebec from the beginning (1608) to 1765.

" Dictionnaire national des Canadiens français ", published by the Drouin Institute (a company which no longer exists ). The first 2 volumes contain nearly all the marriages from 1608 to 1760; the most recent edition contain three annexes with corrections (1978, 1979 et 1985). Older editions may contain some data which is totally fictitious. In the third volume are short monographs on several families, with no references given, and in some cases, appear fictitious.

The " Le Parchemin " database. Contains a summary of all the notarized acts from the beginning to 1765. Published by Archiv-Histo. Available at the S.G.C.F., ANQ (Montreal and Québec), Univ. de Montréal, municipal libraries of Cap-de-la-Madeleine, Jonquière and Longueuil; other libraries at Alma, Drummondville, L'Assomption, St-Hyacinthe.

Histor (some calls it "New Jetté" is a collection with marriage cards checked by Jetté and covering period 1731-1825. It forms 4 series and includes 135 000 cards or 33 500 pages and 44 volumes. Still rare (copies in Montréal area in Salle Gagnon, SGCF and Longueuil library), about 10 000$.

Series A (26 volumes): what is not included in other series
Series B (15 volumes): catholics de la Rive Sud du St-Laurent; non-catholics, except Montréal and Québec City
Series C (2 volumes): catholics of Western French Forts; non-catholics of Montréal and Québec City
Series D (1 volume): catholics from Gaspésie and New-Brunswick, baptisms and burials from those regrions before 1800

Some other collections

" Nos Ancêtres (26 volumes, series continues) ", by Gérard Lebel

" Our French-canadian Ancestors (translation of "Nos Ancêtres") ", by T.J. Laforest

" Médaillons d'ancêtres (discontinued series) ", by Julien Déziel et al

" Recensement annoté de la Nouvelle-France ", by A. Lafontaine

" Dictionnaire biographique du Canada ". Numerous biographical references concerning mainly the elite.

" Bibliographie annotée d'ouvrages généalogiques au Canada ", by Kathleen Mennie de Varennes

Some historical references

BRH (Bulletin des recherches historiques)

Journals of the Jesuits and the Jesuit Relations, among the oldest documents of the period.

The Journal of Champlain

MSGCF (Mémoires de la Société généalogique canadienne-française), Quebec's oldest and largest genealogical society

RAPQ (Rapport des archives de la province de Québec)

Period 1763-1901

This period covers the British Regime and the vital statistics are preserved at the Archives Nationales du Québec.

Main general documents

The famous dictionary of the Drouin Institute (CAN $ 25,000 for the set) covers an important part of Quebec from the beginning to 1935 ( some of the marriages before 1765 are not included but can be found in the small "Drouin"). 49 volumes indexed by the male names and 64 volumes indexed by the female names (and better printed). There exists a third part on microfilm (with very small cards), but several of these cards are without reference and appear fictitious.
Index by male names, 49 volumes, available at:

In Québec:

Montréal (ANQ, BNQ, Salle Gagnon)
Québec (Univ. Laval)
Boucherville
Dollard des Ormeaux-Pierrefonds (intermunicipal library)
Hull (municipale)
Joliette (Soc. gén. Lanaudière)
Lachute
Laval (multiculturelle)
Longueuil (succ. Grignon)
St-Hubert
St-Hyacinthe
St-Léonard
Sherbrooke (town library)

Outside Québec:

Ottawa, Ontario (National Library, 2nd floor; public library on Metcalfe/Laurier)
St-Boniface, Manitoba (public library)
Soc. Gen. de Smoky River, Donnelly, Alberta
Manchester, New Hampshire (ACGS)
Woonsocket, Rhode Island (AFGS)
St Paul, MN (Minnesota Historical Society Research Center)

Index by female names, 64 volumes, available at:

In Québec:

Montréal (BNQ, Salle Gagnon, SGCF)
Québec (Univ. Laval)
Boucherville
Dollard des Ormeaux-Pierrefonds (intermunicipal library)
Hull (municipale)
Joliette (Soc. gén. Lanaudière)
Lachute
Laval (multiculturelle)
Longueuil (succ. Grignon)
St-Hubert
St-Hyacinthe
Sherbrooke (town library)

Outside Quebec:

Ottawa, Ontario (National Library, 2nd floor; public library on Metcalfe/Laurier)
St-Boniface, Manitoba (public library)
Soc. Gen. de Smoky River, Donnelly, Alberta
Woonsocket, Rhode Island (AFGS)
St. Paul, MN (Minnesota Historical Society Research Center)

Loiselle Index (published in many parts , some on microfilm and some on micro-fiches) containing in all 500,000 marriages. These may be obtained via the Family History Centers (Mormons).
Microfilms of the Catholic parish registers of Quebec, 1621-1876. These are copies of the registers found in the Catholic churches and may be obtained via the Family History Centers (LDS).
Microfilms of the Catholic parish registers (1876-1899) and non-Catholic registers of Quebec (1765-1899). These are copies of the registers placed at the Archives Nationales du Québec and made by the ANQ. These can also be ordered from "la Fédération des familles souches du Québec".
Census data of Quebec.

