Quebec Newspapers: Difference between revisions

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The principal repository for newspapers is the: <br>  

The Family History Library has few newspapers from Québec. There are some extracts of vital records from English-language newspapers and some extracts of death notices from French newspapers.

A bibliography of Québec newspapers from 1764 to the present is:  

*''Répertoire des journaux et périodiques courants de langue française ou bilingues publiés au Canada à l’exception du Québec: supplément, mise à jour'', 1994, sous la direction d’Albert Lévesque. Association des responsables des bibliothèques et centres de documentation universitaires et de recherche d’expression française au Canada, 1994.<ref name="de">de Groot, Susanna, "Canada Historical Newspapers Bibliographies (National Institute)," ''The National Institute for Genealogical Studies'' (2012), https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/Canada_Historical_Newspapers_Bibliographies_%28National_Institute%29.</ref>

{{wikipedia|Wikipedia:List of online newspaper archives|List of online newspaper archives}}  

:*[http://www.banq.qc.ca/ressources_en_ligne/bd_revues_journaux/index.html Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec] - Digital Collection - Newspapers<ref name="taylor">Taylor, Ryan, "Obtaining Canada Newspaper Resources (National Institute)," ''The National Institute for Genealogical Studies'' (2012), https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/Obtaining_Canada_Newspaper_Resources_%28National_Institute%29.</ref>

:*'''1973-1974''' - ''Québec International'' at [http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=7cqQt8SKcR0C Google News] - free.

The Quebec Gazette was the first newspaper in the province. It was bilingual and sometimes published passenger lists, marriage notices, and other items that are useful in family history research. The Manuscript Division of the Public Archives of Canada created an important name and subject index to the Quebec Gazette:  

*''Index de “La gazette des campagnes”''. La Pocatière: Société historique de la Côte-du-Sud, 1985. <br>

More Then Now<br> On 3 April 1857 the Knowlton ''Advertiser and Eastern Townships Sentinel'' announced:  

Québec newspapers, both French and English-language, and their history are dealt with extensively by André Beaulieu and Jean Hamelin, ''La presse Québecoise: des ori gines à nos jours,'' 10 volumes, (Québec City: Université de Laval, 1973-1990).<br>

The second newspaper to appear in what is now Canada was the ''Québec Gazette'' or ''Gazette de Québec'' founded in 1764 (''the Halifax Gazette'' dates from 1752). The index to the ''Québec Gazette'' at the Archives covers the years 1764-1823. It only ceased publication in 1874. The Québec Mercury, founded by Thomas Cary in 1805 was published until 1903 and the ''Canadien'' appeared between 1806 and 1893 (except for 1810-1820 and 1825-1831). ''The Québec Mercury'' is microfilmed from 1805-1863 and the ''Québec Chronicle'' is available from 18 May 1847 to the end of 1873, and from 1879 to 1886; today the English community of Québec City is served by the ''Québec Chronicle Telegraph''. There were English language newspapers in Sorel and Three Rivers in the 19th century. Check the NLC catalogue for titles and dates of the short runs that survive. The ''Montréal Gazette'' dates from the late 1700s and the ''Montréal Herald'' was founded in 1811.''The Montréal Star'' was founded in 1869.  

Aside from dates and survival, other factors also matter when conducting newspaper searches: until well into the 20th century, larger cities in Canada normally had several daily papers; at least a morning and evening paper, often a third that came out - or arrived by train - to be sold at noon. Each paper served a different segment of society, usually holding different political beliefs. In those days remember that the newspapers were violently partisan.<ref>For help in sorting out the politics of early newspapers , see the "Journalism" entry in ''The Encyclopedia of Canada'', Editor W. Steward Wallace (Toronto: University Associates of Canada, 6 volumes 1940).</ref>&nbsp; In Montréal, the ''Gazette'' and the ''Herald'' were true-blue Tories . <ref>Jenkins, Kathleen, ''Montréal: Island City of the St. Lawrence'' (New York: Doubleday and Co. Inc., 1966) page 284</ref> When English-speaking Montréal had several daily papers and a dozen suburban weeklies, the ''Gazette'' was a morning, business paper and its social notices covered the lives and interests of wealthy English-speaking “society”. French-speaking intellectuals are served by ''Le Devoir,'' a good source of cultural news. For accounts of local accidents or disasters and other events, the ''Montréal Star'' or''La Presse'' (French language) are far better sources. These larger evening papers also carried many more engagement announcements, accounts of weddings and obituaries.  

