Tracing Your French Ancestry
by John P. DuLong

The Projected Book

Since 1993 I have been writing a book to be entitled Tracing Your French Ancestry. Ancestry, Inc., of Salt Lake City, UT, has expressed interest in publishing it. This book is to be a comprehensive guide for doing not only French Canadian, but also Acadian / Cajun, Creole, Métis, and Huguenot genealogical research. It will also cover researching in France and touch on researching in Belgium and Switzerland. It takes advantage of the common features of French record keeping found among all the North American French ethnic groups.

To share with you an outline of this book, and to give you some idea of my progress, I am including the Table of Contents on this web page. Those chapters that I have completed a draft of are indicated by the various section subheadings. I have marked the other chapters as not started in square brackets. As I complete chapters I will add the subheadings here so that you can see the progress I am making. You should consider this Table of Contents as a proposed outline for the final product. The Ancestry, Inc., editor might want to make substantial changes to the layout of the book.

I have included a list of the tables and maps that I plan to put in the book. The tables are completed if they are listed. The figures are not yet finalized. Only some of the maps have been roughly sketched out. A cartographer will have to draw the final maps. The cost of making the maps will ultimately determine what maps are included in the book.

Please note that I do not do genealogical research for others. Although I welcome general comments regarding the contents and approach of my book, I will not answer genealogical questions. I simply do not have the time. I am afraid you will have to wait until the book is published to have any specific research questions answered.

I recently completed the French Métis chapter.  While working on this chapter, I decided that I should break out the materials on fur trade records into a separate chapter.  This material is now in Chapter 6.  Consequently, I have had to readjust the chapter numbers.

Frankly, it is taking me much longer to write this book than I originally anticipated.   However, I have been learning a lot about the North American French.  The French Canadian and Acadian chapters were relatively easy to write. In contrast, I have had to do a lot of research to learn about the genealogy of Creoles, Afro-Creoles, and Métis.  This study has been very interesting for me, but it has slowed my progress.   I am hoping that the Research in France and Huguenot chapters will be easier to write since I am more familiar with these topics.  However, it will still take me several more years to finish the final chapters, update the chapters I finished over a year ago, proof the entire document, double check the citations, complete the appendixes, etc.   Hopefully, the book will be published in 2002.  Sorry for the delay.   I appreciate your continued patience.  I believe you will enjoy the final product.  I know I am already finding my manuscript of value.  When I have a methodological question now, I check my manuscript and, more often than not, I am very satisfied with the answer I wrote.  The few people who have read sections of the manuscript have generally found it valuable.

The following table of contents reflects my progress as of 18 September 1999.

Table of Contents

Preface

Part 1: French Records in North America

Chapter 1: North American French Heritage

Chapter 2: French Naming Practices

• Personal Names
• Aliases
• Noble Names
• Place Names
• Searching French Names

Chapter 3: Religious Vital Records

• History
• Protestant and Jewish Records
• Contents
  • Baptism Record Contents
  • Marriage Record Contents
  • Burial Record Contents
  • Baptism Example
  • Marriage Example
  • Burial Example
• Repertories
• Evaluation

Chapter 4: Civil Vital Records

• History
• Contents
• Common Content Changes in All the Records
• Birth Record Content Changes
• Marriage Record Content Changes
• Death Record Content Changes
• Revolutionary Changes
• Evolutionary Changes
• Evaluation

Chapter 5: Notarial Records

• History
• Types of Notaries
• Types of Notarial Records
• Contents
  • Marriage Contract Contents
  • Marriage Contract Examples
• Processing and Organization
• Evaluation

Chapter 6: Fur Trade Records

• Fur Trade Primer
• History
• Geography
• Contents
  • Engagements
  • Congés and Licenses
• Account Books and Other Records
• Biographies
• Value of Fur Trade Records

Chapter 7: Seigneurial and Other Records

• Seigneurial Land System
• Other French Record Groups
  • Census Records
  • Military Records
  • Newspapers
  • Court and Administrative Records
  • Maps, Atlases, Directories, and Gazetteers
• Conclusion

