Returning to the French-Irish theme (see Strange Surname Spellings: Hohanlan for O’Hanlon) with respect to surname spellings, here are three surnames which sound somewhat similar, and which are often misspelled in the 19th-century records in ways that make them look…
Translation
Strange Surname Spellings: Hohanlan for O’Hanlon
by M.C. Moran • • Comments Off
As I’ve mentioned before (e.g., in Spelling Doesn’t Count! [in Genealogy]), it’s extremely unlikely that an ancestor had a strong attachment to a certain spelling of his surname, if that ancestor never had occasion to personally spell his own name. If…
The Queen vs. Kelly: Part V
by M.C. Moran • • Comments Off
Continued from The Queen vs Kelly: Part IV (see also Part III, Part II, and Part I). What Happened to John Kelly and Mary Hourigan? When I wrote Part I of “The Queen vs. Kelly,” I had no idea what had…
Protestant records for Pontiac Co., Québec, 1894-1909: online at BAnQ, free of charge
by M.C. Moran • • Comments Off
Actually, Catholic records for Pontiac County are also online at BAnQ, free of charge, and for the same time period (roughly 1894-1909, though it varies by church/parish). But the Catholic parish registers for Pontiac Co., Quebec are available online at…
Translating French Records: Canadian Census Returns
by M.C. Moran • • 2 Comments
Canadian census records might be recorded in English, in French, or in a combination of both languages. Here’s an example of a French-English combination, from the 1901 census of Ottawa (see right; click thumbnail preview to enlarge). This is the…
Translating French Records: Catholic Burial Records
by M.C. Moran • • Comments Off
As with baptismal and marriage records, RC burial records adhered to the same formula, whether written in English or French. If you know the English-language formula, you can easily figure out the French. (And often the hardest part, as I’ve…
A few forenames in translation (Latin/French/English)
by M.C. Moran • • Comments Off
When Bridget O’Hanlon married Thomas McTeague (15 November 1841, Notre Dame de Bons Secours, Montebello, Co. Papineau, Québec), the priest identified her as “Brigitte O’honlon, domiciliée en Grenville, fille majeure de Pierre O’honlon et de Marie Thoõner, domiciliés en Irlande,”…
“Anonyme” and “Inconnu/Inconnue”
by M.C. Moran • • 2 Comments
A little more on translating Roman Catholic parish records from the French: Anonyme = Nameless, or Unnamed. Generally with reference to the lack of a first or given name, and most frequently found in infant burial records. Inconnu/Inconnue = Unknown.…
Translating French Records: Baptismal Records
by M.C. Moran • • Comments Off
If you’re looking for Roman Catholic records in the Ottawa Valley area, you’re almost certain to run into some French entries in the parish registers. But no worries, and please do not panic. Even if you don’t speak a word…
Conditional Baptism
by M.C. Moran • • Comments Off
While going through RC parish registers in search of your Catholic ancestors, you may come across the phrase “baptized conditionally” or “baptized sub conditione,” or, in French, “baptisé(e) sous condition.” What did the padre mean, you may wonder, by this seemingly…