Genealogical societies exist expressly to help people in a general way to
discover their family history, and since few groups on earth face more difficulty
in locating family history than those in the adoption triad, they can sometimes
be of invaluable help to searchers. Given their expertise in researching old
records, they may be able to provide helpful parallel information about certain
families in certain regions.
Most of the time genealogists
are sympathetic to a post-adoption searcher's point of view, yet some are
not, given the reality of current laws, sealed records, and general taboo
surrounding the adoption myth. It really depends on the person and their individual
stance.
If you contact a genealogical
society, a discreet approach is strongly suggested. According to some genealogists,
"...it is still a good idea to not use the word 'adoption'." Be
prepared to use similar discretion wherever people administer, or have access
to, public records (i.e. librarians, hospital clerks, etc.).
As for pursuing genealogical-style pathways yourself, many secondary resources
are available: cemetary lists, church registers, individual family histories,
etc. For more information on what's available to the general public in Québec,
check out the Québec Family History
Society.
Old newspaper announcements (births, deaths, marriages and adoption notices)
may help. Microfilms may be borrowed from the National Library of Canada on
inter-library loan, and sent by your request to a library or genealogical
society. To find out what's available, try the National
Library of Canada.
The largest and most complete genealogy site on the Web is Cyndi's
List, with thousands of links. Includes newspapers, shipping lists, genealogy
societies etc. etc.
To access information in England, Scotland, Wales & N. Ireland, especially
regarding birth certificates, try the Public
Record Office.
If your search shows a Commonwealth soldier in the family, the Commonwealth
War Graves Commission will show you where s/he is buried. Including World
War II.
Once you have a solid lead, and need someone in another area of the country
to look at a certain record for you, you can try the Genealogy
Canada Volunteers site to find volunteers from various provinces of Canada
who will do free look-ups from specified sources.
Ships weren't required to keep passenger lists (especially in steerage) for
many years, but your search could lead you to this area. One site covering
selected immigrant lists to Canada is at the University
of Waterloo.
The majority of old French Québec families have either a family society
for that one name, or a book covering the family history since the first ancestor
came to Québec. For those who might know their French Québec
birth name, try the umbrella group known as La
Fédération des familles-souches du Québec. They have
the addresses of all known one-name societies. These cover French names in
the province of Québec exclusively.
The Anglican Church Diocese of Ottawa does not have a web site, but they do
have an e-mail address. The
Diocese covers counties adjacent to the Ottawa River, plus Stormont, Dundas,
Glengarry & Lanark counties, plus a portion of western Quebec. The baptism,
marriage & burial records are computer indexed.
Irene Doyle is a genealogist with interest in the Gaspé & upper
NB regions. She has included many church registers to her web
site. A former Quebecker now living in western Canada, Irene has done
a great job & continues to add more good things all the time.
Marlene Simmons' site. Eastern
Townships & beyond, mostly genealogy related, Mrs. Simmons has a wonderful
site & will do look-ups in her extensive database for a small fee per
name. Good cemetaries list, especially for Vermont.
Another excellent place to look for help is the Toronto
Reference Library. They have a search engine called "So, Bob's Your
Uncle, eh", and there is a lot of help and suggestions for adoptees &
genealogists.
The United Church Archives
website for Montréal conference can be found at this site, with links
to the other United Church archives.
Finally, Canadian
Genealogy Resources has a marvelous site, and its Québec pages
might be helpful for discovering new sources.
