Immigrants at Grosse-Île

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• Background
• The Records
• Search Screen
• How to Interpret the Search Results
• How to Consult the Document or Obtain a Copy

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Background

In the 19th century, an increasing stream of people was leaving Europe to rebuild their lives in North America. Around 1830, an average of 30,000 immigrants arrived annually in the City of Québec, the main port of entry to Canada. Approximately two-thirds of these newcomers were from Ireland. This unprecedented immigration on the St. Lawrence River took place at a time when major cholera and smallpox epidemics were sweeping through Europe. In order to help control the spread of the diseases, the quarantine station at Grosse Île, located in the St. Lawrence River downstream from the City of Québec, was established in 1832 and operated until its closure in 1937.

In 1974, the old quarantine station became a national historic site under the jurisdiction of Parks Canada.

More information on Grosse-Île and the Irish Memorial National Historic Site [www2.parkscanada.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/qc/grosseile/index_e.asp] of Canada is available on the Parks Canada Web site.

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The Records

Data on immigrants was compiled by Parks Canada from a number of different records held in various archives. Under an agreement between the Québec Service Centre of Parks Canada and the Canadian Genealogy Centre, this database regarding immigrants who passed through Grosse Île is now available on this website.

One of the benefits of the Grosse Île database is that it allows people to trace certain immigrants and the members of their family, from their departure from Europe, during their voyage across the Atlantic and their stay at the Grosse Île Quarantine Station, and then on their way to a destination within the continent. This database is a valuable tool for Canadians wishing to retrace their family roots.

The database contains information from the following sources:

List of Major Denis Mahon's Sharecroppers

Information on 1,431 tenants evicted in 1847 by Major Mahon, landlord of County Roscommon in Ireland.

Source:

List of Tenants of Landlord Denis Mahon. The Famine Museum, Strokestown Park, County Roscommon, Ireland.

Births at Sea

Information on 135 people born on ships during the Atlantic crossing between 1837 and 1913.

Source:

Library and Archives Canada, RG 4, C1, Provincial Secretary's Office, Vol. 399, No. 2451 and Vol. 480, No. 1265.
Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, Québec, Anglican Travelling Missionaries District of Québec: 1826-1848.
Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, Québec, Church House, Grosse Île Anglican Chapel.
Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, Québec, Church Records, Grosse Île Protestant Chapel.
Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, Québec, Church Records, Rivière-du-Loup-en-Bas.
Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, Québec, Church Records, Grosse Île, St. Luc Parish, 1834-1932.
Parks Canada, Register of Births at Sea 1869-1875.

Deaths at Sea

Information on 4,936 people who died on ships at sea, on the St. Lawrence River or on quarantined ships at Grosse Île, from 1832 to 1922.

Source:

Library and Archives Canada, Sessional Papers, 1866.
Library and Archives Canada, Journaux de l'Assemblée législative du Bas-Canada (JALBC), Vol. 42.
Library and Archives Canada, RG 4 A1, Vols. 430 and 431.
Library and Archives Canada, RG 4, C1, Vols. 229, 230, 387, 399.
Library and Archives Canada, RG 29, Vol. 765.
Library and Archives Canada, RG 42, Vol. 11, File 1.
Québec City Archives (AVQ), Health Committee.
Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, Québec, Anglican Travelling Missionaries District of Québec: 1826-1848.
Bishop's University Archives, Lennoxville, Québec Diocesan Archives, Register Church of England, Quarantine Station Grosse Isle, 1870-1890.
Parks Canada, Register of Deaths at Sea 1869-1875.
Morning Chronicle (Québec).

Hospital Registers

Information on 12,196 people who were treated at the Grosse Île hospitals between 1832 and 1921.

