Késsinnimek - Roots - RacinesPrimary and Secondary Sources
Suggestions
by Norm Léveillée
Suggestions
by Norm Léveillée
I followed a discussion recently on the Quebec-Research List about which Genealogical Resources are the most valid and useful. Without a doubt, viewing the original parish registers or official county documents is the most valid and useful. These are primary or copies of primary records. There are also secondary sources which are quite accurate. On the other hand, there are several secondary sources which contain errors made by the transcriber. These have been perpetrated throughout the Internet. Two such examples are Tanguay and Jetté who had misread the original or primary sources.
I will concentrate this article primarily on the sources for our French-Canadian or Québecois ancestors.
The Primary Source is that original document found in the parish registers of the churches and in the town clerk's offices. There are also handwritten copies of the original pages found in various archives throughout Québec.
If one plans to view either the original register or a copy of the various pages of these original parish registers, then one must be able to decipher the handwriting of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. In addition, one must be able to read and understand written French. Not all of the pages have been clearly copied. The handwriting on some pages is difficult to read. Here is one example:
The Identification in the left margin reads: Marriage of Pierre Talussier and Véronique Montour
The twenty-second August one thousand seven hundred fifty seven, after the publication of the three bans of marriage at the parochial masses of this parish, between Pierre Talussier dit LaSalle, son of Antoine Talussier and Marie Durand, and widower of Marie Huard, and of Véronqiue Montour, fille de Maurice Montour and Thérèse Petit..., after receiving their mutal consent, I, priest of this parish, imparted the nuptial blessing upon them according to the form prescribed by our mother the Holy Church, in the presence of Barthelemy Marseille, Etienne Devergile, Dominique Dubrocas, Pierre Montour and Charles Montour, brothers of the bride, ... Dubrocas Marseille Eth. Dervergile Pierre Talussier dit LaSalle Guay, priest(Signatures)
Please note: The above is my literal and liberal transcription and my translation, since much the copy of the document is not legible. See below for a transcription by P.R.D.H. which would most certainly assist in deciphering that copy.
One would need extreme patience and perseverance to examine each and every word. However, after reading many of these pages, one can become adept at "guessing" what might have been written.
There are some that are extremely legible. Here is an example of one of my ancestors:
The record reads as follows in French and my translation into English:
Français
Le septième avril mil sept cent quatre, après les publications de bans requis n'ayant découvert aucun empêchement, j'ay célébré le mariage entre Paul Bellanger, fils de deffunt Nicolas et de Marie de Rainville de cette paroisse de Beauport d'une part, et de Jeanne Maheu, veuve de Joseph Garnier, de la dite paroisse d'autre part, présens au dit mariage Noël Maillou, Noël Marcou et Jean Parent habitans du dit Beauport et Charles Garnier habitant de l'Ange-Gardien, la dite épouse avec les dits Marcou et Varont déclaré ne savoir signer de ce enquis suivant l'ordonnance. --Paul Bellanger Noël Maillou ---Boullard (signatures)English
The seventh April one thousand seven hundred four, after the publications of the required bans having found no impediment, I celebrated the marriage between Paul Bellanger, son of the deceased Nicolas and of Marie de Rainville of this parish of Beauport on the one part, and Jeanne Maheu, widow of Joseph Garnier of the aforementioned parish on the other part, present at the aforementioned marriage Noël Maillou, Noël Marcou and Jean Parent inhabitants of the mentioned Beauport and Charles Garnier inhabitant of L'Ange-Gardien, the aforementioned bride with the aforementioned Marcou and Varont have declared not knowing how to sign having inquired about this according to the statute.--Paul Bellanger Noël Maillou ---Boullard (signatures)
The above was only a section of the full page, depicted here below:
The ACGS - American Canadian Genealogical Society - of Manchester, NH has the Drouin Collection at our disposal for a moderate fee. My January article explained this collection and how one can avail oneself of the documents there. Serious genealogists prefer to view primary sources, or at least copies, for their data. The Drouin Collection is one such database. There are several of us who would gladly attempt to read and translate these pages - some free of charge, others for a modest fee.
