Archives centres

The Montréal centre places at the disposal of genealogists:

 

1. Sources

All civil status information for all Catholic and non-Catholic parishes of Québec from the 17th century to the end of the 19th century on microfilm.

All notarial records of the territory served by the Montréal centre and all microfilmed notarial records for the other regions of Québec.

The federal censuses, for all of Canada on microfilm (1825-1901). The microfilms for the 1911 census are currently being acquired.

All judicial archives of the courts having sat in Montréal and in the judicial districts of Laval, Lanaudière, Laurentides and Montérégie. The archives are at the disposal of researchers for the period from the beginnings of the colony to the mid-1970s. Tutorships and curatorships, civil marriages, holograph wills and coroners' inquiries are included.

The archives of surveyors and general overseers of roads, archives on the civil erection of parishes and the fonds of the seigneuries of the Montréal area, as well as an impressive number of maps and plans, which help trace lots and land concessions of settlers.

The private archives—essential sources—such as the collection of the Rebellions of 1837-1838; the Élisée Choquet fonds; the fonds of the Bourassa, Papineau and Masson families; the fonds of photographic studios; the fonds of companies specialized in aerial photography over Québec; and more. In short, millions of photographs and even more handwritten archives are at the disposal of researchers, enabling them to better understand major events in Québec history, with which their ancestors may have been associated to a greater or lesser extent.

 

2. Resources of use to genealogy

Among the tools most used at the Montréal centre are:

 

Following are some examples from the microforms collection:

QUÉBEC

BMS de la Côte-Nord pré-1965

Baptism, marriage and burial registers of the Côte-Nord region, from the opening of the parishes to 1965.

District of Valleyfield index of non-Catholic births, marriages and burials, 1900-1979

District of Cowansville index of births, marriages and burials, 1899-1984

District of Montréal index of non-Catholic births, 1900-1992

District of Montréal index of non-Catholic marriages, 1900-1993

District of Montréal index of non-Catholic marriages, 1982-1992 (Laval)

District of Montréal index of non-Catholic marriages, 1980-1993 (Longueuil)

District of Montréal index of non-Catholic marriages, 1983-1993 (Montréal-Nord)

District of Montréal index of non-Catholic burials, 1900-1993

District of Montréal index of Catholic births, 1900-1940

District of Montréal index of Catholic births, 1900-1940 (Unknown persons)

District of Montréal index of Catholic births, 1975-1992

District of Montréal index of Catholic marriages, men, 1900-1979

District of Montréal index of Catholic marriages, women, 1900-1960

District of Montréal index of Catholic burials, 1900-1950

District of Montréal index of Catholic deaths, rural parishes, 1900-1969

District of Québec Catholic BMD index, 1800-1990

District of Québec non-Catholic BMD index, 1800-1992

District of Québec, civil records, index of baptisms, 1800-1992

District of Québec, civil records, index of marriages, 1800-1992

District of Saint-Jean d'Iberville index of births 1900-1968

District of Saint-Jean d'Iberville index of marriages, men, 1900-1968

District of Sherbrooke index of non-Catholic births, marriages and burials, 1900-1963

District of Sherbrooke change of name index, 1973-1993

Collection Drouin

Registers of civil status for Catholic and other denominations, for all of Québec, some Ontario and United States parishes, and a number of Acadian localities (1621 to 1940).

Drouin, part 3, or Kardex

An index of marriages containing approximately 1 million names. It is the complement to the index on French-Canadian marriages in two parts (Drouin, part 2). Searching is done by alphabetical order of men's names.

Fichier Pontbriand

An index of marriages with two separate sections: one for men, one for women. Each section is classified by alphabetical order of spouses' names under a given family name or patronym. Each card includes the names of the two spouses, those of their respective parents, and the date and place of marriage. Age, a place of residence outside the parish and the degree of kinship of the spouses are occasionally given, where applicable. The index covers the period from 1621 to 1984.

Marriage registrations of Québec, 1926-1997

Registration forms of marriages celebrated in Québec between 1926 and 1997. They give the place of residence of each spouse, the date of birth, the age, the profession, the parish in which the marriage was celebrated, etc. The names of the parents are given only on the forms for 1926 and the years 1975 to 1993.

