Course Thirteen — Researching French Ancestors


  • Registration is now open through Monday July 1, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern – register here!
  • Maximum: 20 students
  • Virtual classrooms using Zoom
  • All courses come with a digital syllabus
  • Students will receive a digital certificate upon course completion

Course Coordinator

Forrest R. Hansen, JD

Description

Do you have French speaking ancestors in France, Quebec, Louisiana, the French Caribbean, French Africa, French India or French China? Are you related to a French Huguenot? This course provides a broad introduction into genealogical research of French speaking ancestors, including French, Quebecois, Huguenots, Acadians, Creoles, and others. This course reviews: (1) the major repositories in France with records of genealogical value; (2) French genealogy online databases; and (3) the primary sources for genealogical research in France. This course also covers, in detail, research in Quebec, Louisiana and the French Caribbean. This course is for intermediate genealogists and will provide helpful tips for non-French speakers.

Objectives and Expectations

  • To teach the fundamentals of genealogical research and methodology.
  • To instruct on research skills using a variety of resources and facilities, including virtual and physical repositories in France.
  • To educate on the fundamental techniques for finding their French speaking ancestors in France, Quebec, Louisiana, and the French Caribbean.

Prerequisites, textbooks, and other student information

Course prerequisites:

Courses explaining basic genealogy concepts, such as Methods and Resources.

Course requirements:

This is an intermediate level course.

Required books:                                                                                                     

None

Recommended books:

Read a book on the history of France.

Course Schedule (All times listed are Eastern Time)

Monday
10:30 – 11:00 Welcome and Introduction (Hansen)
11:00 – 12:15 Historical Background of France (Hansen)
12:15 – 12:45 Break
12:45 – 2:00 Overview of Research in France (Hansen)
2:00 – 3:30 Lunch
3:30 – 4:45 Research Strategies and Tools for Non-French Speakers (Beck)
4:45 – 5:15 Break
5:15 – 6:30 Quebec 1: Overview of French-Canadian Sources (Ouimette)
 
Tuesday
10:30 – 11:00 Question Session (Hansen)
11:00 – 12:15 Quebec 2: Tracing U.S. immigrants to Quebec (Ouimette)
12:15 – 12:45 Break
12:45 – 2:00 Louisiana 1: Record Repositories in Southern Louisiana (Scully)
2:00 – 3:30 Lunch
3:30 – 4:45 Louisiana 2: French Immigration to Louisiana (Scully)
4:45 – 5:15 Break
5:15 – 6:30 Deciphering French Records 1: Birth, Marriage, Death (Hansen)
 
Wednesday
10:30 – 11:00 Question Session (Hansen)
11:00 – 12:15 Deciphering French Records 2: Other Records (Boudarel)
12:15 – 12:45 Break
12:45 – 2:00 Archives Nationales d’Outre-Mer (Hansen)
2:00 – 3:30 Lunch
3:30 – 4:45 Regional Considerations in France (Woodbury)
4:45 – 5:15 Break
5:15 – 6:30 Civil Law and Genealogy (Hansen)
 
Thursday
10:30 –  11:00 Question Session (Hansen)
11:00 – 12:15 Alsace-Lorraine (Boudarel)
12:15 – 12:45 Break
12:45 – 2:00 Paris (Hansen)
2:00 – 3:30 Lunch
3:30 – 4:45 French Catholic Church Records (Beck)
4:45 – 5:15 Break
5:15 – 6:30 Notary Records (Hansen)
 
Friday
10:30 – 11:45 Finding Huguenot Ancestors (Hansen)
11:45 –12:00 Break
12:00 – 1:15 Underutilized Record Groups for Nineteenth Century Research in Louisiana’s Creole Parishes (Gillins)
1:15 – 1:30 Break
1:30 – 2:45 Certificates and Closing (Hansen)

Course Faculty