2011 French Canadian Events

Mark your calendars for these 2011 French Canadian Historical Society of California (FCHSC) events!

A Day of French DNA - Mar. 27, 2011

Our March 2011 meeting is dedicated to learning about the power of genetic genealogy. During the morning session Alice Fairhurst, SCGS DNA Project Leader and DNA Interest Group Chair, will lead a panel discussion of how DNA testing complements our French and French-Canadian research.

Following a potluck luncheon we will break into Round Table discussion groups to discuss how y-DNA, mtDNA, and autosomal DNA testing can be used to resolve French naming conundrums (i.e., those challenging dit names), help trace our Québec ancestresses, and to connect with our close and distant cousins/cousines. The power of the French Heritage DNA web site will also be explored.

Joint FCHSC/SFRSC Meeting - Aug. 28, 2011

FCHSC is pleased to announce a joint meeting with La Société des Filles du roi et soldats du Carignan (SFRSC) to be held Sunday, August 28, 2011 at the SCGS Research Library in Burbank.

The SFRSC is dedicated to the women and men who played a major role in the growth and settlement of New France. The morning session will feature a presentation by Bill Kane, Vice President of SFRSC, entitled "Sent by the King: the Story of the Fille du Roi."

Sent to colonial New France by the French King, nearly 800 girls and women came to Canada between 1663 and 1673 with the promise of a dowry if they would marry there. Today nearly every person who can claim French-Canadian ancestry can trace his or her lineage back to more than one of these women (les Filles du Roi or King's Daughters).

Bill's discussion will address recruitment, getting to the port, the sea journey, arrival in New France, meeting prospective spouses, the contract signing, the marriages.

Following a potluck lunch, hands-on assistance will be provided for attendees who need to prove their Fille/Carignan descendancy or who need help in completing their documentation to submit to SFRSC.

Fall FCHSC Meeting - Oct. 23, 2011

11 a.m. - Noon "Quebec Notarial Records"
by Terri Carlson and Dorothy des Lauriers
Noon - 1:00 p.m. Social hour with potluck lunch
1:00 - 2:30 p.m. "Using Catholic Church Records in Your Research"
by Gena Philibert Ortega
2:30 - 3:30 p.m. “Hands-on” research assistance from our team of experts

Information: fchsc@scgsgenealogy.com or 818-843-7247 - Public welcome!