1666, 1667, 1681, 1760, 1762 and 1765 are all indexed in the PRDH.
1825, 1831, 1842 are usually not indexed and give the names of the head of the family only
1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891, and 1901 are usually not indexed and give the names of the whole family and sometimes, their place of origin.
See Vol. 46, No. 1 (spring 1995) of the MEMOIRES of the S.G.C.F. for a description of what is contained in these censuses.
All are published on microfilms by National Archives Canada-Ottawa, these are available at the Archives Nationales du Québec in Montreal & Quebec City, and at the Main Branch of the Montreal Public Library.

Regional documents

There also exist several repertories containing the marriages of a whole county, or whole counties, or even a whole diocese. Some of the books cover the followiung regions of Quebec (from west to east along the North Shore, sometimes comprising of several volumes) : Abitibi, Témiscamingue, Pontiac, Gatineau (except Hull), Labelle, Argenteuil, Terrebonne, Deux-Montagnes, Montcalm, Assomption, Berthier, Charlevoix-Saguenay, Chicoutimi-Lac-St-Jean, Côte-Nord (North-Shore), (on the South Shore): Soulanges, Laprairie, Napierville, St-Jean, Iberville, Missisquoi, Shefford, Brome, Stanstead, Sherbrooke, Richmond, Compton, Wolfe, Mégantic, Beauce-Dorchester-Frontenac, Bellechasse-Montmagny-L'Islet, the St-Lawrence Estuary by region, the diocese of Rimouski and of Gaspé. Note that most of the Quebec Catholic marriages have already been published in repertories, and that the parishes that have yet to be published are mainly within the cities of Montreal, Hull and Quebec or those marriages that took place in recent years.

Period 1900 to today

This period covers the vital statistics that are not archived. Vital records are only available to civil servants (since 1994), but there are many repertoires with marriages and a few with baptisms, burials, cemetery or tombstones. IMPORTANT: There is no Quebec-wide index before 1926 and the consolidated index for birth is not available to public. To obtain a birth, marriage or death certificate, you must write to this address (in English or French): Ministère de la Justice, Direction de l'Etat civil, Service à la clientèle, 205, rue Montmagny, QUÉBEC (Québec) G1N 2Z9. You can also get a baptism, marriage or burial certificate from the church (catholic or other) where the event occured (but there is no index, so you must eventually write to any possible parish).

The famous dictionary of the Drouin Institute (CAN$ 25,000 for the set) covers an important part of Quebec from the beginning to 1935 ( some of the marriages before 1765 are not included but can be found in the small "Drouin") 49 volumes indexed by the male names and 64 volumes indexed by the female names (and better printed). There exists a third part either on microfilm and/or on micro-fiches, but several of these cards are without reference and appear fictitious. Click here for the page with a list of libraries with this reference
Loiselle Index (published in many parts , some on microfilm and some on micro-fiches) containing in all 500,000 marriages. These may be obtained via the Family History Centers (Mormons).
The Consolidated Index of Marriages contains nearly all the marriages (Catholic & non-Catholic) of Quebec celebrated since 1926. This Index is further completed by forms that were filled out at that time (and for the marriages of 1926 as well as those from 1974 to 1991, these forms also include the names of the parents of the spouses). The Consolidated Index is available only at the Main Branch of the Montreal Public Library and ANQ. The corresponding Forms are only available at the main branch of the Montreal Public Library. There also exists an Index of Deaths that covers the same period (but for the male deceased the names of the wives and parents are not included). The Index of Deaths is only available at the Main branch of the Montreal Public Library. include the names of the parents of the spouses).
It is also possible to consult the Federal Electoral Lists (1935 to 1975) (Mtl. Public Library & NAC-Ottawa), as well as the City Directories ( for example, Lovell's) and Bell Canada's old telephone directories (Mtl. Public Library). The largest collection of phone books in Montreal area is in Cote-St-Luc town library.

Version française

Last update: April 30th, 1998