Friday 7 October 2016

Who knew notarial records could be so absorbing a read?

This week, Ancestry.ca released a large cache of Quebec notarial records, and I am lost in research. Even more than normal, that is. People in Quebec have used notaries extensively for many routine legal transactions for centuries, a practise that continues to this day.

In under 90 minutes yesterday, I found the wills of my 2nd great grandparents Hugh Caroline (abt 1798-1879) and Mary Donovan (1807-1892), mortgage and sale transactions involving my 2nd great grandfather Marcus Dougherty (1794-1864) and his son James (1826-1860), for my great grandfather John James Dougherty (1833-1893) who appointed a power of attorney for his then under aged son, my grandfather John James Dougherty (1879-1953) before he died, the removal of that power of attorney in 1897 when he turned 18, and so much more.

Reading these records shines another light on my ancestors' lives.

If you have Quebec ancestors, this helpful post from Genealogy a la Carte will guide you through how to use these fabulous notarial records. The collection has records from 1626 to 1935. If you're outside of Canada, you'll need Ancestry's world deluxe membership to view.

Many more records are yet to be added to the collection. These are still being digitized. You can be sure that I'll be checking this collection regularly.

The never ending story continues....

About the Family of Robert Young and Isabella Knox

I wrote about my great grandfather, Robert Alexander Young , here . Now it's time to write about the family he and my great grandmother...