From a Newspaper Article

There are many good sources of information available to Franco-American genealogists. There are also several Franco-American genealogy societies you can join for about $20-$25 a year according to Bob Chenard of Waterville. You also receive their monthly or quarterly publications, you can use their reference libraries, and you can request their assistance in identifying some of your ancestors at no extra cost.

Chenard says there are two categories of references: primary and secondary records. Primary records are "original" records and are usually the most reliable (although there are sometimes simple errors made by the ones who entered the record). The primary records include birth, baptismal, marriage, and funeral/death records made at the time of the particular event. Secondary records are published books and manuscrips which compile the marriages, births, etc. of a particular church, town, county, or family. They are extracts of primary or other secondary records put together by an individual genealogist, group, or society. They are generally reliable, but occasionally have mistakes. Secondary records are most useful because they are readily available and give you a point of reference. If you are a "purist" you will verify each piece of data with an original "primary" document if possible.

Useful primary records include: church registers and civil records. Church registers usually have baptismal, marriage, and death records. Civil registers usually have birth, marriage, divorce, and death records. There are also census records, both US and Canadian. US census records for Maine are available for research at the State Archives in Augusta or at Colby College in Waterville. The US census was taken every 10 years since 1790. The 1920 US census is now available to public view. From 1840 back, not much can be obtained from these records since they only listed the father's name and the number of males and females in his household by age group. But they can be extremely helpful when other information is lacking despite the fact that most Franco names were virtually "slaughtered" by the Yankee census takers - an obvious language problem, according to Chenard. The early French-Canadians couldn't speak much English and the census takers couldn't speak much French, if any. Consequently, names, ages, and other information was often corrupted.

Now, with the information you have gathered on your parents, grandparents, etc., the next logical step is to research their ancestors at the Augusta State Archives and Library. The Archives has hundreds of reels of microfilm (birth, marriage, and death records - called Vital Records) with machines available to view them at no cost. From 1892 to 1958, the records are fairly complete. There are also town records which go back to the oldest available records of each Maine town and city. Archivists are available there to assist you and get you started.

Once you can make a "connection" into Canada, then it is time to use the hundreds of Canadian books and church repertoires available for research in the State Library (same building, but downstairs). You cannot take these books out on loan since they are reference books but you can peruse them right there. If you wish, you can make photocopies for about 15 cents per page. Librarians will assist you in finding the Canadian books. Also available are church repertoires (catalogues) of many of Maine's Catholic churches compiled by priests and other individuals. These books are located in the Maine "town" section of the Library with other books on each Maine town. The Canadian books are fairly simple to use and you don't need to understand French to use them quite successfully says Chenard. The churches in Québec kept excellent records from almost the beginning of the first settlements (early 1600's) and most, if not all, parishes have been published in books. If fact, most records are so good, they embarrass our US records. The Canadians also have civil records and census records. Their census records are more complete in that, as a rule, the maiden name of each wife is given - something which has never been done in the US.

One other source which should not be overlooked are cemetery records. They can be helpful in identifying individuals by the dates of birth and death and by clues from gravemarkers on other persons buried on the same lot. Some Maine cemetery records have been published and are available at the State Library and Archives. Some cemeteries have also done an inventory and are listed in an index or computer program or book they would have on hand.

Finally, one word of caution: hundreds of French surnames were changed down through the generations for various reasons. This makes tracing them sometimes difficult if you are not familiar with the name variations. In the US, we know, for example, that if your Anglicized Franco name is now Ware or King your original ancestral name was most likely Roy. But, some Roy families in Canada also changed their surname to Lauzier, Voisine, LeRoy, Audy, Dagenais, Duroy, Larose, Lepage, Poitevin, St.Louis, L.'Eveille, just to name a few. Without some expertise in this area, you could run into so-called "dead ends." Canadian books often list these name variations. Then, you could always take a nice trip to the Quebec National Archives at Laval University located near Quebec city where, if they don't have it, says Chenard, probably neither does anyone else. Most Yankees have great difficulty identifying who their great-grandparents and beyond are, says Chenard. And if they go beyond that point, it involves much guess-work and speculation. Even a simple lineage is often impossible to trace back to the original "Old World" country ancestors. Not so for the Franco-American. He or she can generally give you most of his or her ancestors down to the 13th generation from the "Old Country" including one or more generations in France with their dates of birth, marriage, what they did, and when and where they died. They are, unquestionably, the "KINGS" of genealogy, second to none.

SPECIAL ADDED NOTE:Due to the expense of having someone else do your pedigree, most people prefer to do it themselves and, once they get started, find it to be enjoyable, a challenge, and can get to be quite addictive for many. It could even spur you into visiting and exploring your ancestral towns which can add a touch of adventure to the whole thing. Also, you'll become the "family historian" among your relatives. Many "family" genealogists have even taken trips to France just to visit their ancient origins and visited the churches where their 11th and 12th generation ancestors were married. They cannot help but feel some indescribable sense of connection to these historic places. It is like coming full circle. We cannot truly know who we are unless we know something about our ancestors - who they were, where they came from, what they did, how they lived, etc. I encourage everyone to do their own pedigree if possible. Once you get started and you run into a bit of difficulty, I may be able to help get you over that hump for only a small fee (or even free if it is something simple). Something simple to an experienced person in this field could be a serious impediment for a novice. Another source of good info. for the Waterville area is the Taconnett Falls Genealogy Society and Library, a chapter of the Maine Genealogical Society, is located on Lithgow Street in Winslow, Maine. This society, to which I also belong, meets every third Sunday of the month at 2 PM. Annual dues are only $10 per year and you can use the library's numerous references, research  computer files and CDs, as well as get personal assistance. The library is divided into three major rooms: a Maine room, a Canada room (which includes many books, records, and computer info on Quebec genealogy) and a New England Room for the other states. Special guest speakers are usually present at the Sunday meetings. The library and records are open every Wednesday and Saturday afternoon from 1 to 4 PM except for holidays and inclement weather. Visit their web site at:  www.rootsweb.com/~metfcmgs/