Libraries, Archives, Genealogy Societies

Connecticut

• The French-Canadian Genealogical Society of Connecticut, 53 Tolland Green (Rte 195), P O Box 45, Tolland, 06084, is open Mon & Wed 4-8, Sat 9-4, Sun 1-4.

Illinois

• The Newberry Library in Chicago has extensive collections of genealogy sources for various ethnic groups. Its Acadian and French-Canadian collection includes Jette, Tanguay, the PRDH, the Loiselle Index, Arsenault, Bergeron, and many marriage repertoires.

Indiana

• The Allen County Public Library Genealogy Department is at 900 Webster Street, Fort Wayne, IN 46802, 219-424-7241. It has many Québec records, including censuses, on microfilm.

Louisiana

• The Center for Louisiana Studies, University of Southwestern Louisiana, has an important collection for Cajun and Creole research.

• The East Baton Rouge Parish Library is located at 9200 Bluebonnet Boulevard, and hours are 9-9 Monday-Thursday, 9-6 Friday and Saturday, and 2-6 on Sunday. Their collection includes over 10,000 books and periodicals. Dial-in access from a home computer is at (504) 231-3773 24 hours a day, and requires software that provides VT100 terminal emulation, set to no parity, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, baud rate 300 - 14,400. Voice telephone: (504) 763-2283.

Maine

• The Acadian Archives at the University of Maine at Fort Kent, www.umfk.maine.edu is open Monday through Thursday from 1:00-5:00PM, generally, but call before coming a long distance. They have a reading room, vertical files, on-line computer catalog, audio/video viewing equipment, access to mainframe services at the University of Maine (Oronto), including URSUS, CAPS, and the Internet, photocopier and microfilm/fiche readers. Email at acadian@maine.maine.edu.

• The Father Leo Begin Chapter of the American-Canadian Genealogical Society is located at 1035 Lisbon Street, Lewiston, Maine. Its mailing address is P.O. Box 2125, Lewiston ME 04240-2125.

Massachusetts

• The New England Historic Genealogical Society, 101 Newbury Street, Boston MA, has voluminous records on genealogy in New England. They have a special pamphlet explaining their resources for French-Canadian research. If your ancestors never lived in New England, this may not be your best source. Members can borrow books by mail. Phone (617) 536-5740, FAX (617) 536-7307.

Michigan

• The Burton Historical Collection, Detroit Public Library, 5201 Woodward, Detroit, MI 48202, 313-833-1480, has some of the earlisest colonial records for Detroit.

• The State Archives of Michigan's Michigan Library and Historical Center is at 717 W Allegan St, Lansing, MI, 517-373-1408. It has, among other resources, microfilm of Michigan newspapers.

New Hampshire

• The American Canadian Genealogical Society, 4 Elm Street, Manchester, NH is for French-Canadian and Acadian research. Open Wed 1-9 PM, Fri 10AM-9PM, and Sat 9AM-4PM. Phone (603) 622-1554.

Rhode Island

• American-French Genealogical Society, P O Box 2113, Pawtucket, RI 02861

• Union St-Jean Baptiste Bibliotheque Malle, One Sociale Street, Woonsocket, RI 02895, (401) 769-0520.

• The American French Genealogical Society (AFGS) in Woonsocket, RI.

Utah

• The Family History Library of the Mormon Church is located in Salt Lake City. Here you will find a truly astounding wealth of books, all available for photocopying, including marriage repertoires, parish registers, and genealogical dictionaries. Areas covered very well include Québec, the Gaspé, Louisiana (three different series of parish registers covering Baton Rouge, South Louisiana and Southwest Louisiana), and Acadia. Prince Edward Island is unfortunately not represented by any repertoires.

Vermont

• The Vermont French-Canadian Genealogical Society was founded in 1996. Their library is located in a closet at St. Joseph's School in Burlington, Vermont. E-mail at vtfcgs@aol.com.

New Brunswick

• Provincial Archives of New Brunswick, University of New Brunswick Campus, P.O. Box 6000, Fredericton, NB E3B 5H1, 506-453-2122. Contains government and family records, extensive collection of genealogical sources for entire province, including census, land, probate, church and cemetery records, registers of births, marriages and deaths; newspapers, histories and reference library.

• New Brunswick Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 3235, Station B, Fredericton, NB E3A 5G9. Has eight branches across the province, publishes a quarterly newsletter with query service.

• Centre d'études acadiennes, Centre universitaire de Moncton, Moncton, NB E1A 3E9, 506-858-4085. Open Mon - Fri 8:30 - 4:30 and Tues 7-10 PM, this is the mecca for Acadian genealogists. It contains records of individuals and businesses, copies of government and civil records pertaining to the Acadians, genealogies, mpas, photographs, newspapers, library, and folklore collection.

• Centre d'études madawaskayennes, 65, boul. Hébert, Edmundston, NB E3V 2S8, 506-735-8804. Open Mon - Fri 9 - 5, the centre has official records, papers of individuals, genealogies, photographs, newspapers, sound archives, materials pertaining to the Northwest of the province.

• Saint John Public Library, 1 Market Square, Saint John, NB E2L 4Z6, 506-684-1191, has microfilms of church records, census and genealogical files, family histories relating to southwestern New brunswick.

  Chaleur Regional Museum, P.O. Box 293, 405 Adelaide Street, Dalhousie, NB E0K 1B0, 506-684-2903. They have church records, family histories, and published censuses for Restigouche County.

Nova Scotia

• The Acadian Center at the Université Sainte-Anne at Church Point has family sheets on all the families on the French Shore, down to and including the Pubnico area and into Cape Breton.

Ontario

• Société franco-ontarienne d'histoire et de généalogie, Windsor-Essex, C.P. 1021, rue Meunier, Belle Rivière, ONT N0R 1A0

Québec

• The Bibliothèque centrale de Montréal, Salle Gagnon, 1210 rue Sherbrooke est, Montréal 514-872-5923. Hours: winter - Mo 9-6, Tu-Th 9-10, Fr 12-6, Sa 9-5, Su 1-5; summer Mo-Th 9-10, Fr 9-5, Sa-Su closed. Externsive materials include vital records 1608-1899, marriages and deaths 1926-1991, and censuses.

• The Acadian Museum, Bonaventure, in the Gaspé peninsula, has a small research library with a wealth of information on the genealogy of the Acadians who settled in the Gaspé. Most of the collections of parish registers have been compiled by Bona Arsenault, and the library has copies of all of them, including the ones that are out of print. The Registers that aren't out of print are for sale in the Museum shop.

If you don't live in an area with a high concentration of French-Canadian families (and perhaps even if you do), your nearest source of genealogical information may be the Family History Center of the Mormon Church (Find them in the phone book under Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints). Or you may find your nearest FHC listed at one of two Web sites. The Family History Center List page, maintained by Stephen A. Wood, does not claim to be complete, but gives hours of operation. The other list of Centers, at http://www.deseretbook.com/famhis, is more complete but doesn't give any information on hours. Outside of areas with lots of French-Canadians, you will have to order microfilm (of Tanguay) or microfiche (of Jette).

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Please feel free to e-mail me with any comments: Linda Jones at lwjones@compuserve.com.

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Last Updated: Tuesday, December 24, 1996