FamilySearch has added Family Origins, 1621-1865, an index of the original families from France and elsewhere who settled in Quebec. The index includes individual names, gender, birth dates, baptism dates, the area from where the individual migrated, parent’s names, and marital status.
This collection is from Fichier Origine, a website known to many genealogists who research their French Canadian ancestry. The addition of this collection to FamilySearch appears at first to be good news for researchers who have difficulty reading the French text on the original website.
But there’s a catch.
FamilySearch provides partial info only
For some reason, FamilySearch has not included all the information available on the Fichier Origine index. An example of what FamilySearch has and has not recorded can be found in the entry here about Louis Jourdan.
Louis Jourdan entry on FamilySearch.
On FamilySearch, we learn Jean Jourdan’s location of birth, baptism date, date of marital status, spouse’s name, parents’ names. Good, right? Not quite.
There is more information in the entry on Fichier Origine. And that’s why I have a problem with the FamilySearch index. Many researchers may assume FamilySearch provides the same information and may not explore further.
Fichier Origine provides more info
If we do not look at Louis Jourdan’s entry on Fichier Origine, we will not learn the approximate date of his marriage, location of his marriage, date and location of his burial, the first mention of him in Quebec, and his occupation upon arrival — a soldier in the Royal-Rousillon regiment for Montcalm. Just as importantly, we will not read on FamilySearch the additional notes about him being part of the Poulharies company in the Royal-Roussillon regiment on 8 May 1754 and we will not learn about the year of his daughter Marie-Louise’s baptism.
Louis Jourdan/Jordan entry on Fichier Origine.
In an entry about another early settler, if we only look at FamilySearch, we will not learn he had been a mason in Manou, France. There are many similar examples of problems with the FamilySearch index.
Why FamilySearch has chosen not to include all the entry details is beyond me. Was it part of the agreement with Fichier Origine? Was it faster to make available only part of the information.
Easy to access original entry from FamilySearch
FamilySearch, however, does provide an easy way to view the original entry on Fichier Origine, and FamilySearch’s search parameters are in English, which makes it easy for many.
Here is how to find more information. To the right of Louis Jourdan’s information on FamilySearch is a box (see below) that allows us to go directly to the image on Fichier Origine. Click on this link every time.
See additional info by visiting the original website, Fichier Origine.
Understanding Fichier Origine
In July, I published a blog post about how to search on Fichier Origine, translating the French-language categories into English.
So, now go have fun with this new collection on FamilySearch. Start your search here.
Follow Genealogy a la carte’s board Quebec Genealogy Resources on Pinterest.
Does this website come in english?
The website is in French only. Check the link I included to an older post where I translate the categories. It is pretty easy to figure out once you understand the easy-to-understand categories.