Source:

Library and Archives Canada, Journaux de l'Assemblée législative du Bas-Canada (JALBC), Vol. 42.
Library and Archives Canada, PRO, MG 11, C.O. 42, Vols. 480, 514, 542.
Library and Archives Canada, RG 4 A1, Vols. 419, 431, 444, 457, 459, 496, 514, 564, 596.
Library and Archives Canada, RG 4 C1, Vols. 161, 162, 163, 164, 165, 166, 167, 168, 169, 170, 172, 174, 228, 340, 387, 399, 427, 439, 458, 463.
Library and Archives Canada, RG 7 G20, Vols. 34 and 41.
Library and Archives Canada, RG 17 AI, 1, Vols. 5 and 896.
Library and Archives Canada, RG 19 D5, Vol. 2532.
Library and Archives Canada, RG 42, Vol. 11, Files 1, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11.
Parks Canada, Annual Report of Sick admitted during season 191(3), at Quarantine Hospital, Grosse-Isle.
Parks Canada, Québec: Hospital Admission Book, Grosse Isle, 2 Vols., 1878-1913.
Irish University Press (IUP), British Parliamentary Papers, Correspondence and papers relating to Canada, 1847-1848, Vol. 17.
Irish University Press (IUP), Série Colonies Canada, Vol. 14, p. 66.

Baptisms at Grosse-Île

Information on 554 people baptized at Grosse Île between 1832 and 1937

Source:

Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, Québec, Anglican Travelling Missionaries District of Québec: 1826-1848.
Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, Québec, Church House, Grosse Île Anglican Chapel.
Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, Québec, Church Records, Grosse Île Protestant Chapel.
Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, Québec, Church Records, Rivière-du-Loup-en-Bas.
Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, Québec, Church Records, Grosse Île, St. Luc Parish, 1834-1932.

Marriages at Grosse-Île

Information on 46 marriages that were celebrated at Grosse Île from 1832 to 1937.

Source:

Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, Québec, Anglican Travelling Missionaries District of Québec: 1826-1848.
Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, Québec, Church House, Grosse Île Anglican Chapel.
Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, Québec, Church Records, Grosse Île Protestant Chapel.
Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, Québec, Church Records, Grosse Île, St. Luc parish, 1834-1932.

Burials at Grosse-Île

Information about 4,871 people who were buried at Grosse Île between 1832 and 1937.

Source:

Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, Québec, Anglican Travelling Missionaries District of Québec: 1826-1848.
Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, Québec, Church House, Grosse Île Anglican Chapel.
Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, Québec, Church Records, Grosse Île Protestant Chapel.
Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, Québec, Church Records, Rivière-du-Loup-en-Bas.
Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, Québec, Church Records, Grosse Île, St. Luc Parish, 1834-1932.
Bishop's University Archives, Lennoxville, Québec Diocesan Archives, Register Church of England, Quarantine Station Grosse Isle, 1870-1890.

Memorial

The Grosse Île and the Irish Memorial was erected in 1997 to commemorate the massive arrival of Irish immigrants who were victims of the Great Famine. It provides the names of 8,339 people of various nationalities who were buried in the Grosse Île cemeteries from 1832 to 1937.

Source:

Library and Archives Canada, Journaux de l'Assemblée législative du Bas-Canada (JALBC), Vol. 42.
Library and Archives Canada, PRO, C.O. 42, Vols. 542 and 551.
Library and Archives Canada, RG 1 E1, State Books H and I.
Library and Archives Canada, RG 4 A1, Vols. 419, 431, 438, 440, 444, 468, 514, 528.
Library and Archives Canada, RG 4 C1, Vols. 34, 228, 230.
Library and Archives Canada, RG 7 G20, Vol. 41.
Library and Archives Canada, RG 19 D5, Vol. 2533.
Library and Archives Canada, RG 19 E2a1, Vol. 2745.
Library and Archives Canada, RG 29, Vol. 765.
Library and Archives Canada, RG 42, Vol. 11, Files 1, 7, 8.
Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, Québec, Anglican Travelling Missionaries District of Québec: 1826-1848.
Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, Québec, Church House, Grosse Île Anglican Chapel.
Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, Québec, Notary Saxton Campbell.
Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, Québec, Register of the Travelling Missionary of the Church of England for the District of Québec, 1854.
Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, Québec, Church Records, Grosse Île Protestant Chapel.
Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, Québec, Church Records, Rivière-du-Loup-en-Bas.
Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, Québec, Church Records, Grosse Île, St. Luc Parish, 1834-1932. Québec Archives (AVQ), Health Committee.
Bishop's University Archives, Lennoxville, Québec Diocesan Archives, Register Church of England, Quarantine Station Grosse Isle, 1893.
Parks Canada, Register of Deaths in Quarantine Grosse Île, 1866-1903.
Morning Chronicle (Québec).

