Maple Stars and Stripes: Your French-Canadian Genealogy Podcast

More KKK members in New England than the South? Really? Yes, at one time in the early 20th century this was true. And they were attacking Franco-Americans. Why? Dr. Eileen Angelini will tell us this interesting story about a little-known chapter in American history. In Language Tip #39, we’ll discover how to locate the proper […]

There are so many ways to spell certain sounds in French that it sometimes becomes difficult to even recognize a name as the one for which you are searching. In episode 4 of Maple Stars and Stripes (MapleStarsandStripes.com/4), we take a look at the many ways of spelling the long O sound and why it’s not always a good idea to rely on a Soundex search when trying to find an ancestor in an online database. In episode 2 (MapleStarsandStripes.com/2), we covered dit names. Here we look at other types of name variations that can also make it difficult to find a hard-to-locate ancestor. Maple Stars and Stripes is now available on iTunes (MapleStarsandStripes.com/itunes), Stitcher (MapleStarsandStripes.com/stitcher), and in the Windows Phone Store. Also please consider liking us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/maplestarsandstripes). Enjoy listening!  

When our French-Canadian ancestors left Québec and came to America, they began to generate records in an English-speaking system. Many clerks wrote their names phonetically. As a result, the names in American records often don't come close to the actual spelling and can often be unrecognizable to an inexperienced eye. In episode 3, we discuss different strategies for solving this dilemma. Language Tip #3 looks at the importance of knowing the native pronunciation as a way to locate missing records. In the main segment, we note both human and technological resources that may provide us with a proper surname pronunciation. Also, the recently published Dictionary of Americanized French-Canadian Names: Onomastics and Genealogy by Marc Picard might hold some clues. Be sure to check out the show notes at MapleStarsandStripes.com/3. Within the next week, Maple Stars and Stripes should be available on iTunes. I'll send out a post when that happens. Happy and genealogically prosperous 2014 to all!

If you've come across dit/dite names in your French-Canadian research and wondered what it all meant, then episode 2 of Maple Stars and Stripes is for you! Along with learning how to pronounce it, we'll also cover its origins and uses. Then you'll find many print and online resources that will help you to compile a list of dit names associated with your surnames of interest. Hopefully, knowledge of one of those dit names will help you break down a stubborn brick wall. If that happens, please let us know in the comments at MapleStarsandStripes.com/2. Also, please drop us a line if you discover another source for information on dit names. Bonne chance (good luck)! Listen to the podcast by clicking play on the player above or on the show notes page (MapleStarsandStripes.com/2). Please keep in touch by subscribing to the blog on the left.

WELCOME TO THE MAPLE STARS AND STRIPES DEBUT! Maple Stars and Stripes: Your French-Canadian Genealogy Podcast was created as a way to share tips and tricks that might make it easier to research your French-Canadian family here in America as well as to trace them back in Quebec. We’ll discuss ways to make it easier to move around in French-language records, especially if you’re not a native French speaker, as well as take a look at different record groups, repositories, history, geography, culture, and methodology particular to French-Canadian genealogy. Episode 001: Learn how a very simple pronunciation rule can help you find missing ancestors hiding in digital indexes. We also cover beginning steps to help find your ancestors' location back in Quebec, and we take an in-depth look at the Loiselle marriage index. There are also instructions on how YOU can contribute YOUR knowledge to help listeners of Maple Stars and Stripes. Visit the Show Notes for this episode at MapleStarsandStripes.com/1. Listen to the podcast by clicking play on the player above or on the show notes page. Please keep in touch by subscribing to the blog on the left.