How to Translate a French-Canadian Baptism Record Step-by-Step

There’s an exciting thrill that comes from opening a digitized parish register and spotting the name of an ancestor tucked among the looping lines of a French-Canadian baptism record. That moment when you think, "That's them!" is priceless.

But if you’re not fluent in French, the joy can quickly be followed by a wave of "now what?" The script looks intimidating. The words seem familiar, but not quite. You might know a little bit of French, but you really don't understand what the priest was writing. The structure of the record differs from what you’re used to in English records. Where do you even begin?

Today, I’m going to walk you step-by-step through a French-Canadian baptism record from 1898 and show you exactly how to break it down, translate each section, and uncover the genealogical clues hidden inside.

Baptism record for Anne Évangéline Langlois, 1898, Ancestry^®.

Understanding the Layout of a French-Canadian Baptism Record
In our example, the margin reads: Bapt. 73e Anne Évangéline Langlois.

Baptism entries in Catholic parish registers tend to follow a fairly standard format, which is a huge help when you’re learning to read them.

You’ll typically see:

• Left margin: The entry number, the name of the child, and sometimes the record type.
• Main body: The date of baptism, the priest’s declaration, the child’s details, the parents’ names, and the names of the godparents.
• Signature area: The priest and sometimes the witnesses.

Step 1: Translating the Date

French:

Le vingt un Septembre mil huit cent quatre vingt dix huit

English:

The twenty-first of September, 1898

Tip: In French, numbers are often written out in full, and older records may not use modern hyphenation.

Step 2: Spotting the Priest's Formula 

French:

par nous prêtre soussigné a été baptisée

English:

by us, the undersigned priest, was baptized

Tip: Recognizing these formula phrases speeds up your translation. They rarely vary much.

Step 3: The Name of the Child

French:

Anne Évangéline (margin: Langlois)

English:

Anne Évangéline Langlois

Tip: The surname often appears only in the margin; compound given names are part of the full legal name.

Step 4: Parentage

French:

née ce matin du légitime mariage de Alfred Langlois et de Milina Seguin

English:

born this morning of the legitimate marriage of Alfred Langlois and Milina Seguin

Tip: The legitimacy phrase confirms the parents were married. This is a clue to find their marriage record.

Step 5: Godparents

French:

Le parrain a été Richard Berthiaume, la marraine Eliza St-Antoine

English:

The godfather was Richard Berthiaume, the godmother Eliza St-Antoine

Tip: Godparents were often relatives; tracing them can uncover extended family connections.

Step 6: The Signature

French:

H. Lemay

English:

Signature of the priest

Tip: Sometimes the godparents sign, but here only the priest’s signature appears.

Putting It All Together
On the twenty-first of September, eighteen ninety-eight, by us, the undersigned priest, was baptized Anne Évangéline, born this morning of the legitimate marriage of Alfred Langlois and Milina Seguin. The godfather was Richard Berthiaume, the godmother, Eliza St-Antoine.

Where to Go from Here

With this information, you can:

• Locate the marriage record of Alfred Langlois and Milina Seguin
• Search the 1901 Canadian census for the Langlois family
• Investigate Richard Berthiaume and Eliza St-Antoine for possible family links
• Look for civil registrations or notarial records connected to the family

Tips for Writing Your Translations

1. Start with the structure. Learn where each type of detail usually appears.
2. Master the formulas. Common phrases are repeated across years and parishes.
3. Tackle the date first; it anchors your record in time.
4. Watch for legitimacy wording, it can lead you to other records.
5. Don’t skip the godparents; they’re often a key to extended family.
6. Use a guide. A good translation guide saves hours of frustration.

Your Go-To Resource
If this step-by-step breakdown has you feeling more confident about tackling French-Canadian records, you’ll love my French-Canadian Translation Guide Bundle.

It’s designed for both beginners and intermediate researchers, with:

• Full-page translation tables for baptism, marriage, burial, civil, census, and notarial records
• Paleography tips and transcription advice
• Abbreviation and Latin phrase reference
• Worksheets and checklists to help you work through your French-Canadian records

Get your copy at my online store here.

If you want to take a deeper dive into French-Canadian translations, join me for my free webinar on Tuesday, August 19. Click here for more information and registration details.

Author’s Note: I want to be transparent that this article “How to Translate a French-Canadian Baptism Record Step-by-Step” was created partly with the help of an artificial intelligence (AI) language model, ChatGPT 4.0. The AI helped generate an early draft of the article; however, every paragraph has been reviewed, edited, and refined by me. The final version reflects my human ability, curation, and creativity. While I used AI as a tool in the process, the ideas, story, style, and substance were carefully crafted by the author.

