Category Archives: Fact du jour

Fact du jour – This day in history

Posted on June 3, 2014 by Gail Dever

On June 3, 1778, Fleury Mesplet founded La Gazette du commerce et littéraire. It was the first entirely French-language newspaper in Canada. The paper was shut down in 1779, when Mesplet and the editor, Valentin Jautard, were imprisoned for their participation … Continue reading →

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Fact du jour — Today in history

Posted on April 30, 2014 by Gail Dever

On April 30, 1658, Marguerite Bourgeoys opened Ville-Marie’s first school for French and Indian children in a stone stable measuring 12 metres by 6 metres, borrowed from the Company of Montreal. (In 1705, Montreal became the official name of the city, replacing … Continue reading →

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Fact du jour — Today in history

Posted on April 6, 2014 by Gail Dever

April 6, 1815 – The Lower Canada Assembly in Quebec City proclaims a day of thanksgiving to mark the end of the War of 1812, the “End of the war with the United States of America and restoration of the blessings … Continue reading →

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Fact du jour – UEL arrive in Halifax

Posted on April 1, 2014 by Gail Dever

On April 1, 1776, ships carrying 1,124 United Empire Loyalists arrived in Halifax from Boston.

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Fact du jour — First Canadian census

Posted on March 21, 2014 by Gail Dever

On March 21, 1666, Intendant Jean Talon started a census of New France — and genealogists have been happy ever since. In this first Canadian census, 3,215 people and 533 families were counted. By 1668, the population had risen to … Continue reading →

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Fact du jour – Famine ships

Posted on March 10, 2014 by Gail Dever

In 1847, the total number of deaths among immigrants heading for Quebec City is estimated at 17,477, and the vast majority were Irish. Of these, 3,879 are buried at Grosse Ile and about another 5,000 are buried at the Pointe-Saint-Charles sheds in … Continue reading →

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Fact du jour – Irish in Quebec

Posted on March 9, 2014 by Gail Dever

According to historian and journalist Louis-Guy Lemieux, about 40 percent of Quebecers have Irish ancestry on at least one side of their family. Sláinte!

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Fact(s) du jour

Posted on February 21, 2014 by Gail Dever

Bear with me in this post if you do not have red hair. Believe it or not, as a redhead and a genealogist, I take note in my records of every redhead in my family — and read articles about the … Continue reading →

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