Consolidated index of deaths in the province of Québec, 1926-1997

Consolidated index of marriages in the province of Québec, 1926-1997

Federal electoral lists of Québec (1935-1979)

Fichier Loiselle

An index of Catholic marriages celebrated in Québec, and in certain regions of Ontario, New Brunswick and New England, mainly between 1750 and 1920.

Fichier Houle-Campagna

An index containing information on more than 900,000 marriages in the Montréal, Mauricie, Estrie, Chambly, Outaouais and Abitibi-Témiscaminque regions, and in a few Ontario districts. The information is presented in alphabetical order of family name.

Fichier Rivest

An index of marriages from the notarial records of Joliette, Saint-Jérôme, Mont-Laurier and Sorel, from the beginnings of the parishes to 1960. It is classified by alphabetical order of brides' names. Each card can include the names of the spouses, the names of the parents, and the date and place of the marriage. The cards are either handwritten or typewritten.

Fichier Fabien

An index, running to more than 250,000 cards, consisting of information, for the period from 1657 to 1974, concerning marriages for the most part, indicating the date, the names of the spouses and of their parents, and the parish in which the event took place. It covers the Outaouais region (Québec and Ontario), a number of parishes of eastern and northern Ontario, and the counties of Pontiac, Vaudreuil, Châteauguay, Huntingdon, Beauharnois, Assomption, Laval, Deux-Montagnes and Argenteuil.

Société de généalogie de l'Outaouais

Index of marriages. Each card can include the names of the spouses, the names of the parents, and the place and date of the marriage.

Index of baptisms. Each card can include the name of the person baptized, the names of the parents, the dates of birth and of baptism, the names of the godfather and godmother, and the place of baptism (locality or parish).

Index of burials. Each card can include the name of the deceased, the date and place of death, the age at death, the date and place of burial, and the names of the parents or the name of the spouse.

Lovell's City Directory 1842-1978

These directories contain, in alphabetical order, the names of professionals and business people, in addition to residents. Each entry includes a person's name, profession, address and, sometimes, telephone number. From 1864-1865, the directories are also classified by topographical order, i.e. by the order of civic numbers of streets. The directories constitute a useful tool for tracing a person and the neighbourhood he or she lived in―information that is relevant for consulting censuses.

Pre-1876 registers of civil status of Québec

Registers of civil status of Catholics in Québec, from the time of their creation until 1876. The registers were microfilmed from parish registers by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons).

 

ONTARIO

Catholic registers of Ontario, 1760-1910

These are registers of civil status for the French-speaking Catholic parishes in the dioceses of Ottawa, Pembroke, Sault-Ste-Marie, Timmins and Thunder Bay. Baptism information includes: date of baptism, name of person baptized, date of birth, names of parents, names of godfather and godmother, and signature of officiating priest. Marriage information includes: date of marriage, names of spouses, civil status (minor, widower or widow), names of parents, address, names of witnesses, and signature of officiating priest. Burial information includes: date of burial, name of the deceased, date of death, age, and signature of officiating priest.

District Marriage Registers, 1831-1858

The district registers were microfilmed in alphabetical order. The entries are grouped together by year: for instance, for a given city, those for 1842 are separate from those for 1843. The index of each district register has been microfilmed and directly follows the register indexed.

County Marriage Registers, 1858-1869

The county registers were microfilmed in alphabetical order. As with the district registers, the county registers are indexed, the index either preceding the county register in the same volume or following the register directly in a separate volume.

Registers by Clergy, 1896-1948

These 18 registers were compiled by clergy of different religious confessions. They date from 1896 to 1948. Most of the information contained in these registers is also found in the county registers, the district registers or the registers of civil status statistics. Seven registers were compiled by Methodist pastors, five by Presbyterians, four by Baptists, one by an Anglican and one by a justice of the peace. Twelve of the 18 registers relate entirely or preponderantly to Toronto or the immediate surroundings. There is no index to the registers.

