A family history of Quebec

I spent the better part of yesterday afternoon, browsing the website, Le Québec : Une histoire en famille. This French-language website tells the stories of important moments in history through the stories of families. Featured are mini-stories of 52 Quebec family names and the people who first held those names.

Although bilingual, I initially found the website a bit difficult to navigate, and the drop-down tabs do not always “stick.” When I discovered an interesting section and moved away from it, it took some time to figure out how to maneuver my way back. Despite this, I think there are some interesting elements on the site, especially for kids and adults with short attention spans.

To learn about some of Quebec’s family names, click on one of the names listed in the Toutes les capsules. There, you will find a two-minute video vignette, similar to Heritage Minutes, about the first settler with that name and his descendants, three facts about the name, links to photos, documents, the video script, and a written description of the family’s history (généalogie). The vignettes are broadcast on TVA and LCN.

The length of the video and the amount of information on the website is the perfect length for those who show little interest in family history, such as my husband, who is descended from Louis Houde, but would rather be golfing.  Understandably, the majority of names are Francophone, but you will find also find Blackburn, Brown, Cohen, Johnson, and others. (No Dever. I checked.)

Scene from video vignette about Louis Houde.

Other features include a timeline on the Home page to help place your family within Quebec’s history and click on the Communauté (Community) tab to view discussions about dozens of families in Toutes les familles.

Another way to find your family name is to simply enter it in the Search box, marked Recherchez, in the top left on the Home page.

Amusez-vous!