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Parish Records
Accessing the original parish records are a true delight because these records often provide you with information that is not available from other sources. While the handwriting may be a challenge and the language may be overwhelming at first for those who do not speak French, once you understand that each type of sacramental record follows a basic format, it is relatively easy to extract the necessary information from the records. Following are guides and articles that can help you with your research:
Dit and Dite Names found in Parish Records:
Surnames and dit or dite Names: The preservation of French-Canadian Catholic parish records allows those with French-Canadian ancestry to research most, if not all, of their ancestry back to the original ancestors who immigrated to New France. This is especially true if your ancestors settled in areas where Catholic parish records have been digitized or transcribed by Genealogical or Historical Societies, as well as Genealogical Dictionaries. While researching in these records, some people encounter what they perceive as a “brick wall” because they cannot easily find a particular record. These “brick walls” can often be broken down if they understand three facts and consult the links that follow: 1. The spelling of surnames were not standardized in parish or civil records; 2. Many French-Canadians used dit or dite (the feminine form) names or nicknames in addition to a surname or in place of a surname; 3. After they moved to a community where the residents predominantly spoke English, some surnames were translated into English.
See the explanation of Names and dit or dite names offered by Programme de recherche en démographie historique de l’Université de Montréal (PRDH) online: https://www.genealogie.umontreal.ca/en/noms-et-prenoms. On PRDH’s page you find links to two databases. After you have entered a surname into one database, PRDH will produce a list of the spellings found in their database through 1799. The second link allows you to enter a dit or dite name into the database, PRDH will then produce a list of the surnames associated with that dit or dite name. If you prefer consulting a list that can be printed, you can consult the excellent resource provided by the American-French Genealogical Society in the form of a spreadsheet. Link to download the Surnames and dit/dite names spreadsheet: https://afgs.org/site/surname-variations/
Examples of French and French-Canadian Parish Records:
Gail Moreau-DesHarnais' three-part series of articles about French and French-Canadian Parish Records should be read by all! In the articles, Gail provides the reader with numerous examples of parish records. For each record, Gail presents you with an image, a transcription, and a translation of the act.
Sandra Goodwin's Podcasts: Sandra Goodwin’s Podcasts provide excellent background information and examples.
The Drouin Collection:
Baptismal Records:
Marriage Records:
Dissecting a French-Canadian Burial Record:
PRDH:
Canon Law and Latin Records:
Links to Researching Parish Records:
Assumption Records - The Mission of the Assumption among the Hurons of Detroit was founded in Detroit in 1728. The Mission moved to Bois Blanc Island (present-day Bob-Lo island) in 1742, and then to its present-day location in Windsor, Ontario in 1749. See the History of Assumption Parish at the following link: https://assumptionparish.ca/about/history/. The records for French Canadians are available from Ancestry's Drouin Collection, GenealogyQuebec, and from Family Search. Following are the links to the original Marriage Records:
Family Search: Digitized Microfilms of Parish Records in Québec, Ontario, and the Diocese of Belleville, Illinois. You can access these records from your computer at no charge. For the most part, they are not indexed.
Ontario – these records are organized by County, then City, then Parish:
Diocese of Belleville, Illinois – these records are organized by County, then City, then Parish:
The Drouin Collection from GenealogyQuebec - in addition to the images of the Drouin Collection, a subscription to GenealogyQuebec provides numerous other genealogy resources, including Jetté’s Genealogical Dictionary. The individuals who indexed and transcribed the records are fluent in French, and are far superior to those offered from Ancestry. For records from the Province of Québec through 1850, you can search for a couple and receive a list of all records relating to the couple, including their marriage and burial records (if available) as well the baptism, marriage, and burial records for their children (if available). When you click on a link to those records, you will receive a transcription of the parties named (parents, and names of the individual baptized, married, or buried) in the record as well as to a direct link to the image from the parish records. Subscriptions are available on a daily, monthly, and annual basis ($100 per year for the annual subscription). https://www.genealogiequebec.com/blog/en/2018/08/17/what-is-genealogy-quebec/?utm_source=genealogyquebecblog&utm_medium=blog
Ancestry.com – the Drouin Collections of Québec, Ontario, Acadia, French Parish Records, including Ste. Anne de Detroit. Individuals can access Ancestry’s records for free from most public libraries and from Family Search / LDS centers. Ancestry’s indexing of these records is terrible and many of the Ste. Anne’s records are not indexed. Subscription rates vary, but for Americans who want access to the Quebec Parish records, the annual rate is $300.