Roman Catholic Marriage Registers, 1828-1870

These registers were created within the Catholic community in Ontario. The information included dates from 1828 to 1870.

Ontario Birth Index, 1869-1903

Information given: name of person baptized, sex, and place and date of baptism.

Ontario Marriage Registrations, 1869-1919

Information given for each spouse: name, age, address, place of birth, civil status, occupation, names of parents. Also mentioned are: names and addresses of witnesses, date and place of marriage, religion of the spouses, name of officiant, marriage by licence or banns, county of marriage.

Ontario Marriages Index, 1873-1919

Information given: names of spouses, and date and place of marriage.

Ontario Deaths Index, 1869-1929

Information given: name of deceased, sex, and place and date of death.

Original Index Books - Births, Marriages and Death Registrations, 1869

Information given: names of persons concerned, type of event (baptism, marriage or death), date, county, volume and folio reference.

Original Index Books – Marriage Registrations, 1870-1873

Information given: names of spouses, date, county, volume and folio reference.

Delayed Registrations of Marriages, 1892-1919

Information given: place and date of marriage, licence or banns, names of spouses, residence, civil status, religion, age, citizenship, ethnic origin, place of birth, occupation, names of father and mother, places of birth of father and mother, name and address of officiant.

 

NEW-BRUNSWICK

  Catholic registers of New Brunswick, 1768-1921

Registers of the Catholic parishes of the dioceses of Bathurst, Edmundston and Moncton. Information given for baptisms: name of person baptized, date of baptism, date of birth, names of parents, names of godfather and godmother, name of officiant. Marginal notes may be included. Information given for marriages: date of marriage, names of spouses, names of parents, names of witnesses, name of officiant. Information given for deaths: date of burial, name of deceased, names of parents, date of death, age of deceased, names of witnesses, name of officiant. Information given for abjurations: name, age, signature, name of officiant. Some confirmations are mentioned. Only the name of the person confirmed is given.

  

NOVA SCOTIA

  Nova Scotia Marriage Records, 1849-1918

Information given: place and date of marriage, licence or banns, names of spouses, ages, addresses, places of birth, names of parents, occupations, names of witnesses, signatures of spouses, name of officiant.

Nova Scotia Vital Records, 1864-1918

Information given in the index of births: page and number corresponding to birth, year of birth, name of newborn, county. Marriage registrations include the following information: number of marriage, place and date, licence or banns, names and signatures of spouses, ages, civil status, occupations, addresses before marriage, places of birth, names of parents, occupations of parents, witnesses, name of officiant.

 

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

Prince Edward Island Master Names Index

  

NEWFOUNDLAND

Newfoundland Registers of Vital Statistics 1753-1893

Information given: year and place of birth, names of parents, name of newborn, name of officiant, date of baptism, religion, father's occupation, name of registering officer.

Newfoundland Deaths Records, 1891-1949

Information given: date, place and cause of death; name of deceased; authorized physician; authorized member of the clergy; religion; occupation; age; place of birth; place of burial; name of registering officer.

Newfoundland Marriages Records, 1891-1922

Information given: date and place of marriage, names of spouses, ages, civil statuses, occupations, religion, addresses before marriage, name of officiant, names of witnesses, name of registering officer.

Newfoundland Birth Records, 1891-1899

Information given: date and place of birth, names of parents, father's occupation, religion, date of baptism, name of officiant, name of person baptized, sex, date of registration, registration office.

Miscellaneous Delayed Birth Registrations for Newfoundland, 1840-1915

Information given: name and place of parish, person registered, names of parents, date and place of birth, date of baptism, name of officiant, names of witnesses, date of delayed baptism.

Censuses, 1911-1945

 

CANADA

Pre-1900 Canadian Directories

A collection microfilmed by the Canadian Institute of Historical Microreproductions, including most directories of persons by province, county, township, town or city, and locality across Canada, before 1900.

Archives of bodies of troops

Statements of service of officers who served under the French Regime, classified by name of regiment. The lists concern officers only. Information given: name of officer; age; place of origin; date of death; and information on promotions, pay, pensions and land concessions.

