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Research in Other Countries => Canada => Canada Lookup Request => Topic started by: Hughes17 on Monday 16 December 13 19:24 GMT (UK)

Title: Death record search Verdun, Montreal
Post by: Hughes17 on Monday 16 December 13 19:24 GMT (UK)
Can somebody suggest a link for on-line death records. I'm looking for the following:-

Mary Ellen Williams b 1878 Wales d >1924 and<1945 Verdun
Robert Williams b1878 Wales d >1945 Verdun
Blodwen Mary Williams b 1919 d > 1968 3rd Avenue Verdun

Thank you in advance.
Title: Re: Death record search Verdun, Montreal
Post by: polarbear on Monday 16 December 13 20:05 GMT (UK)
Civil registration only began in Quebec in about 1994 (Yes!) so what you would be able to find prior to that would be a parish burial record. Parish records up to about 1941 are available on Ancestry in the Drouin Collection. Beyond then you would be looking for a newspaper obit. Although there are a few burial records available beyond this time, there aren't very many.

If you do not have a World or Canadian Ancestry Sub you might wish to check if your local library subscribes to Ancestry Library Edition. This would give you access to the Drouin Collection, including images.

PB
Title: Re: Death record search Verdun, Montreal
Post by: Hughes17 on Monday 16 December 13 20:10 GMT (UK)
Thank you for your response - I'll have another look at the Drouin Collection. I did find Blodwen's babtismal record there.
Title: Re: Death record search Verdun, Montreal
Post by: Lemrow on Monday 24 March 14 23:28 GMT (UK)
From Quebec Records on genealogiequebec.com (subscription required)

Robert Williams b. Mar 12 1878  d. Nov 26 1957
Blodwen Williams b. Aug 28 1919  d. May 28 1981

Both death notices published in the Montreal Gazette -  can be found on Google News Archive.
Both buried at Mount Royal Cemetery in Montreal.

What was Mary's maiden name?
Title: Re: Death record search Verdun, Montreal
Post by: Hughes17 on Tuesday 25 March 14 09:08 GMT (UK)
Thank you Lemrow - that's fantastic, it's more than I could have hoped for. Mary's maiden name was also Williams.
Title: Re: Death record search Verdun, Montreal
Post by: Lemrow on Tuesday 25 March 14 18:19 GMT (UK)
You're welcome.

Found Mary Ellen Williams -- listed as Ellen Williams (residence Verdun, spouse Williams)
 b. Jan 2 1878  d. Feb 26 1945.

Death notice has her name as Mary Ellen and she's also buried at Mount Royal Cemetery.
Title: Re: Death record search Verdun, Montreal
Post by: Hughes17 on Wednesday 26 March 14 14:37 GMT (UK)
Lemrow,

Thanks again - you've saved me a trip to Canada. I haven't had any luck with the Montreal gazette archives. Do you have a link?
Title: Re: Death record search Verdun, Montreal
Post by: Lemrow on Wednesday 26 March 14 18:00 GMT (UK)
Google News Archive http://news.google.ca/newspapers (http://news.google.ca/newspapers)

Select M
Scroll down to The Montreal Gazette (far right column)
in the Date: box
then small Page box on far right

Robert - published Nov 26 1957 - page 35, column 8
Mary Ellen - published Feb 28 1945 - page 14, column 1
Blodwen - published June 1 1981 - page 51, column 8

I rarely use the Google News search box. Once I know the date of death I go to the issues following and check for Obituaries or Births and Deaths in the index, most often on page 1 and then jump to that page.  I've had it happen that the page number does not match the image number - so I just pull the images back or forth to the correct page.

I hope this information helps.
Title: Re: Death record search Verdun, Montreal
Post by: Hughes17 on Thursday 27 March 14 16:17 GMT (UK)
Excellent - Thanks again... Must make a note of this link - very useful.
Title: Re: Death record search Verdun, Montreal
Post by: chinakay on Sunday 06 April 14 14:20 BST (UK)
Just a point of interest...to me anyway :)...the Williams family lived just two streets away from my grandfather, and in the same block...and Blodwen would have gone to the same school at the same time as my dad. They could well have known each other, also my aunt Edith who was a year older than Blodwen :)

Cheers,
China
Title: Re: Death record search Verdun, Montreal
Post by: Hughes17 on Monday 07 April 14 10:33 BST (UK)
China,

Thank you for your response - Was this area particularly popular with Welsh immigrants?
Title: Re: Death record search Verdun, Montreal
Post by: chinakay on Monday 07 April 14 17:32 BST (UK)
Oh heck no...never heard of a Welsh family there. Verdun was at the time a newish working-class residential area of more or less equal French-speaking/English-speaking population...I suppose more to the French side...and Irish. Lots of Irish there, although the poorer ones were in a couple of nearby neighbourhoods. So the French and the Irish and some of the general English-speaking mix being Catholic, and only the non-Catholic English-speaking residents being various denominations of Protestant, a Welsh Presbyterian family would have stood out. Today the tension is a French/English issue, but back then it was a Catholic/Protestant one. My dad said there used to be fights between the French Catholic boys and the English Protestant boys after school.

It was by no means a Shankill Road situation. Just schoolboy fights really. But it was a feisty neighbourhood and a Welsh family would have been an unusual addition. The preferred destinations for Welsh emigration were Patagonia and Welsh colonies in America. Not Montreal, and there was certainly no Welsh neighbourhood there. Makes me quite curious why they chose Montreal :)

Cheers,
China