Chapter 8: Using French Records

• Tips and Examples
  • Using Marriage Records and Contracts to Construct a Pedigree
  • Intermarriage
  • Notorious Ancestors
  • Survival Status
  • Using the Family Method
  • Witnessing and Tracing Networks of Friends and Kin
  • Complete Reading of the Parish Register
  • Working with Notarial Repertories and Indexes
  • Clues to Previous Notarial Records and Vital Records
  • Identify the Family Notary
  • Searching Names
  • Location Clues
  • Signatures and Literacy
  • Using Summary Statistics
  • Using Legal Absolutes
  • Estimating Age from Majority Information
  • Consanguinity and Affinity
• Some Basic Research Guidelines
• Conclusion

Part 2: North American French Ethnic Groups

Chapter 9: Researching the French in North America

• Distribution of French Ancestry
  • United States
  • Canada
  • Distribution Summary
• Basic North American Research
  • History of Canada
  • Geography of Canada
• Basic North American Collections
  • Family History Library
  • National Archives of Canada
  • National Library of Canada
• North American French Variations

Chapter 10: French Canadians

• Naming Practices
• Geography
• History
• Migration Patterns
  • French and European Origins
  • United States and Canadian Immigration Waves
    • First Wave: French Colonial Period
    • The Transition Period
    • Second Wave: Industrial Period
    • Migration Summary
• Collections
• Religious and Civil Vital Records
  • Religious Vital Records
  • Repertories and Card Indexes
    • Loiselle Marriage Card Index Example
  • Civil Vital Records
  • Répertoires des actes
    • Index Example
    • Baptism Example
    • Marriage Example
    • Burial Example
• Notarial Records
• Fur Trade Records
• Other Records
  • Census Records
  • Land Records
  • Military Records
  • Passenger and Naturalization Records
  • Newspapers
  • Beneficial Societies
  • Directories
  • Court and Administrative Records
• Compiled Genealogies
  • Genealogical Dictionaries
  • Regional Genealogical Dictionaries
  • Collections of Ancestral Vignettes
  • Miscellaneous
• Special Cases
  • Daughters of the King
  • Fur Traders and Voyageurs
  • Lumberjacks
  • Nobles and Notables
  • Foreigners and Captives
• Conclusion

Chapter 11: Acadians

• Geography
• History
• Migration Patterns
  • Origins
  • Settlement
  • Grand Dérangement
    • Québec
    • Nova Scotia
    • New Brunswick / Maine
    • Prince Edward Island
    • St-Pierre and Miquelon
    • Massachusetts
    • Connecticut
    • New York
    • Pennsylvania
    • Maryland
    • Virginia
    • North Carolina
    • South Carolina
    • Georgia
    • Caribbean
    • Louisiana
    • Falkland Islands
    • England
    • France
  • Migration Summary
• Collections
• Religious and Civil Vital Records
• Notarial Records
• Other Records
  • Lists of Exiles
  • Census Records
  • Land Records
  • Military Records
  • Passenger Records
  • Newspapers
  • Directories
  • Court and Administrative Records
• Compiled Genealogies
  • Genealogical Dictionaries
  • Miscellaneous
• Special Cases
  • Foreigners
  • Fortress of Louisbourg
  • Plaisance, Newfoundland
  • Nobles and Métis
  • Consanguinity and Genetic Disorders
• Conclusion

Chapter 12: Creoles

• Naming Practices
• Geography
• History
• Migration Patterns
• Collections
• Religious and Civil Vital Records
  • Religious Vital Records
  • Civil Vital Records
• Notarial Records
• Fur Trade Records
• Other Records
  • Census Records
  • Land Records
  • Military Records
  • Passenger and Naduralization Records
  • Newspapers
  • Directories
  • Court and Administrative Records
• Compiled Genealogies
• Special Cases
  • Afro-Creoles Missouri and Illinois Settlers
  • Foreygners
    • Germans
    • Canary Islanders
    • Foreign French
    • Americans
  • Pirates
• Conclusion