Similar distinctions will apply in other cities but only local experience or sensitive research will reveal them - and remember that contents and editorial views might change over half a century. In Montréal, the once true-blue Tory ''Herald'', was, when I knew it, a tabloid that came out in the late morning and carried little or no social news. <ref>Extracted from Chapter 8 of ''Tools of the Trade for Canadian Genealogy.''</ref>  

Someone who has done important work in Brome and Mississquoi counties, especially in indexing older Townships newspapers is Marlene Simmons. Aware of the cross-border connections she has published''Index to Richford Vermont Gazette and Journal Gazette, 1880-1957: extracts of Canadian genealogical information.<ref>Simmons, Marlene, ''Index to Richford Vermont Gazette and Journal Gazett, 1880-1957: extracts of Canadian genealogical information'' (Pointe Clare, Québec: Québec Family History Society,c. 1994).</ref>''  

*''District of Bedford Times and General Advertiser'' (Sweetsburg) 24 August 1866, 24 September 1869.

*''Gibson’s Monthly ''(Cowansville) June and July 1899 (MHS).

*''The Richford Gazette''(Richford, Vt.) 1880-1957 (Available as a Québec Family History Society publication)

*''The Township Reformer'' (Stanbridge) 20 December 1836, 21 November 1837

*''The Record'' (Sherbrooke) 9 February 1897, 7 April 1903—1 January 1992 to present. Over 20,000 entries

::There is no break in ''The Record run'' from 9 February 1897, to the present, so presumably 1903-1992 is being indexed elsewhere

Except for the Sherbrooke Record, the list above is almost exclusively newspapers from the western Eastern Townships. The following are a few other Townships newspapers I once used for a term-paper with some notes as to size, frequency or publication, area served, editor, politics, and dates of microfilmed issues. A lot of these are in the Robarts Library at the University of Toronto as well as the Library, and other university libraries may well have unexpected newspaper holdings. What a Library ordered or was given may well depend on an individual Professor’s research project, and have nothing to do with where the library is located.  

*''The Stanstead Journal and Eastern Townships Advocate''<br>4pp. weekly <br>serving: Rock Island—Compton and Stanstead Counties, upstate Vermont <br>editor: Lee Roy Robinson—conservative<br> 6 November 1845-1900 [mf. U of T]

::Stanstead Historical Society has published an index: Vital statistics from “The Stanstead Journal”, volumes 1-6, (1845-1925).

*Gerald Walsh, compiled an ''Index to births, marriages and deaths in the “Aylmer Times,” Aylmer, Québec'', 1884-1890 (printed in OGS ''Ottawa Branch news''. Vol. XX, No. 6 (November 1987), pages 72-73; Vol. XXI, No. 1 (January 1988), pages 12-13; Vol. XXI, No. 2 (March 1988) pages 20-22.<ref>Douglas, Althea. "Québec English Language Newspapers (National Institute)," ''National Institute for Genealogical Studies'' (2012), https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/Qu%C3%A9bec_English_Language_Newspapers_%28National_Institute%29.</ref>

The ''Sherbrooke Record'' is a favourite Québec newspaper for obituaries, and for the better part of the 20th century it is a genealogical treasure. It now serves most of the “English” Townships which once had papers for almost every large community. It sometimes takes the local correspondent several weeks to write up the achievements of some regional notable, so an obituary hunt may be a long one. The big city newspapers are usually quicker to print their story, but know less about the individual. As the “English” population in Québec cities declines, so does the number of newspapers.<ref>Douglas, Althea. "Québec Cemeteries and Obituaries (National Institute)," ''National Institute for Genealogical Studies'' (2012), https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/Qu%C3%A9bec_Cemeteries_and_Obituaries_%28National_Institute%29.</ref>

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