The Secondary Source is a document that has been created from the primary or original data. Tanguay, Jetté, Campagna's répertoires and others are such examples. However, for me, a good secondary source is P.R.D.H - Programme de recherche en démographie historique - out of the Université de Montréal. This is, however, a fee-based database. For subscription information and pricing, link to the following:
www.genealogy.umontreal.ca/en/Abonnement.htm
The following is a copy of the PRDH document "acte77370" of the marriage of Paul Bellanger and Jeanne Maheu, described above from a copy of the original register page: (You can click on the photo for an enlarged graphic)
Marriage No. 77370 - Beauport 1704-04-07
According the above Certificate, Paul Bellanger married Jeanne MAHEU on 4 Apr 1704 in (Notre-Dame de) Beauport, Québec, Canada. Jeanne was the widow of Joseph GARNIER/GRENIER. Neither the groom nor the bride were able to sign the document. The "c" next to Paul Bellanger's name indicates that he was "celibate", he was "p = present" and a "m = male". The "v" next to Jeanne Maheu's name indicates that she was a "widow" and number 5 below indicated that Joseph Garnier was "m = married" but "d = deceased" and a "m = male" (Jeanne's first husband). The father of Paul was Nicolas Bellanger, deceased and his mother was Marie Derainville, a "f = female". The four witnesses were Noël Maillou, Noël Marcou, Jean Parent and Charles Garnier, all "p = present" and "m = male". The priest (Father) Boullard was "c - celibate", "p = present" and "m = male".
When I first started using PRDH several years ago, there were no © Copyright notice posted on the various certificates. However, the documents have been upgraded and restyled over the past couple of years. Take a look at the above Acte77370 as it now appears on the database: (You can click on the photo for an enlarged graphic)
Acte 77370
As you can clearly see, the format has been improved and there is now a © Copyright notice for PRDH. I copied the above for the sole purpose of contrasting the old with the new format. The comparison is more easily seen with the enlarged graphic.
The following is P.R.D.H. data for the Talussier-Montour as presented above. The graphic copy of the original parish register in the Drouin Collect is not legible. However, the transcriber for PRDH wrote the following, from the original register:(You can click on the photo for an enlarged graphic)
Acte 305616
P.R.D.H. database is one of the best Secondary sources available for research on our Québecois ancestry. Please note: You will need a subscription to view any documents in the P.R.D.H database.
One of our authors, Suzanne Boivin Sommerville, has done extensive research using, as primary source, the original parish register. You many read her articles on our Késsinnimek - Roots - Racines; select Articles by Authors.
When I researched my Léveillée ancestors in the parish of St-Aimé, now Masseuville, in Québec, I was fortunate to be able to view the original parish register. I made copies of various pages that pertained to my ancestors. These can be viewed on my website at: (You can click on the photo for an enlarged graphic)
Baptism of Jean-Baptiste Léveillée
My father
Baptism of Marguerite Fourquin dit Léveillé
My great-aunt
I have transcribed thirty-six copies of the Drouin Parish Registers, each dealing with my ancestors. These can be viewed at:
I plan to do more research using this collection to recheck and verify the data on my Ancestry website at www.leveilleel.net/ancestry.
Now, through the Drouin Collection at A.C.G.S in Manchester, NH, I can at least view a graphic image of the original parish register either in person at the society's headquarters or by a written request. If I have difficulty in reading the graphic, then I can rely on the P.R.D.H. transciption as found on that database from Montréal, Québec. By using these two sources, I can now verify the data on my ancestry lineage and also assist others in their research. I am a member of the A.C.G.S. and I have had a subscription to P.R.D.H. for several years.
There are two important URL's to store in the "favorites" of your Browser:
If you need assistance or futher information, you can contact me
roots at leveillee dot com
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Created 1 Feb 2003