The other day, I came across Les cimetières du Québec website that is filled with photos of headstones taken in 199 cemeteries across Quebec, with three more cemeteries to be added soon. Some cemeteries have been completely photographed, others only partly.
While I was not successful in my own searches, the website is worth a visit. You can search the website database by the name of the deceased or browse the names in each cemetery. There are also several general photos of the cemetery, often including a photo of the church.
Les cimetières du Québec is the brainchild of sisters Diane and Nicole Labrèche who enjoy wandering around cemeteries and taking photos. In some cases, when information is lacking in the headstone inscription, the sisters have looked at parish registers and added additional details to the database. The Labrèche sisters want to see their website grow and hope people will contribute their own photos to it.
Navigating the website
The French-language website is easy to navigate even if your understanding of French is limited.
On the Accueil (Home) page, you can select one of the cemeteries listed in the left-hand margin by region. When you find a person’s name that interests you, click on it to see a photo of the headstone. Alternatively, you can enter a name in the Recherche (Search) box. Type the last name in Nom and the first name in Prenom.
Cemetery location details
In most, if not all, cemeteries on the website, you will find a link to the location under one of the first two or three general photos of the website. Click on the link after Pour situer le cimetière to find details about the cemetery. (See example below.) Doing so will lead you to a chart that identifies the city (ville), county (comté), region, address, type (religion), latitude and longitude, size, status (active or non-active), and a Google Map. Also take note at the bottom of the chart to links to sources for more information about the cemetery.
Links to other cemetery databases
In a couple of cemeteries, no names appear in the left-hand margin leading to photos. Instead, there is a link under one of the general photos of the cemetery that leads to another resource. That is the case for Bickford Corner Cemetery in Coaticook. In that case (see below), I found a link to a 228-page document that includes an inventory (inventaire) and other information. This inventory is filled with hundreds of photos. When the names of the deceased are only listed in an external inventory, they cannot be found in the Cimetières du Québec website database.
Updates
To find out which cemeteries have recently been added or which cemeteries will be added soon, read the Nouvelles (News) at the top of the Home page. Travail en cours (work in progress) now advises that three cemeteries are to be added. Derniers cimetières ajoutés (recently added cemeteries) lists seven new cemeteries. You can also follow them on Facebook where they announce new additions.
The Labrèche sisters encourage anyone with corrections, additional information, and/or photos to contact them at info@cimetieresduquebec.ca.
Visit Les cimetières du Québec website here.
