MSS-075-Our Huguenot Ancestors

Episode 075-September 1, 2018

Huguenot cross headerI’m back from our wonderful tour of Quebec City, including enjoying the Nouvelle France Festival. If you know anyone who participated, I’m sure they’ve told you all about the action-packed week we had, and that the benefits continue today as these cousins continue sharing family information. There will be more information about the trip at the bottom of this page.

For today’s episode, we welcome back Leslie Choquette (episode #54) from Assumption College’s French Institute who will educate us on the topic of our Huguenot ancestors.

Our Huguenot Ancestors

Leslie and I discussed the following:

History

  • A brief history of Protestantism in Europe and France. Included is a discussion of the Wars of Religions and the religious mindset right before Champlain’s voyages to Acadia in 1604 and Quebec in 1608.
  • Champlain’s religious affiliation
  • The religious conflicts in early Acadia
  • The changing attitudes toward Huguenots throughout the French Regime
  • The consequences of the Edict of Nantes in 1598 and the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685
  • The effect of the British Conquest on the Huguenots

Genealogy

Resources
  • Origins of the Huguenots in France
  • Protestant filles du roi and filles à marier
  • Social status and occupations of the Huguenots
  • Records and sources for the genealogist:

Les Protestants en Nouvelle-France by Marc-Andre Bédard

Abjuration records from the PRDH; originals from the archives of the Bishopric of Quebec; a copy at the archives of the seminary of Quebec

For Protestants in France, it’s best to search the church registers from Protestant parishes and notarial records.

Canadian and French genealogical societies for newest research

Other resources
  • From Revue d’histoire de l’Amérique française (Volume 31, numéro 3, décembre 1977), La présence protestante en Nouvelle-France by Marc-André Bédard; in French, but the three tables on National Origins of the Protestants, Origins of French Protestants, and Division of Protestants according to Their Status are quite understandable.
  • Fichier huguenots-Huguenots database by Michel Barbeau
  • FamilySearch’s Huguenots in Canada
  • The Huguenot Collection donated to the Ontario Genealogical Society by the former Huguenot Society of Canada
  • Five Steps to Successfully Finding Your Protestant Quebec Ancestry

Contact info

You can email Leslie at lchoquet [at] assumption [dot] edu or call her at 508-767-7415. You can also contact French Institute librarian and archivist Libby Lipin at 508-767-7495.

So do you have a Huguenot ancestor or two?

French-Canadian News

What's Happening Header
The American-French Genealogical Society

  • September 15 at 9:00 A.M- Rob Gumlaw will present Finding the Pieces of Your Acadian Puzzle.
  • September 22 at 10:00 A.M- Thomas Allaire will teach you about DNA – Part 1 – Getting Started. He will discuss what DNA is, what it will tell you, and what tests are available.
  • September 29 at 2:00 P.M- Bernice L. Rocque will present Finding the Story Threads In Our Family History. She will discuss her new book and reflect on what she has learned in portraying her family’s “characters” via fiction and nonfiction, sharing tips about how to pull together stories based on genealogy facts, family history, and topic research.

Classes are held at the AFGS Library, 78 Earle Street, Woonsocket, RI.

The French Canadian Heritage Society of Michigan

  • September 8, 11 AM, at the Mount Clemens Public Library-Speaker Judy Nimer Muhn will discuss Beginning French-Canadian and Acadian Research.
    Saturday and Sunday, September 22 and 23- Rendez-vous at Ste. Anne de Détroit

The Vermont French-Canadian Genealogical Society

  • September 8 from 10-4- library annual open house
    September 15- Beginning Genealogy Class with Sheila Morris
    September 22- Marcie Crocker will present Using FamilySearch.org.
    September 29- Using Family Tree Maker 2017 with Peter Crosby

Classes run from 10:30 AM until noon and are held at the Vermont Genealogy Library in Colchester, Vermont.

The American-Canadian Genealogical Society

Saturday, September 22, from 8 am to 4 pm at the Puritan Restaurant in Manchester, New Hampshire- AFGS’s 2018 Fall Conference. Registration begins at 8 AM. After the annual meeting and election of officers, you will be treated to four presentations. Robert B. Perrault will begin the day with Before Peyton Place: In Search of the Real Grace Metalious. Jean Pierre Gendreau-Hétu will follow him with Swiss origins proven by DNA: the case of Pierre Miville (ca 1602-1669). After the included buffet lunch, David Vermette will talk about Who Were the Immigrants from Quebec and Why Did They Come to the U.S. Textile Towns? A Fresh Approach to Old Questions. Then Jean Pierre Gendreau-Hétu will return for From Pierre Vincent Mailloux to Peter V. Mathew (1753-1848): a Canadien discovered among the Revolutionary War soldiers from New Hampshire.

