The church records in Quebec, known as Registres paroissiaux, are foundational for genealogical research, often stretching back to the early 1600s. Under both French and British rule, the Roman Catholic Church maintained meticulous records of baptisms, marriages, and burials—often in duplicate for civil use. Protestant denominations, particularly Anglican and Presbyterian, also maintained records, though less extensively in earlier periods. The Catholic registers are rich in genealogical details, including parents’ names, occupations, and witnesses, and are typically written in French. These records served as the official civil registry until 1994, making them critical for tracing ancestry in Quebec. Many have been digitized and indexed by institutions like Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ) and they offer unparalleled access to Quebec’s deep-rooted family histories.