Border Ports of Entry in Canada, 1908-1918

A list of immigrants arrived in Canada, organized geographically by port and date of entry. Information given: name of port, date (year and month), name, sex, age, occupation, place of birth, places of departure and arrival, etc. Not all immigrants who crossed the border are registered. Some crossed the border when the station was closed or at places where there was no station. Numerous families were not registered because one or both parents were born, or had previously resided, in Canada and were regarded as returning Canadians rather than immigrants. Searching is effective when the port and month of arrival are known. Otherwise, it is necessary to search through the lists for a given region port by port and month by month.

Collection LI-RA-MA

The Likacheff-Ragosine-Mathers (LI-RA-MA) collection comprises documents created between 1898 and 1922 by the Imperial Russian Consular offices in Canada. The series on passports and identification papers consists of about 11,400 records on immigrants from Russia and Eastern Europe (Jews, Ukrainians, Poles, Finns, etc.) who settled in Canada in the early 20th century. The records contain such documents as passport applications and questionnaires containing general information. A large number of the documents are written in the Russian Cyrillic alphabet.

List of British immigrants, 1817-1831 = Colonial Office 384 Passenger Lists (Finding Aid)

These are partial lists of immigrants mainly from Great Britain, including the list dating from 1817 to 1831 in the Colonial Office 384 series (MG 11, National Archives of Canada). Microfilm reel C-4252 contains an index to the lists. Each entry gives only a name, a date and a reference to the documents of the Colonial Office series (e.g. CO 384, vol. 3, p. 62).

Lower Canada Land Petitions

These are petitions for land grants submitted to the Land Committee of the Executive Council of Quebec and Lower Canada, from 1764 to the mid-19th century. Finding Aid 1801 is a nominal card index with references to land petitions in Québec and Lower Canada until 1841 (RG 1 L3L, National Archives of Canada) and to Gaspé Land Commission records (RG 1 L7, vols. 79-80, National Archives of Canada). The index provides the following information: name of petitioner, year and the pages corresponding to documents. Petitions made after 1841 are in RG 1 L3, Finding Aid 1802, National Archives of Canada.

Canadian censuses, 1666-1901

Ship passenger lists

Lists of ship passengers from 1865 to 1921, classified first by port of arrival (Halifax, St. John, North Sydney, Québec, Vancouver, Victoria) and date, and then by name of ship. For most reels, there is no alphabetical index. An index exists for ship passengers arrived in Québec City between 1865 and 1869. Information given: name of ship, port of arrival, date of arrival, port of departure, names of passengers, ages, occupations, nationalities and destinations.

Nominal Index to Quebec City Passenger Lists, 1856-1869

Nominal card index for arrivals in Québec City from 1865 to 1869. Each card includes passenger name, occasionally age, ship name, date of arrival and the reference to the microfilm reel containing the list in question.

Nominal Card Index for Marriage Bonds, 1763-1867

 

ACADIA

Archives of the French colonies concerning the Acadians

Various documents including a few censuses in the French colonies, lists of persons deported from France and having returned to America, notarial acts (1737-1753), lists of persons receiving a king's pension for having been deported, etc.

Fonds Placide Gaudet (MG 30 C20) (Finding Aid 659)

Contains genealogical notes; a few dates of baptisms, marriages and burials; deals with a number of Acadian families.

Censuses for Acadia and Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Various censuses covering the 16th and 17th centuries (i.e. before and after the deportation).

 

ST-PIERRE AND MIQUELON

Registers for Saint Pierre and Miquelon, 1764-1870

A collection of registers of baptisms, marriages and burials. A few years are missing.

