If you can’t read French, why pick up a French book even if there’s information inside about your ancestor? Right? How frustrating, but what can you do about it? What if I told you there was something you could do, and it wasn’t that hard? Today’s episode looks at French language books available on Ancestry.com. […]

Our ancestors are more than names, dates, and places. They have personal stories. Those stories were influenced by what was going on around them at local, regional, national, and world levels. Ancestry’s book collection includes those with information about Quebec Province. There are books about the history of various regions, information about the organizations our […]

In episode 96, we looked at other less used databases at Ancestry.com. Today we look at a portion of their book collection. Directories and gazetteers are great resources for glimpses of the daily lives of the residents. Where did they shop? Who was the girl next door? Which churches were nearby? Some books tell us […]

When you began researching your French-Canadian ancestry, it probably wasn’t long before someone pointed you to the Drouin collections: either the Blue Drouin, the Red Drouin, or the Little Drouin, the microfilmed or digitized versions, the online Lafrance database, or the many other records found in the Drouin Collection. With your first subscription to Ancestry.com, […]

The saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” couldn’t be truer than when we see our ancestor’s face for the first time. We can’t help but look for a resemblance to the features looking back at us. Who in the family has those eyes, that nose? But finding ancestral photos is not always easy. […]

Many genealogists go straight to online trees when they encounter a new surname in the family tree. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s part of the initial literature search we should all do. We need to see if someone else has already researched that particular line before we spend hours reinventing the wheel. It’s what […]

Do you have a voyageur in your ancestry? A coureur de bois? How about an engagé? Huh? So what’s the difference? Suzanne Sommerville will help you to distinguish between them as she takes you through the history of the fur trade in New France and into the British Regime. She’ll explain the documentary evidence left […]

As a French-Canadian genealogist, you are probably aware that there were Native slaves, called Panis, in New France. But did you know that there were Black slaves as well? Guest Aly Ndiaye, aka Webster, discusses the lives of these forgotten people. Not only has he studied them, but he also creatively tells their overlooked stories. […]

At one time or another, you’ve probably wondered what it was like living in the times of your ancestors. I know I’ve often thought about traveling back in time and observing how they did daily chores that are so easy for us with modern technology. I still remember my mother doing laundry with an old […]

Thomas LaForest published a 30-volume set of books called Our French-Canadian Ancestors. Many genealogists, especially those who can’t read French, enjoyed reading their ancestors’ stories in English. But after LaForest’s death, these volumes became more difficult to find. That is, until Norm Hebert decided to do something about it. In episode 90, Norm tells us the […]

Margaret Fortier, CG®, walks you through what’s available in Catholic church records and where to find them online. Included is a 5-page handout packed with resources, charts, and tips. Find the link in the show notes at http://maplestarsandstripes.com/89. Have yourself a safe, healthy and happy Christmas and New Years, and we’ll see you in 2020!

The goal of every genealogist is to find all census records for each ancestor. This episode makes that easier. In episode 88, we take a look at censuses for Quebec province and Acadia from the earliest times to the late 18th century. Some are complete; some are partial. Some are originals; others are transcriptions. Some are […]

CHECK YOUR DATABASES! Is Guillaume Couture one of your ancestors? If so, enjoy this compelling story of a man who used his natural gifts to survive and create understanding between two diverse groups of people. This is an ancestor your family can be proud of. If Guillaume is not in your direct line, you will still […]

I hope you enjoyed episode #85, part 1 of the Museum of Work & Culture. In part 2, we continue our virtual tour with a look at the mill-sponsored baseball teams, the ubiquitous triple decker (at least in New England cities), a parochial classroom, and a union hall. All of these were important chapters in […]

Do you have ancestors who came to New England to work in the mills? This virtual tour of the Museum of Work and Culture will demonstrate what life was like for the many who left their farms for a chance at a regular paycheck and a guaranteed day off. While you’re traveling this summer, consider […]

The Drouin Institute recently had a major increase in its NBMDS database. These church records come from four major regions of Quebec. Bertrand Desjardins helps us to get the most from our searches. Learn what’s included in the collection, tips for initial searches and extended searches, and how to take information from the index and […]

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? And how many of them signed […]

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 introduce us to the upcoming episode […]

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 or direct maternal line leads back […]

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 a must-read for anyone with Southbridge […]