Richard Roy

Are you a student or a researcher? If so, you will be interested to know that the Archives nationales du Québec (the National Archives of Quebec) are open to everyone. The mission of the National Archives is to preserve and make public Quebec's political, social, economic, and cultural heritage. This mandate is spelled out in Quebec's Archives Act of 1983.

DIVERSE COLLECTION
At the National Archives you can peruse literally thousands of handwritten documents, published articles, papers, photographs, maps, and microfilms from various governmental, judicial, civil and private sources. Material dates back to the start of the colony of New France. There are court records as far back as 1638. The civil archives include birth, marriage, and death records from 1621 to 1900 (for both Catholic and Protestant denominations), and notarial records dating back to the 17th century. There are records from 19th century land surveyors.

A thirty-year veteran of the Archives, Gilles Durand (left and below) knows his material well. (Photos: Richard Roy)

Researchers can also view the files of the United Church (except those pertaining to the Eastern Townships which can be found at the Eastern Townships Research Centre, across town at Bishop's University). Another resource that might be of interest is the collection of 78-rpm records. There are 4572 records in the collection so far, a vast musical library, by any standard.

STUDENT OF HISTORY
Archivist Gilles Durand, a former history student, has been collecting and updating documents in the collection for nearly thirty years. He is available during business hours to assist those wishing to consult the archives. "We receive numerous requests from researchers interested in many different fields, not only from Quebec and the rest of Canada, but also from New England," he said in a recent interview. Showing me a well-preserved handwritten deed from the 17th century, he explained that "most of our visitors, about 80 percent, are interested in genealogy. The rest are here for historic research."

In closing, Mr. Durand told me "Don't forget, there are eight other branches of the National Archives in the province, all with complete research facilities, and access to professional archivists expert in advising anyone whatever their field of interest may be."

For more information and business hours, Mr. Gilles Durand can be contacted at:
Les Archives nationales du Québec, 740, Galt Ouest, R-C 11, Sherbrooke, Quebec. By phone he can be reached at: (819) 820-3010, and by email at: gilles.durand@mcc.gouv.qc.ca