Quebec Military Records
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1608-1760
- "At the beginning of the colony, the commercial monopolies were responsible for its defense. No records are known to exist. New France was constantly threatened by the Iroquois Nation and unable to adequately defend itself. In 1665, the King of France sent the Carignan-Salières Regiment, consisting of 1,200 men. Once the danger of conflict had passed, the soldiers were encouraged to settle in the colony. About one third of them elected to remain as settlers.
- "After the recall of the Carignan-Salières Regiment, the defense of the colony was left to the local militias, which were organized in 1669. The first permanent troops, the Compagnies franches de la marine, were organized in 1683. They were infantrymen and it was these troops who were responsible for defending all of France's North American colonies. The colonial officer corps in Canada was gradually staffed by men born in the colony, so that by 1755 nearly all the officers were Canadian. By 1757, there were 40 companies in Canada.
- "The regular army in North America, the Troupes de Terre, staffed by French officers and men, was always very small. Seven of these regiments, along with 40 of the Compagnies franches de la marine, participated at the battle on the Plains of Abraham in 1759.
- "It should be noted that throughout the years, soldiers who served in North America were encouraged to settle in the colonies when discharged. Few records relating to military service in New France have survived."[1]
Militias
Under both the French and British governments, able-bodied men were required to serve in a local militia. There are some lists of militia members. A list of militia members for the War of 1812 is in:
- Index des miliciens, 1812–1814 (Index of Militia Members During the War of 1812). [Sainte-Foy, Québec, Canada]: Archives nationales du Québec, 1983. (On 11 Family History Library fiche 6334280.) Text in French. Lists the names of 4,900 men who received land warrants for military service. Includes regiment, residence, and occupation.
Brief biographies of militia officers in the War of 1812 are in:
- Lépine, Luc. Les officiers de milice du Bas-Canada, 1812–1815 (Lower Canada's Militia Officers 1812–1815). Montréal, Québec, Canada: Société Généalogique Canadienne-Française, 1996. (Family History Library book 971.4 M2L.)
Various Military Engagements in Which French-Canadians Participated
The Family History Library has very few records of military personnel who served in the wars of the 20th century. Copies of their service records must be obtained from the sources listed in the Canada Wiki article
- ↑ "New France", Military Heritage, Library and Archives of Canada, https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/Pages/new-france.aspx, accessed 21 Octiber 2020.