There was a well-known migration from Quebec to New England after the Civil War. The cotton mills and shoe factories beckoned struggling farmers with large families to support. But what about those who migrated before the Civil War? How many were there? Why did they move when they did?...
If you can never get enough information and stories about your French-Canadian ancestors, then this is your lucky day! We now have another podcast to enjoy on Franco heritage. Jesse Martineau now offers us The French-Canadian Legacy Podcast, published every Tuesday. Every other week is a full episode. Alternate weeks...
DNA! The new tool in the genealogist’s toolbox. Everyone’s jumping on the bandwagon. Yet, many people, when they receive their test results, have no idea what to do with them. This episode provides suggestions for those who took either a Y-DNA test or a mtDNA test. If your direct paternal...
What was life like in a Little Canada? Thanks to Dr. Elizabeth Blood’s translation of Félix Gatineau’s 1919 Histoire des Franco-Américains de Southbridge, Massachusetts, we now have an in-depth look at the social, business, military and religious experiences of our ancestors. This translation, History of the Franco-Americans of Southbridge, Massachusetts, is...
We all have them. Piles of notarial records that need translating. Among them is arguably the most important notary record of all–the marriage contract. This document gives us an intimate look into the lives of our ancestors. Yet many of us haven’t tackled them yet due to the language...
Many English captives were redeemed and returned to the British colonies. Others stayed with the French or the Natives for the rest of their lives. George Ducharme takes us on a journey of discovery as he uncovers the story of his ancestor, Samuel Gill. Samuel was abducted from his...
A Boston newspaper in 1889 described French-Canadian immigrants in this way: “They are kept a distinct alien race, subject to the Pope in matters of religion and of politics. Soon…they will govern you, Americans.” They spoke a foreign language. They followed the Popish religion. They were mysterious and threatening...
Do you have a Huguenot ancestor in your family tree? In this episode, Leslie Choquette from Assumption College’s French Institute shares the history of these people. She also offers suggestions for researching Huguenots both in Quebec and France. For notes and links to resources, see the show notes at...
Do you live in an area without a nearby well-stocked French-Canadian genealogy library? Would you like access to a couple of terrific French-Canadian databases from your home? Do you like to learn how to be a better researcher through the convenience of webinars? Would you like to access information...
Moving on…to eleven more record sets from the Drouin Collection records. These records span the United States, Quebec, Ontario, and the Eastern Townships. They cover Catholic as well as Protestant records. They begin with the settlement period, and some go into the 21st century. Bertrand Desjardins joins us again...
