The History And Expansion Of The French-Canadian Genealogical Society

Raymond LeMaire, former president of the French-Canadian Genealogical Society of Connecticut, Inc, will be the next guest speaker for Newtown Genealogy Club in its monthly series of speakers.

Mr LeMaire, a native of Rhode Island and a graduate of the University of Rhode Island, descends from Québecois parents. Mr LeMaire, who is 100 percent French-Canadian and grew up in Woonsocket, R.I, spoke only French until he entered school. His childhood Boy Scout Troop meetings were even conducted in French.

Mr LeMaire’s talk will focus on the history of the French-Canadian Genealogical Society, founded in 1981, which boasts about 530 members in Connecticut. He will also speak about the expansion of the society and its available services.

The society owns and maintains its own research library, which is housed in the old Tolland Courthouse. Included in its tomes is a complete set of the Drouin Collection, a set of 40 volumes valued at about $18,000, which came from the Drouin Institute in Montreal.

Mr LeMaire maintains that French-Canadian genealogical records are the best available in North America, due to the diligence of the early priests in Québec who kept meticulous records of all marriages, births, and deaths from the days of the very earliest settlers. The Tolland Research Library contains more than 5,000 volumes. It is open to the public Mondays and Wednesday from 1 to 5 pm, Saturdays from 9 am to 4 pm, and Sundays from 1 to 5 pm.

Newtown Genealogy Club invites all current and prospective members, as well as the public, to hear Mr LeMaire speak at 7 pm Wednesday, November 12, in the lower meeting room of Cyrenius Booth Library, 25 Main Street. The club meets on the second Wednesday of each month from September to June. New members are always welcome.

For additional information call Harlan Jessup, 270-7887.