FicherOrigine is a free database where you can search for information regarding your French-Canadian Immigrant ancestors. If a baptismal record has been located for the immigrant, their siblings, or the marriage of their parents, that information is presented in this database. See: https://www.fichierorigine.com/
Articles and Research Guides:
The Nameless, by Suzanne Boivin Sommerville – This article explains the meaning of the French words ondoyement and ondoyé (lay baptism).
Genealogy Books for Researching Families in the Detroit River Region:
One of the starting points for researching families in the Detroit River Region is Rev. Christian Denissen, Genealogy of the French Families of the Detroit River Region, 1701 (Detroit: Detroit Society for Genealogical Research, 1987 – Revised edition, 2 volumes). The two-volume set is available at many local libraries. Unfortunately, the editors decided to Anglicize the spelling of the first and middle names, even though the priests used the French spellings in the parish records well into the 19th century. Therefore, you should use the French spelling when you are recording the information regarding an individual. You should also verify the dates with the records as they are found in the parish records. The records for Ste. Anne’s in Detroit are part of the Drouin Collection available from Ancestry.com. You can access Ancestry at most public libraries as well as at LDS/Family History Centers. Ste. Anne’s records are also available from the Drouin Collection from Genealogy Quebec.
Huron Mission Records - The earliest records from the Huron Mission du Détroit kept by Armand de Richardie, S.J., and Pierre Potier, S.J., can be found in the Jesuit Relations in Volumes 69, starting on page 240, and in Volume 70, starting on page 20. These entries contain numerous references to the residents of both sides of the Detroit River who had contracts with the Mission or who acted as agents for the missionaries when the mission was located in Détroit and on present-day Bob-Lo Island, prior to opening the mission at Assumption that served the Huron-Wendat, and eventually the French Families, in present-day Windsor, Ontario. A number of women are named in the entries, including Angélique Girard, wife of Antoine Cuillerier, acted as a sales agent for the Missionaries. Following is the link to Vol. 69 of the J.R.: The Jesuit relations and allied documents; travels ... v.69. - Full View | HathiTrust Digital Library | HathiTrust Digital Library. Volume 70: The Jesuit relations and allied documents; travels ... v.70. - Full View | HathiTrust Digital Library | HathiTrust Digital Library
St. Mary's Catholic Church, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, Marriage Records - This 479 page hardcover book summarizes 2,826 Marriage Records from 1834 - 1934. The pre-order price through October 1, 2019 is $35, plus shipping. The price after October 1, 2019 is $40 plus shipping. Click on the link for the order form.
Articles published in Michigan’s Habitant Heritage: FCHSM Members, please log in to view the following series of articles.
Burials: Gail Moreau-DesHarnais’ articles which translate the key information regarding all of those buried from Ste. Anne’s, Assumption, St. Jean-Baptiste (Amherstburg), and St. Pierre (Tilbury). These articles were published in MHH from April 2010-January 2013.
Confirmations: Gail Moreau-DesHarnais has been transcribing and annotating the confirmations in the St. Lawrence Settlements since January 2006. The confirmations from 2007 can be accessed through the Members-Only Section of our website. Additional confirmations from the Detroit River Region can also be accessed through the Members-Only Section of our website.
Dioceses in Michigan – Use this guide to help you locate the parish where your ancestors were baptized, married, or buried.
Archdiocese of Detroit: Microfilms for the parish registers for the Archdiocese of Detroit are available at the Burton Collection of the Detroit Public Library.
Ste. Anne’s de Detroit: The parish records for Ste. Anne’s are available from Ancestry.com. Individuals who do not subscribe to Ancestry can access these records at the local public library or at Family History Centers / LDS.
Ste. Anne’s, Mackinac Island: the gift shop sells a CD which contains the images of the original records from 1695 – 1888. The gift shop is only open on a seasonal basis: http://www.steanneschurch.org/giftshop.htm
Local libraries: Call the reference librarian for the town or county where your ancestors lived to see whether the library or a local genealogical group may have transcribed all or parts of the parish records.
MichiganGenWeb: Check the county where your ancestors lived and then the genealogical and historical information that may be available online from the countygenweb site: http://www.migenweb.org/county_list.htm
Dibean Marriage Index: They have indexed some of the early marriage records in Michigan’s Counties. Your ancestors’ marriage may appear in this index. See: http://files.usgwarchives.net/mi/
Research Guides from FamilySearch.Org:
Latin Genealogical Word List: https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Latin_Genealogical_Word_List
Loraine DiCerbo's Photograph of the Interior of Ste. Anne's, Detroit, Michigan. In 2017, Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron declared that Ste. Anne's was an Archdiocesan Shrine. On 26 July 2018, he announced that the Archdiocese has submitted an application to Pope Francis to designate Ste. Anne de Detroit as a minor basilica.
Loraine DiCerbo's Photograph of the Interior of Assumption, Windsor, Ontario
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