Canada, Quebec Notarial Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

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Canada, Quebec Notarial Records, 1800-1920          CID1471015 {{{CID2}}} {{{CID3}}} {{{CID4}}} {{{CID5}}} {{{CID6}}} {{{CID7}}} {{{CID8}}} {{{CID9}}}
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Quebec, Canada
Flag of Canada
Flag of Quebec
Location of Quebec, Canada
Location of Canada
Record Description
Record Type	Notorial Records
Collection years	1800-1920
Languages	French
Title in the Language	Québec, actes de notaires
FamilySearch Resources
Quebec Record Finder
Canada Research Tips and Strategies
Quebec Notarial Records
Related Websites
Libary Archives Canada Blog
Parish Registers Entries Translations
Quebec Family History Society
French-Canadian Heritage Society
Archive
Bibliothèque et Archive Nationales du Québec

What is in This Collection?

This collection contains notarial records dating from 1800 to 1920. This collection contains vital records including births, marriages, deaths, and a card index. These images are provided with the cooperation of Bibliothèque and Archives Nationales du Québec.

Notarial records contain a variety of legal acts. This collection may contain the following:

• Marriage contracts
• Wills
• Deeds
• Inventories
• Agreements and settlements
• Transfers of property
• Donations (pre-wills)
• Legal documents
• Guardian records
• Indenture records

The following districts are included in the collection:

• Bedfored
• Bonaventure
• Chicoutimi
• Hull
• Iberville
• Joliette
• Montmagny
• Montréal
• Québec
• Roberval
• Saguenay
• Saint-François
• Saint-Hyacinthe
• Terrebonne

Notarial records (actes notariés or minutes de notaire) are records prepared by a notary (notaire or protonotaire, but sometimes tabellion or scrivener). Notaries are important officials in Quebec, Louisiana, France, and other countries where a civil code based on Roman law is in force. Among other matters, notarial records deal with estates and inheritances.

The Quebec notarial records in this collection are images of bound documents. Most of the records are handwritten in French. Generally, the records begin with a title page that gives the date and time the record was made, the name of the notary, and the parties involved. In Quebec, notaires (notaries) have registered contracts since 1626. The persons involved in the contracts received the originals. The notaries kept copies. The copies are called "minutes."

Each document in a notary's minutes gives at least the name of the notary, the date and place the document was prepared, the names and addresses of the persons involved, and the names and addresses of the witnesses. The ages and relationships of the witnesses and the persons involved are sometimes included.

• See also: John P. DeLong. The Notarial Acts of Quebec: Their Genealogical Value and Use National Genealogical Society Quarterly 82 (March 1994): 5-16. FS Library 973 B2ng

Additional records and/or images may be added to this collection in the future.

Index and Image Visibility

Whenever possible FamilySearch makes images and indexes available for all users. However, rights to view these data are limited by contract and subject to change. Because of this there may be limitations on where and how images and indexes are available or who can see them. Please be aware some collections consist only of partial information indexed from the records and do not contain any images. For additional information about image restrictions see Restrictions for Viewing Images in FamilySearch Historical Record Collections.

Reading These Records

These records are in French. For help reading them see:

• France Language and Languages
• French Genealogical Word List
• French Handwriting
• Script Tutorial for French

To Browse This Collection

You can browse through images in this collection using the waypoints on the Collection Browse Page for Canada, Quebec Notarial Records, 1800-1920.

What Can These Records Tell Me?

The following information may be found in these records:

• Name and age of deceased
• Name of spouse, children
• Names of heirs and other family members
• Date of marriage
• Date of death
• Date of notary

Collection Content

Sample Images

• 

  1815 Notarial Record

How Do I Search This Collection?

Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:

• The person's name
• The date of the event

Search the Index

This collection does not have a searchable index. Only images are available. See View the Images to access them.

View the Images

View images in this collection by visiting the Collection Browse Page:

1. Select Judicial District
2. Select Notary, Record Type, Years and File Numbers to view the images

How Do I Analyze the Results?

Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

What Do I Do Next?

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

• Add any new information to your records
• If available, check the image for additional information
• Analyze the entry to see if it provides additional clues to find other records of the person or their family
• Church Records often were kept years before government records were required and are a good source for finding ancestors before 1900

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

• If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This can help you find possible relatives
• Search the records of nearby areas
• Check for other names. An individual might appear under an unexpected name for a variety of reasons:
  • They might have been listed under a middle name, nickname, or abbreviation of their given name
  • A woman may have returned to her maiden name after the death of her husband

Research Helps

The following articles will help you research your family in Quebec.

• Quebec Record Finder
• Canada Research Tips and Strategies

Other FamilySearch Collections

These collections may have additional materials to help you with your research.

FamilySearch Catalog

• Quebec notarial records : COLLECTION RECORD, 1800-1920

Citing this Collection

Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.

Collection Citation: The citation for this collection can be found on the Collection Details Page in the section Cite This Collection.

Image Citation: When looking at an image, the citation is found on the Information tab at the bottom left of the screen.

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