From: beaurega@ireq.hydro.qc.ca (Denis Beauregard)
Newsgroups: soc.roots
Subject: Re: Help Ottawa Co, Quebec, 1881
Date: 17 Aug 92 17:12:27 GMT
Organization: Institut de recherche d'Hydro-Quebec, Varennes, Canada

In article <1992Aug14.140717.14848@src.honeywell.com> jcarroll@leonardo.src.Honeywell.com (Joe Carroll) writes:
>Can someone point me to a map of Ottawa County, Quebec, Canada for the 1881
>federal census there?  I cannot find that county on current maps.  Trying to
>trace CARROLL among all the Irish there.
>
>Interested also in similar maps/info for earlier censuses, same county.
>I suspect that the CARROLL line came in the early 1800s but will have to
>search in order to find out.
>
>Thanks much!
>
>Joe Carroll           jcarroll@leonardo.src.honeywell.com

I read the postings in response to this one and obviously you all need some
more information ;-).

First, the translation.  Ottawa, in French Outaouais, is the river separating
Quebec and Ontario for a long run.  The name Outaouais is also used to 
specify the Quebec side of the river, although it actually means both sides.
In other words, the "Outaouais" area is both in Quebec and Ontario.

Second, the county.

In 1881, the western part of Quebec was far less settled than today.
The English spelling usually appears in the censuses, but the censuses
are not always using the correct French name so that it may be necessary
to translate name to locate some place.
In this case, the Ottawa county includes most part of western Quebec
(roughly from Papineau area).  I don't have my notes on hand (I checked
many censuses when looking for Beauregard and keep track of what I looked).
From memory, I would say 1881 Ottawa county includes 1991 counties of
Papineau, Gatineau/Hull, Pontiac, Labelle (in part?), Temiscamingue and
Abitibi.  Please note that counties in 1881, except for Ottawa, are roughly
the same in use today.  

To terminate, what is a county in Quebec.
Counties as defined on 1881 and similar census are used only for
census.  Border may change (Bromont moved from Shefford to Brome county).
Electoral borders (Quebec and Federal) are not at all mapped to correspond,
nor are the Judiciary district (one county has some 4 or 5 court houses;
Megantic county is in Frontenac district and Frontenac county in Megantic
district).  There are even Municipalites Regionales de Comte (some
super-towns for administration purposes only).  Archives district are
neither mapped on counties, but counties are still used as reference in
geography applied to genealogy (many marriages books fit counties maps).
To give you an idea : I leave in Vercheres county, MRC of La Jemmerais,
town of Ste-Julie, vote in Bertrand county (I think they just remap the
voting district) or Vercheres county (depends on Quebec/Federal election),
and local church has records deposited in Longueuil court house.  

I know there was a small book that explained the various counties.  I think
it is stable since 1851.  At least 1825 is very different (the british
administration tried to give almost only English names to counties, but
they have to change this later because of many protests).



-- 
  \_\    Denis Beauregard  *  internet:beaurega@ireq.hydro.qc.ca
 /   \   Genealogiste officiel : Beauregard/Jarret/Jarest/Vincent
J   __>  Barthelemy Jarret (1471) -> Andre Jarret, sieur de Beauregard (1665)
\_.-===   -> Denis Beauregard (1992)                  Opinions ? Et pis non !
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