Maple Stars and Stripes: Your French-Canadian Genealogy Podcast

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 […]

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 barrier. Help is here. Suzanne Sommerville […]

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 home in Salisbury, Massachusetts, in 1697. […]

Have you ever wanted to join a lineage society like the DAR? Did you know that you might be eligible through a French-Canadian ancestor? Jolene Mullen, national vice-chair of the DAR’s cold cases project, shares her knowledge of this process. She explains how to determine if you have a Revolutionary War soldier or patriot in […]

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 to some. Author David Vermette began […]

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 https://maplestarsandstripes.com/75.

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 from the areas your ancestors came […]

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 to walk us through these collections. […]

HAPPY EASTER! Perhaps after all your guests leave, you’ll settle down for some research time. Today’s records will keep you busy for hours. In episode #65, you voted for the next featured collection from the Genealogy Quebec website. The top vote-getter was the Drouin Collection records. So in both this episode and the next, Bertrand […]

As French-Canadian genealogists, we have our go-to websites: the PRDH, Québec Records from the Drouin Institute, FamilySearch, and Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, or BAnQ. However, to locate some hidden gems found nowhere else, we need to dig locally. Municipal archives, local historical societies, genealogical societies, and nearby university collections can produce some unique surprises. […]

Today we spotlight another wonderful French-Canadian genealogy society and library, the French-Canadian Genealogical Society of Connecticut, located on the historic green in Tolland, CT. Since 1981, this society has offered members and visitors access to a wonderful collection of historical and genealogical materials from Quebec, New England, and places further afield. You might especially want […]