Inventory of the Personal Belongings of Deceased Immigrants

Information on 528 inventories of personal belongings of deceased immigrants from Grosse Île or Québec in 1834, 1835, 1837, 1841, 1847, 1849 and 1851.

Source:

Library and Archives Canada, RG 19 D5, Vols. 2532 and 2533.
Library and Archives Canada, RG 4 A1, Vols. 468, 514, 518, 528.
Library and Archives Canada, RG 4 C1, Vols. 34 and 300.
Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, Québec, Notary Saxton Campbell.

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Search Screen

The search screen allows you to explore the database using four fields:

Name (surname and/or given name)
Year (year of birth, death, marriage, hospitalization)
Ship (name of the ship)
Origin (city, country or place)

To search the database, enter one or more of the above items in the appropriate field.

Enter a surname and/or given name in any order. Expect spelling variations. Use the wildcard character * (e.g., enter Sm*th for Smith or Smyth; Fred* for Fred or Frederick or Fredrick). Remember that some references only contain the first initial and not the entire given name.

You can narrow the search by including additional search terms, but keep in mind that if your request is too specific, you may rule out possibilities of which you are unaware.

If you are certain of the year of arrival, enter that year in the search field. If it is a range of years, for example the 1890s, write 189$ to search the entire decade.

If you are certain of the year of arrival, enter that year in the search field. If it is a range of years, e.g., the 1890s, enter 189* to search the entire decade.

When you have entered your search terms, click on the "Submit" button. The number of hits found will be shown at the top of the results screen.

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How to Interpret the Search Results

Your search results will be posted as a summary list from which you will be able to obtain more detailed descriptions.

Results Summary List

The results summary list, sorted by column, contains identification elements that will allow you to assess rapidly how relevant are the documents generated by the search. The results summary list contains the following fields: name, year, age, ship, origin and database title.

Click on the icons on the left for more detailed descriptions of the items of interest to you.

Detailed Description

The content of the database entries reflect the original language used in the documents. This information was not translated.

Important Note: Given that some of the original documents are very difficult to read, some information in the database may be incorrect and/or incomplete.

The archival reference to the original document appears at the end of each description. The documents are held in various archives, mainly at Library and Archives Canada, Archives nationales du Québec, Québec Office, or at the Québec Service Centre of Parks Canada.

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How to Consult the Document or Obtain a Copy

All information contained in the actual documents was transcribed and entered in the database with the exception of sensitive information such as cause of death. If you still want to view the original record or obtain a copy, note the reference at the bottom of the page and consult the relevant section below.

• Library and Archives Canada
  Documents held at Library and Archives Canada have been digitized and can be viewed online. They are also available on microfilm. You can print the images or save them on your own computer. To print a copy of a scanned image, right click on the image, select copy, then paste it to your word processing software, using the "Edit: Paste Special Feature: Device Independent Bitmap." Use the following link for other options, including borrowing microfilm.

How to Access Library and Archives Canada Records

• Newspapers
  Newspapers are available on microfilm and can be consulted in a number of public libraries or through interlibrary loan. We suggest that you consult the website Canadian Newspapers on Microform Held by Library and Archives Canada.
  
  
• Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec
  For documents held at the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec [www.banq.qc.ca] in Quebec City (ANQQ), please contact:
  
  Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec
  Centre d'archives de Québec
  Pavillon Louis-Jacques-Casault
  Cité universitaire, PO Box 10450
  Sainte-Foy, QC
  G1V 4N1
  Tel.: 418-643-8904
  Fax: 418-646-0868
  anq.quebec@mcc.gouv.qc.ca
  
  
• Parks Canada
  It is not possible to obtain copies of documents in the custody of the Québec Service Centre of Parks Canada because the information is contained in fragile oversize registers, which would be damaged by photocopying.
  
  
• Bishop's University
  For documents held at Bishop's University please contact:
  
  Library, Bishop's University
  Quebec Diocesan Archives
  Anglican Church of Canada
  Lennoxville, QC  J1M 1Z7
  Tel.: 819-822-9600, ext. 2567
  jsweeny@ubishops.ca