Northern New York American-Canadian Genealogical Society

September 29 beginning at 10 am- NNYACGS’s fall conference. Ed McGuire will cover several DNA topics. First he will discuss the three common levels of interest in the matches list: basic and quick (only focusing on very close matches), moderate (sending emails to 20-30 top matches and trying to figure out the connections), and detailed analysis (using spreadsheets, downloading match data, and sorting by paternal/maternal/unkown lines). Then he will cover the key tools at each company’s site and what they do; how to determine shared DNA with your matches from a single common ancestor; advanced tools and techniques to consider; and where to get the best advice (books, blogs, social media). It will be followed by a lengthy question and answer period. After lunch, the second session will include an exciting program on French-Canadian music by local musicians. The library is open for research the day before and the day after the conference.

Podcast Support

A big thank you goes out to Rosemary from Florida and Michael from Virginia for their generous support of this podcast!

If you’d like to support the podcast, you can send your donation to Sandra Goodwin, PO Box 124, Leicester, Massachusetts 01524. You can send a check or set up a small monthly payment through your online banking. You can also donate through Pay Pal (maplestarsandstripes [at] gmail [dot] com). Thank you for your support. It means the world!

Tour Wrap-Up

For others who may be planning a trip to Quebec City, here are links to a sampling of the places we visited on this tour:

Côtes-à-Côtes-located in Place Royale; delicious carrot soup

Maison des Nos Aieux-a research facility that studies the founding families on the Ile d’Orléans

L’En Tailleur-This is a working sugar shack in St-Pierre on the Ile d’Orléans which provides an authentic French-Canadian meal. It’s novelty is in a couple of surprises they provide that are lots of fun. I won’t spoil the surprise, but everyone had a very memorable time there. It’s the best value for the money!

Chocolaterie-outdoor dining for light meals or to enjoy an ice cream or candy

Vignoble Sainte-Pétronille– Grab a glass of wine and enjoy the sunset from the terrace.

Sainte-Anne de Beaupré– A must-see on any trip to Quebec City. Be sure to view the chapels in the basement of the church.

Canyon Sainte-Anne-just a few miles down the road from Sainte-Anne de Beaupré. Ride Air Canyon if you dare.

Casa Grecque-If you find yourself in Beauport, this is a must-stop restaurant. The food was out of this world! It’s not far from the ancestral steps outside La Nativité de Notre-Dame church.

The National Archives and the Société de généalogie de Québec library– located in the same building on the grounds of Laval University.

Wendake-This stop included a visit to the Musée Huron-Wendat, the longhouse, and the L’Ancienne-Lorette church.

Charlesbourg and the Moulin des Jésuites-Included a tour of the Jesuit mill and a walking tour of star-shaped Charlesbourg.

Montmorency Falls-This site speaks for itself. Awe-inspiring!

Aux Anciennes Canadiens– restaurant with delicious maple desserts located in Maison Jacquet, the oldest extant house in Quebec City.

Costumed filles

Nouvelle France Festival– a must-see attraction; occurs in early August each year. Some in our group created costumes so they could really walk in the footsteps of their ancestors!

We are now preparing for our next trip, Trois-Rivières/Montreal 2020. If you think you might want to join us, start saving those pennies!

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2 comments on “MSS-075-Our Huguenot Ancestors

  1. Gilbert Gauvin

    First of all, I would like to thank you for all of the work that you put into your podcast. I discovered your podcast about a year ago when I started my current infatuation with genealogy. I had been interested in genealogy about 35 years ago when an uncle gave me a copy of a family tree that he had a professional genealogists put together for him. I decided to start my own research but family and work took precedence so I put that aside until my wife and I took a DNA test a year ago which brought genealogy back into my life.

    I have been working my way through all of your podcast one at a time. Yesterday, as I was driving home from work, a drive that is typically an hour and a half, I was listening to podcast 75 about our huguenot ancestors. I was very interested because all of my original ancestors who came to Nouvelle France in the mid 1600s had a huguenot connection. When Leslie mentioned Isaac Bedard I almost slammed on the brakes! Isaac Bedard was the ancestor of my maternal grandmother, Marie Louise Alice Bedard. To hear one of ancestors mentioned unsolicited during a podcast was an amazing experience for me.

    I have many American relatives from Lewiston, Maine to Saginaw, Michigan to San Bernardino, California. French – Canadians are a much bigger presence in American history, society and culture than is generally known and appreciated. Your work goes a long way to correcting this deficit.

    Thank you for all of these podcast and everything else that you are doing.

  2. Sandra Goodwin

    Thanks for your comment, Gilbert. As I read it, I’m in the middle of preparing episode #82. So your comment, “French – Canadians are a much bigger presence in American history, society and culture than is generally known and appreciated,” caught my attention. That seems to be a recurring theme that we, the descendants, are finally extending the effort to change.

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