Chapter 13: French Métis

• Official Definitions of Indian and Métis
• French Métis Research Advice
• Naming Practices
• Geography
• History, Archeology, and Anthropology
  • Métis History
  • Indian History
• Migration Patterns
• Collections
  • Collections in Canada
  • Collections in the United States
• Vital Records
  • Religious Vital Records
    • Catholic Missionary and Parish Records
    • Protestant Records
  • Other Vital Records
• Notarial Records
• Fur Trade Records
• Other Records
  • Census Records and Tribal Rolls
    • Canadian Censuses and Tribal Rolls
    • American Censuses and Tribal Rolls
  • Peace Treaties
  • Land Records
  • Military and Indian Department Records
  • Newspapers
  • Court and Other Administrative Records
• Compiled Genealogies
• Special Cases
  • Acadian Métis
  • Captives
  • Slavery and Indians
  • French Canadians in the West
  • Métissage in Québec
  • Oral Traditions
• Conclusion

Part 3: Research in Europe

Chapter 14: Research in France [started]

Chapter 15: Huguenots [not started]

Chapter 16: Research in Belgium [not started]

Chapter 17: Research in Switzerland [not started]

Appendixes

Appendix A: French Calendars, Geographic Boundaries, Measurements, and Currency

• Calendars
  • Julian and Gregorian Calendars
  • Republican Calendar
• Geographic Boundaries
  • Provinces and Regions
  • Departments
  • Foreign Departments
  • Administrative Regions
  • Ecclesiastic Divisions
  • French Colonies
• Measurements
• Currency

Appendix B: French Language Aids

• Compiling a French Language Notebook
• French Language Resources and Glossaries
• Transcribing and Translating French Documents

Appendix C: Addresses [not completed]

• Belgium
• Canada
• Québec
• France
  • Metropolitan France Departmental Archives
  • Overseas Departmental Archives
  • Overseas Territorial Archives
• Luxembourg
• Haiti
• Switzerland
• United States
• Miscellaneous

Appendix D: Classification Systems [almost completed]

• National Archives of Canada
  • Manuscript Division
  • Government Archives Division
• Archives nationales du Québec
• Bibliothèque nationale de France
• Archives nationales de France
  • Ancient Series before 1789
  • Modern Series after 1789
  • Divers Collections
  • Other Systems at Associated Archives
• French Departmental Archives
  • Ancient Archives before 1790
  • Ancient, Modern, and Contemporary Archives
  • Modern Archives, 1790-1940
  • Contemporary Archives after 1940
  • Community and Hospital Archives
  • Particular Collections

