Rebecca Cardinal, from Glencoe, Ontario had one name and the knowledge that her ancestors were French–Canadian, but she didn’t know much more than that. Using the Drouin Collection, she found that name and discovered that one of her ancestors was a French Cardinal who first immigrated to New France in 1655. Armed with this information, Rebecca presented each of her relatives with a very special Christmas gift: a 350 year history of the family, tracing back the surnames of 16 great–great–grandparents. As she says, there wasn’t a dry eye in the room.

Francois’Leróux Ait Cardinal's 1803 Birth Record
Francois is Rebecca's great-great-grandfather

Frances LaChance is a ninth- generation Canadian on her father's side. The Drouin Collection offered her a chance to discover some stories about the more than 1,200 direct ancestors in her family tree. To date, her oldest Drouin find is the November 1654 marriage record, written in Latin, for her seventh great-grandparents Toussaint Hunault dit Deschamps and Marie Lorguiel. Born in France, they both arrived in New France aboard the same ship in 1653. Not having photos beyond her grandparents and one great-grandmother, the Drouin Collection provided the missing link to Frances’ research on her family lines.

1805 marriage record of Frances’ third
great-grandfather Basile.