© Copyright by Kathryn Lake Hogan, 2025. All Rights Reserved.

Digging Up Scandals: Tracing Black Sheep Ancestors in Your Family History

Image created by OpenAI, 2025.

Every family has a story that they try to forget. A bootlegger uncle. A grandmother who “ran off.” A cousin who spent time “away” that no one will explain. These fragments of scandal are often whispered about or left out entirely. As family historians, though, it’s our job to dig deeper, not to look away.

When researching your ancestors, it’s tempting to focus on the proud moments such as military service, land ownership, long marriages, and community involvement. Nonetheless, a complete and accurate family history must also encompass the messy parts, including the controversies, secrets, and black sheep that shaped who our ancestors truly were. Scandals may involve criminal charges, out-of-wedlock births, mental illness, desertion, bankruptcy, or even time in jail. These stories can be uncomfortable to uncover, particularly if older relatives are reluctant to discuss them. However, they often hold the key to understanding sudden moves, name changes, or gaps in the record.

Ignoring these events creates blind spots while embracing them leads to insight and understanding.

In fact, the "troublemakers" in your family tree often leave behind the richest paper trails, including court records, police files, newspaper articles, asylum admission logs, divorce petitions, and more. These records can reveal not only the truth of the events but also provide valuable clues into your ancestor’s character, relationships, and community.

In my upcoming webinar, “Digging Up Scandals: Tracing Black Sheep Ancestors in Your Family Tree,” we’ll explore the types of records that reveal the stories many families attempted to conceal. You’ll learn how to:

• Recognize red flags that indicate a possible scandal.
• Approach sensitive topics with care and compassion.
• Access key Canadian records for criminal, divorce, asylum, and institutional cases.
• Put events into their historical context to better understand your ancestor’s choices.

And yes, we’ll discuss how to share these findings with your family without starting a family feud.

We want to believe our ancestors fit neatly into respectable roles. However, real people rarely conform to neat and tidy categories. They were flawed, complicated, and influenced by the circumstances of their time. Telling the complete story isn’t about assigning blame or creating drama. It’s about preserving the truth, honouring resilience, and giving a voice to those who were often silenced.

So, if your genealogy has reached a standstill, or if you’ve uncovered a hushed family secret and aren’t sure where to go next, this webinar is for you.

Day: Thursday

Date: June 12, 2025

Time: 8:00 pm EDT

CLICK to register here for this complimentary webinar.

© Copyright by Kathryn Lake Hogan, 2025. All Rights Reserved.

Why Your Great-Grandmother’s Ontario Birth Record Isn’t There and Where to Look Instead

Image created by ChatGPT, 2025.

If you’ve been searching high and low for your great-grandmother’s birth record in Ontario from 1892 and keep coming up empty-handed, you’re not alone. This is one of the most common frustrations I hear from researchers digging into late 19th-century Ontario ancestors. Here’s the truth: the birth record may not exist in civil registration at all.

Ontario introduced province-wide civil registration for births, marriages, and deaths in 1869. However, implementation didn’t happen overnight. Especially in the 1870s through the 1890s, birth registrations were inconsistent—particularly in rural communities, among farming families, or among those who didn’t understand the need to file paperwork with the government. Some births weren’t registered until decades later. Others never were.

So, what’s the solution? Church records.

During this period, most families in Ontario belonged to a church, and baptisms were a vital rite of passage. Many churches diligently recorded baptisms, often including the child's birth date, parents’ names, and even details about their residence or occupation.

If your ancestor was Methodist, Presbyterian, Anglican, or Roman Catholic, you might have better luck in the church’s baptismal registers than in civil registration. These records were typically kept at the local parish or congregation level and may now be housed in a denominational archive or regional repository.

Here are some steps to help you get started:

• Check FamilySearch – Many Ontario church registers have been digitized and are available for free access. Use the Catalog rather than just the Search function to browse by location and denomination.
• Contact local archives or libraries – Regional institutions often hold microfilmed or original church records that are not yet available online.
• Review denominational archives – For example, the Anglican Diocese of Huron, United Church of Canada Archives, and Archives of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto may hold valuable records depending on where your ancestors lived.
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When civil records fall short, church registers can be a powerful workaround. Sometimes, they even offer more detail than a government form would. Don’t give up—just shift your strategy.

© Copyright by Kathryn Lake Hogan, 2025. All Rights Reserved.