References

Tables

• Chapter 1: North American French Heritage
  • Table 1-1: Top Fifteen Ancestry Groups, 1990 U.S. Census
• Chapter 3: Religious Vital Records
  • Table 3-1: Surviving Huguenot Vital Registers
  • Table 3-2: Religious Vital Records
• Chapter 4: Civil Vital Records
  • Table 4-1: Introduction of Civil Vital Records
• Chapter 5: Notarial Records
  • Introduction of Notarial Records
• Chapter 6: Fur Trade Records
  • Table 6-1: Comparision of Social Patterns Between the Hudson's Bay Company and the North West Company, 1763-1821
  • Table 6-2: French Period Fur Trade Destinations
  • Table 6-3: British Priod Fur Trade Destinations: North West Company Departments, 1813-1814
  • Table 6-4: Fur Trade Companies
• Chapter 7: Seigneurial and Other Records
  • Table 7-1: Census Coverage for Franco-Americans
• Chapter 8: Using French Records
  • Table 8-1: Relationship Calculation Chart for Six Generations: According to Common, Canon, and Civil Law
• Chapter 9: Researching the French in North America
  • Table 9-1: Distribution of Franco-Americans, 1990 United States Census
  • Table 9-2: Distribution of French Ethnic Origins, 1991 Canadian Census
• Chapter 10: French Canadians
  • Table 10-1: Origins of French Immigrants to Québec, 1608-1765, Sorted by Number
  • Table 10-2: Permanent Immigrants to Canada before 1760
  • Table 10-3: American Marriage Repertories
  • Table 10-4: Québec Censuses, 1666-1901
  • Table 10-5: Origins of European (Non-French) Immigrants to Québec, 1608-1765, Sorted by Number
• Chapter 11: Acadians
  • Table 11-1: Acadian Place Names
  • Table 11-2: Known Origins of Male French Immigrants to Acadia, Sorted by Number
  • Table 11-3: Estimates of Initial Acadian Dispersal, 1755-1757, Sorted by Number
  • Table 11-4: Estimates of Acadian Population in 1763, Sorted by Number
  • Table 11-5: Estimates of Acadian Population in 1800, Sorted by Number
  • Table 11-6: Acadian Parishes, 1679-1758
  • Table 11-7: Notaries of Acadia and Île-Royale, 1679-1758
  • Table 11-8: Acadian and Maritime Censuses, 1671-1901
  • Table 11-9: Ethnic Origin of Cajun Surnames
• Chapter 12: Creoles
  • Table 12-1: Origins of French Immigrants to Louisiana and Illinois, 1718-1758, Sorted by Number
  • Table 12-2: Notaries of New Orleans
  • Table 12-3: Creole Censuses, 1699-1920
  • Table 12-4: Racial Classification in French Colonial Louisiana
• Chapter 13: French Métis
  • Table 13-1: French Colonial Frontier Parish Records
  • Table 13-2: Indian Reserves and Missions of Québec Established During the French Colonial Period

Figures

• Chapter 1: North American French Heritage
  • Figure 1-1: French and French Canadian Immigration to the United States, 1850-1970
• Chapter 3: Religious Vital Records
  • Figure 3-1: Baptism Examples
  • Figure 3-2: Marriage Examples
  • Figure 3-3: Burial Examples
• Chapter 4: Civil Vital Records
  • Figure 4-1: Birth Examples
  • Figure 4-2: Marriage Examples
  • Figure 4-3: Death Examples
• Chapter 5: Notarial Records
  • Figure 5-1: Marriage Contract Examples
• Chapter 6: Fur Trade Records
  • Figure 6-1: Example of a North West Company Engagement
  • Figure 6-2: Example of a Printed Engagement Abstract
  • Figure 6-3: Example of a Printed Congés Abstract
• Chapter 10: French Canadians
  • Figure 10-1: Loiselle Marriage Card Index Example
  • Figure 10-2: Répertoire des actes: Index Example
  • Figure 10-3: Répertoire des actes: Baptism Example
  • Figure 10-4: Répertoire des actes: Marriage Example
  • Figure 10-5: Répertoire des actes: Burial Example
  • Figure 10-5: Dictionnaire généalogique des familles du Québec: Example
• Chapter 11: Acadians
  • Figure 11-1: Histoire et Généalogie des Acadiens: Example

Maps

• Chapter 1: North American French Heritage
  • Map 1-1: New France
• Chapter 6: Seigneurial and Other Records
  • Map 6-1: Seigneurial Land System
• Chapter 10: French Canadians
  • Map 10-1: St. Lawrence River French Canadian Settlements
  • Map 10-2: Judicial Districts of Québec
  • Map 10-3: Administrative Regions of the Archives nationales du Québec
• Chapter 11: Acadians
  • Map 11-1: Acadia in 1755
  • Map 11-2: The Deportation and Flight of the Acadians, 1755-1757
  • Map 11-3: The Acadian Migrations, 1758-1785
• Chapter 12: Creoles
  • Map 12-1: Colonial Louisiana
• Chapter 13: French Métis
  • Map 13-1: Fur Trade Locations: French Period
  • Map 13-2: Fur Trade Locations: British Period

This page, and all contents, are Copyright © 1995 by John P. DuLong, Berkley, MI. Created 23 November 1995. Modified 17 May 1998.  The graphic image of the French royal arms for this site comes courtesy of the Old Fort Niagara Association.