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Episode 095-October 1, 2020
I’m always envious of people whose online trees have photos of each
of their ancestors going back several generations. I made it my goal to include as many of my own that I could find. Today’s guest, Lisa Lisson of the Are You My Cousin? blog and YouTube channel, shares with us some secrets to finding these missing photos.
Finding Photos of Your French-Canadian Ancestors
Lisa and I discussed how important photos are to use with the older generation as story-starters. But how do you locate them?
First steps
Ask your family. This includes immediate family as well as more distant cousins. Put yourself out there. Call. Ask, “Who else might have some photos?”
Go prepared when you visit relatives. If you have a smart phone, make sure you have a good scanner app like Photomyne’s Photo Scan App which allows you to scan and label the photos right within the app. See the Photomyne YouTube channel for more information.
Check Facebook. You can find relatives or others researching the same lines. Post your photos and ask if anyone else has any. Join Facebook groups for the topics, families, or locations you’re interested in.
Start a family genealogy website. Invite cousins to it. Create blog posts of your discoveries. Post your photos there and ask for others. That is how Lisa’s website, Are You My Cousin?, began.
Dig deeper
Visit a local library. Check the vertical files (file cabinets with information on certain topics, usually regional history, often including photos). Also check the local history section of books. Photos are sometimes found in those books. Explain to the local librarian what you are searching for. She knows what’s available. Check ethnic history books, newspapers, and cookbooks also.
Check genealogical and historical societies for your ancestors’ residences. They often have vertical files with photos.
Search for prison records. Some of these records are online at Ancestry. Then try state or provincial archives. Then go to the county level or Quebec’s equivalent. Keep in mind that privacy issues will vary from place to place. When searching in French language record collections, be sure to use French words. Luckily, the word for “prison” is the same in both languages.
In Québec
At BAnQ, see Personnes incarcérées dans les prisons de Québec, 1813-1907, 1914.
For Quebec photos, check out the BAnQ website. Using the Advitam search engine, go to the third box in the first line. Type in your family surname or a full name. Then scroll down to Recherche par genre de document, and check off Photographie(s).
I typed in the surname Renaud and located the following picture of Louis Renaud from c. 1878.
Try calling or emailing the librarian or archivist at the BAnQ who may be able to help you find photos of your family lines or help you to search their collections. They know what’s available, even items as yet unprocessed. For BAnQ, contact information is located at the top of this page.
Genealogical societies both in the US and in Québec
Online
Yearbook collections (check Ancestry.com, familysearch.org, and FindMyPast.com)
DeadFred.com: an orphan photo site. People post unknown photos. The site keeps them once they are identified. You can search by subject name, date range, place, or photographer.
Ebay: Set an alert for a family name or location.
Flickr: Photo sharing site. Many universities and local archives put their photo collections online here. Search by family name or repository. Try an advanced search for “people.” Here’s an example of a collection from the Mandeville Heritage Committee.
Organizing your photos
Scan! Scan every photo you have.
Label the digital image in a consistent manner. Choose what works for you. I personally group by surname and use the Who-What-When-Where label.
Keep photo away from extreme heat, light, humidity and critters.
About Lisa
Website: Are You My Cousin? at lisalisson.com
Facebook and Instagram: Are You My Cousin?
YouTube channel: Are You My Cousin?
Are You My Cousin? Our ancestors’ Photographs
Other sources
Maple Stars and Stripes episode 71 on local archives
Photos attached to online family trees
Quebec Online Historical Photos Research
GenealogieQuebec.com (paid site: see episode #65): Go to Search Tools – Drouin miscellaneous collections – Go to Drouin Institute’s miscellaneous Collections – 14-Fonds d’archives – Fonds Roland-Maynard. Don’t just look at the photo. Click “next” to see the writing on the back of the photo. Also, look through some of the other collections.
McCord Museum Photography Collections and Research
AFGS Moments
Annette Smith from the American French Genealogical Society presents a tip about the boilerplate found in baptism, marriage, and burial records.
Announcements
French Language Lifelines for the Anglo Genealogist
Have you gotten your copy yet? You’ll find several chapters that will help you translate the boilerplate found in baptism, marriage, and burial records. Here’s what others are saying:
I cannot believe how many “Ah-ha” moments I have had since reading this book… I have wondered why certain French-Canadian ancestors are so hard to find, and this book has already explained the reasons and possible remedies. -RD
The various names our ancestors used and the variety of spellings of those names in the records makes research challenging. I particularly like the section on pronunciation of French letters and words, making it easier to understand why our ancestors’ names were spelled in so many ways. -samsreviews
I know without a doubt this is going to be helpful in my genealogy research of my French Canadian ancestors. -SAM
This is exactly the information I needed to move forward on researching my French Canadian ancestors. -CL_Harrison
It is an organized, focused and comprehensive approach to identifying and locating an ancestor in Quebec. -Mary G.
This book is a treasure tool for research! I wish I had this 20 years ago! -Diane T.
Thanks for all the encouraging words. You can get your copy from Amazon here in America, in Canada, and in other countries as well.
The Records of the Universalist Church of Spencer, Massachusetts, 1876-1911
The second book I published this summer is The Records of the Universalist
Church of Spencer, Massachusetts, 1876-1911. You can hear the story behind the publication of this book in the podcast episode. If you had French-Canadian family who passed through central Massachusetts during this time, be sure to check out the place index and the name index to see if they’re included. Canadian and French places and names are highlighted in yellow. You’ll find the links to the indexes and Amazon at maplestarsandstripes.com/universalist.
Journal Rundown
From the American Canadian Genealogical Society
Vol. 46, #2 of the American-Canadian Genealogist:
An article on André Francoeur, a Civil War ancestor
Marie-Pierre Lessard’s article called Research in Colonial New York – A Daring Challenge for the Curious and the Dogged
From the French Canadian Heritage Society of Michigan
Vol. 41, #3 of Michigan’s Habitant Heritage:
Establishing a Trade Network in the 18th Century – Lessons Learned from the Chevalier Family: Part 1 – Jean Baptiste Chevalier and his Siblings
A continuation of Quebec confirmations from June 12, 1696
French-Canadian News
The Quebec Family History Society
October 17, 10 am to 3:30 pm, a virtual conference on Zoom in English. For more information and to register, go here.
The Vermont French-Canadian Genealogical Society
Virtual classes through Zoom run from 10:30 AM until noon and cost $15 each.
October 3: Getting Started on Your Family History
October 10: DNA Tests: Why? Which Tests? Which Companies
October 17: Understanding & Using Your DNA Test Results
October 24: Update to Early Vermont Settlers Project & Things Learned Along the Way
October 31: Using Online Newspapers for Family History
November 7: Tips & Tricks for Using Free Online Newpapers
November 14: Digging Through Documents & DNA to Solve Family Mysteries
November 21: AncestryDNA: Best Practices & Recent Changes, and
December 5: Using MyHeritage Library Edition
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