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*Notarial records are usually listed by the name of the notary and the dates he functioned. They are not normally indexed by the names of the persons involved in the contract. | *Notarial records are usually listed by the name of the notary and the dates he functioned. They are not normally indexed by the names of the persons involved in the contract. | ||
*Notarial records are first sent to the judicial archives, but they are eventually deposited in the branches of the Archives Nationales du Québec BAnQ). | *Notarial records are first sent to the judicial archives, but they are eventually deposited in the branches of the Archives Nationales du Québec BAnQ). | ||
== Types of Notarial Record == | |||
There are many types of notarial records. They include property deeds and related documents. In early Québec, wills and marriage contracts were the most common notarial records. After the mid-1800s, marriage contracts were much less common. The most useful notarial records for family history research are: | |||
*'''Contrats de mariage (marriage contracts)'''. These may describe the bride's dowry and the division of property if the marriage is dissolved. They often include names and places of residence of the spouses' parents. This information is important if church records are missing or incomplete.<br> | |||
*'''Inventaires après décès (inventories of the estates of deceased persons)'''. These are similar to English probate records. | |||
*'''Partage (settlement or share-out papers)'''. Partage records list family members who will receive a share of the estate. | |||
*'''Tutelle et curatelle (guardianship papers)'''. These are records about orphans and the conservation of their property. | |||
*'''Donations entre vifs (donation records)'''. Some elderly parents make "early wills." While living, they divide their property among their children. Donations entre vifs are records of these donations. Some donations are to unrelated persons. The conditions to be fulfilled by those receiving the property are listed. | |||
*'''Engagements (indenture records)'''. These are labor contracts. French men contracted to labor in Canada for a specific length of time in exchange for compensation. Notaries in French ports such as La Rochelle drew up the earliest engagements. | |||
==Finding Records== | ==Finding Records== | ||