French-Canadian voyageurs and soldiers spent parts of their careers in the Pays d’en Haut. Some stayed, and some went west. This is their story. Rob Foxcurran, co-author of Songs Upon the Rivers: the Buried History of the French-Speaking Canadiens and Métis from the Great Lakes and the Mississippi across...
I’ve often said that the best way to make sure that all our hard work as genealogists is not in vain is to publish our families’ stories. Today’s guest, David Vermette, tells his ancestral stories in an unusual context–that of the land they live on. (Is this something you...
The “filles du roi” is one of the most popular topics covered on this podcast. In previous episodes (#7 and #44), we covered these women in a general way. But today, we get down to specifics. What was a particular fille du roi’s life like? Lynne Levesque (episode #40)...
To whom did our ancestors turn when they were sick? What treatments were available? How can we tell whether we had sickly or healthy ancestors? Susan McNelley, author of Hélène’s World: Hélène Desportes of Seventeenth-Century Québec, joins us in part 4 of a series examining the lives of the...
Genealogists love repositories with one-of-a-kind collections. One can only imagine what’s hiding in those stacks! Today we explore one such repository. The collections at the French Institute (on the grounds of Assumption College, Worcester, Massachusetts) include records from schools, religious organizations, and social organizations among others. There is shelf...
Several of the elder members of the Franco community, especially those in the northeast United States, might recall dealing with prejudice in their earlier years. Many were made to feel “less” because they were French-Canadians. Today’s return guest, Jeanne Douillard, was one of those people. She observed that not...
Governor Lawrence declared it “a great and noble scheme.” Coming at it from the point of view of an Acadian descendant, it doesn’t seem in the least “grand” or “noble.” Lucie LeBlanc Consentino continues her series on Acadian history with this interview focusing on the deportation itself. Acadians suffered...
Québec records often list home parish in France for our immigrant ancestors. Are you ready to take that information and extend your family lines back a few more generations? Today’s guest Anne Morddel, professional genealogist and author of The French Genealogy Blog, shares her expertise with us. Anne leads...
Welcome back to the conclusion of our interview with Muriel Normand. Join us as Muriel explains the other common dominant diseases, as well as the recessive, mtDNA, and x-linked diseases. Knowledge is power, and this is one topic with which familiarity could mean the difference between a correct and...
With such a small number of immigrants coming to Québec in the 17th and 18th centuries and the fact they they remained fairly isolated from other ethnic gene pools, descendants of these pioneers often face medical problems caused by genetic inheritance. Today’s guest Muriel Normand takes us through Genetics...
