French-Canadian Genealogy: Getting Started – Margaret Fortier

SESSION: NGS2104-HER-04 TRACK: Heritage

Are you trying to locate your French-Canadian ancestors and running into brick walls? Between name changes in the US and not understanding French, this can be daunting. French-Canadian Genealogy: Getting Started will give you the tools you need to overcome these obstacles. We will look at finding your French-Canadian ancestors, even if you know of their origin in Quebec or if you don’t. We’ll cover all kinds of name changes: dit names, variations, translated names, anglicized names, and first names. You can find out how the surname Daignealt became Lapris! With numerous examples, we’ll review records in French and show how technology can help you understand them. We will explore the concept of survivance in French-Canadian culture, why they emigrated to the US, and how French-Canadian immigration was fundamentally different from European immigration. Quebec records, a veritable goldmine for genealogists, are introduced and illustrated. Get started with your French-Canadian genealogy and, who knows, you may trace your family back to France!

BIO: Margaret R. Fortier, CG, a Boston-based genealogist, researches immigrant ancestors, focusing on those with French-Canadian, Italian, and Portuguese roots. She serves on the board of the Association of Professional Genealogists. She is eternally grateful that her husband’s French-Canadian Furkey ancestors changed their name back to Fortier.

The Virtual NGS 2021 On-Demand! Viewing Starts 15 June

This lecture series is available to view from home on your computer or mobile device and offers you the opportunity to develop exceptional genealogy skills with a highly comprehensive set of on-demand webinars from NGS’s expert conference speakers. On-Demand! packages of audio-visual lectures are now available for purchase.

Select from the 20 or 40 On-Demand! lecture packages with over 85 sessions to choose from. Watch starting 15 June 2021 through 31 December 2021. Both packages come with access to two full days of NGS 2021 Live! from 19-20 May 2021, the virtual conference syllabus, and sponsored bonus sessions. Plus, view the sessions from NGS 2021 Live! and any sessions you did not choose from the breakouts (nine more) beginning 15 June. All sessions will be closed captioned.

To learn more about the NGS 2021 Virtual Family History Conference’s week-long events, 17-21 May, visit the conference and download a copy of the program brochure.