Roots 2018:
  Family History Conference in Montreal

The Quebec Family History Society presents a Roots Conference every few years in Montreal with a focus on genealogical research in the Province of Quebec. 

2018 was the 40th anniversary of the QFHS!  The program was one of the best ever with a three-day program of presentations about both English and French, Protestant and Catholic records as well as how to use the plethora of online sources for Quebec research. 

Another special emphasis was the contribution of Irish immigrants to Quebec. 

Friday, Ancestry's Lesley Anderson gave three talks on how to use their website and DNA results.  

The conference was a great success.  It was a pleasure to meet and chat with so many people who are interested in genealogy.  The talks were excellent.  The only problem is that you had to choose which one of three talks you wanted to go to.  You couldn't catch everything!

Roots 2018 Speakers

Roots is proud that several highly regarded and knowledgeable speakers spoke on their areas of expertise:

Steven L. Cameron:  Co-Founder of the Irish Heritage group, Coirneal Cealteach, he continues to try to assure the local Irish Footprint is not forgotten. 

Luc Lepine:  Military historian who has devoted the last 40 years to research the military history of Quebec from New France to 1825. He has written a doctoral thesis on the militia of Quebec during the war of 1812. 

Christopher Lyons:  Currently, Christopher Lyons is Head Librarian of Rare Books and Special Collections, McGill University. He spoke about what resources are available at McGill for genealogists.

Kelley O’Rourke: As a member of the St. Columban Irish, she was part of a team of volunteers who worked tirelessly to restore an Irish cemetery – containing many broken headstones - dating back to 1826.  

Laurie Pratt:  Laurie coaches people how to use DNA and genealogy to find their biological families and is an administrator on CeCe Moore’s “DNA Detective” Facebook page. 

Tom Quinlan:  Keeper in the National Archives of Ireland, currently holding responsibility for the area of collection care and services to the public.

Mario Robert:  Head Archivist at the City of Montreal Archives, Mario Robert has a master’s degree in history and a master’s degree in library science.

Gary Schroder:  President of the Quebec Family History Society since 1995. He has been a Member of the Special Advisory Board of Library and Archives Canada. Chair of Roots 2018 Conference.

Gloria Tubman: Author of "A Genealogists’ Guide to Researching BRITISH HOME CHILDREN", published in June 2017 by Global Genealogy. 

Deborah Waddell Robertson:  Since 2013, a member of the QFHS Executive Board and currently Vice President.  Creator of www.recordfamilyhistory.com Assistant to the Chair of Roots 2018.

I was honoured to be included among them. My two talks on Quebec records were:  "Quebec Directories" and "Notarial Records in Quebec".  

Notarial Records in Quebec

Notarial records are a much underused source for anyone researching family in Quebec. 

Quebec Notaries were required to draw up numerous types of documents.  It is likely that notarized records exist for most families.  But how do you find them?  And are they accessible?

Quebec Directories

l gave a summary of what directories exist covering the Province of Quebec, where and how you can access them along with ideas for using them for genealogical research.  

Using directories can take a little more browsing than other online searches but can produce interesting results!

Learn more about the Quebec Family History Society.