 

UNITED STATES

Connecticut Census, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890, 1900, 1910, 1920

Illinois Marriages Index, Pre-1900

Maine Marriage Index, Brides, 1895-1966

Maine Marriage Index, Brides, 1967-1983

Maine Marriage Index, Grooms, 1956-1983

Maine Divorce Index, 1892-1964

Maine Divorce Indexes, 1974-1983

Maine Death Indexes, 1956-1983

Maine Vital Records, 1670-1936

Maine Census, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890, 1900, 1910, 1920

Massachusetts Births Index, 1841-1905

Massachusetts Marriages Index, 1841-1905

Massachusetts Deaths Index, 1841-1905

Massachusetts Birth, Marriage and Death Records, 1841-1843

Massachusetts Birth Records, 1844-1905

Massachusetts Marriage Records, 1844-1905

Massachusetts Death Records, 1840-1903

Massachusetts Delayed and Corrected Vital Records, 1840-1900

Massachusetts Census, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890, 1900, 1910, 1920

Michigan Census, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890, 1900, 1910, 1920

Michigan Census, Wayne Co., Detroit City, 1920

New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906

Citizenship applications for the New England states. Index of documents relating to naturalization kept in the courts of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. Classified according to the soundex system within each state. Information given: family name, given name, address, location of court where naturalization application was filed, applicant's place of birth, and date of naturalization.

New Hampshire Index to Births, 1640-1900

New Hampshire Index to Marriages, 1640-1900

New Hampshire Bride's Index, 1640-1900

New Hampshire Index to Divorces Prior to 1938

New Hampshire Index to Deaths, 1640-1900

New Hampshire Census, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890, 1900, 1910, 1920

New York Census, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890, 1910, 1920

Rhode Island Births Index, 1853-1889

Rhode Island Birth Records, 1819, 1852-1894

Rhode Island Delayed Birth Records, 1846-1895

Rhode Island Marriages Index, Groom, 1853-1889

Rhode Island Marriages Index, Bride, 1853-1889

Rhode Island Marriage Records, 1853-1894

Rhode Island Deaths Index, 1853-1920

Rhode Island Death Records, 1853-1945

Rhode Island Census, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890, 1900, 1910, 1920

Vermont Vital Records, 1760-1954

Vermont Census, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890, 1900, 1910, 1920

Wisconsin Index, Pre-1907 – Marriages and Deaths, 197?-1984

Wisconsin Census, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890, 1900, 1910, 1920

Canadian Border Entries Through St. Albans

Soundex list of persons having crossed the border from Canada to the United States, not only through St. Albans, but also through the states of Washington, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan, New York and other places along the border. Information given on each card: family name, given name, accompanying person, place of birth, age, race, nationality, last permanent residence, name and address of a relative or friend the person is going to meet, personal description (height, weight, eye colour, hair colour, distinguishing marks) pocket money and purpose of trip. The list makes it easy to identify the regions in which members of the same family may have settled.

  

ENGLAND

  National Probate Calendars, 1853-1935

Index of wills registered in England between 1853 and 1935. The official name is National Probate Calendars, but the more common name is Somerset House Wills , from the name of the place where the collection is preserved. The index covers wills not only of persons who died in England, but also of persons who died anywhere in the British Empire, and it is also possible to find wills of persons who died elsewhere, but whose executor lived in England.

  

IRLAND

Griffith Valuation, 1848-1864

A valuation roll for Ireland in the mid-19th century, together with an index. Gives the name of each occupant or tenant, the locality, a cartographic reference and the valuation of the property. The National Library of Ireland produced a complete index in the 1960s: Index of Surnames of Householders in Griffith Valuation List.

Tithe Applotment Books

These are for the religious tax paid in Ireland in the 19th century. Taxes were levied on the people by the Catholic Church and paid in kind with commodities such as corn, hay, potatoes, livestock, and so forth. Despite a lack of uniformity, the books give, by parish, occupants' names, property classifications, tax amounts collected and owners' names. They actually constitute the first national list of occupants and owners; hence their importance for genealogical research. They go back 20 to 30 years further than the Griffith Valuation List, to which they constitute an indispensable complement.

 

3. Partners

The Montréal centre has focused its development in genealogy by placing a microphotography studio at the disposal of the Utah Genealogical Society. As a result, the archival fonds and series essential to genealogical research are being microfilmed and can be disseminated world wide.

The Montréal centre also houses the Archiv-Histo group, which enables them to enhance the Parchemin data bank of notarial records, which has become an indispensable tool for both genealogical and historical research.