Join us on a private guided tour like no other – an exploration of your French-Canadian ancestry deeply intertwined with the vibrant era of New France. Old Québec sets the stage, a beautiful backdrop where your family’s legacy converges with the captivating events of the 1600s and 1700s, resonating across the expanse of North America.
While all French-Canadian roots lead to Québec City, we’ll use your entire French-Canadian ancestry up to 1849 to shape the tour.
Tailored for individuals with a passion for their roots – an opportunity to expand your knowledge about your family’s past. Ideal for history aficionados and those eager to explore their heritage, our tours are offered throughout the year, subject to our availability. A wonderful choice for families seeking an engaging blend of history and bonding.
Furthermore, if your ancestral roots lead to Old Lévis or Old Lauzon, the tour can be provided in these historical sites, connecting you even more intimately with the heritage of your family.
New booking system
We just got a new booking system to book and pay online. If there’s a issue, please contact us.
From Roots to Routes: The Intricate Process of Designing Your Tour
- Family Tree Submission
- Share your family tree – a basic outline highlighting those you remember, such as grandparents or great-grandparents. Download this empty family tree template and send it over – no need for exhaustive completion or prior genealogical research.
- Feel free to share any genealogical research you’ve conducted, although it’s not obligatory.
- Kim’s Expert Crafting
- Kim, The French-Canadian Genealogist we collaborate with, works on your family tree according to our specifications. For each French-Canadian lineage, she identifies the most recent ancestor (born before 1849) featured in the PRDH database (Programme de recherche en démographie historique: Research Program in Historical Demography). Our reliance on PRDH ensures precision and a structured approach for the next phase.
- Kim’s role and fees are included in your tour booking, ensuring a streamlined process. Typically, her research is efficient and covered in your initial payment. Yet, in exceptionally rare and complex cases where research demands unusual time, we might contact you to discuss potential additional fees. Rest assured, this scenario is highly unusual, but we prioritize transparency.
- Holistic Ancestral Exploration and Preparation
- Thanks to Kim’s collaboration and the PRDH database, your family tree takes on a comprehensive form. We meticulously cross-reference this family tree with our extensive database, a reservoir of insights gleaned from trials, historical records, censuses, and a range of resources. This diligent comparison brings to light connections between your ancestral lineage and the histories within our repository.
- This process uncovers a wealth of captivating stories – a collection of insights ready to enrich your tour. This approach ensures a remarkable balance between affordability and the efficient preparation of your tour. While we keep here the intricate details confidential to maintain an air of mystery, it’s crucial to emphasize that your complete family tree serves as the cornerstone.
- Our preparation involves deftly organizing the amassed stories and intricately shaping an itinerary with appropriate stops. This customized route takes into account the tour’s time constraints, allowing us to spotlight the most relevant stories.
- Connecting Past and Present in Old Québec (or Lévis if more relevant)
- Amidst historical monuments and buildings, we reveal the stories tied to events your ancestors witnessed, played a role in and were deeply impacted by – events that left an indelible mark on their lives and sometimes continue to resonate through time. We foster a connection between local heritage, historical context, and your family tree, creating an immersive experience that resonates with the past.
- Mirroring our approach of private tours, your comfort sets the tempo, and queries are embraced during the tour.
- Our tours run regardless of the weather – rain or shine. In case of inclement weather, rest assured, we’re adept at finding solutions to ensure a seamless experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you tailor the tour to focus on my paternal line or specific ancestors?
Our approach centers on the entirety of your French-Canadian ancestry, as the paternal line alone may lack depth. Utilizing our database, we compare your family tree to design a meaningful tour. This streamlined process optimizes both time and cost. For specialized requests, additional research is possible but comes with extra cost and no assured outcomes. Please contact us for a quote.
Can we visit properties, tombs, monuments, or towns related to my 1600s ancestors?
Our walking tour’s strength lies in Old Québec’s concentration of relevant monuments and buildings tied to the history of New France. Old Québec simply offers the ideal setting. Occasionally, we incorporate Old Lévis or Old Lauzon if fitting and feasible. For an optimal, cost-effective experience, we advise following our core offering: a private walking tour in Old Québec.
While driving tours to remote sites focusing on specific individuals are possible, this alters preparation and cost significantly. Please contact us for a quote.
For a realistic outlook, be aware that the passage of time has erased many 1600s buildings and reshaped the environment. While there are often plaques honoring pioneers and families, it’s wise not to anticipate the presence of 1600s tombs.
Do I need French-Canadian ancestry for this tour?
Yes, the tour offered through our booking form, which encompasses Kim’s genealogical research and a PRDH-based approach focusing on New France, necessitates French-Canadian heritage.
Nevertheless, we can accommodate a private tour of Old Québec or Old Lévis aligned with your ancestry even if it diverges from French-Canadian or New France connections. For instance, if your ancestor was a British inhabitant in Quebec City or Lévis during the 1800s, the tour would pivot to the historical context of that timeframe and strive to unearth a comprehensive story about that particular ancestor. Please contact us for a quote.
I’ve extensively researched my family tree for years. How can your few hours of preparation add something to my knowledge?
We had the opportunity to guide numerous clients like you – diligent researchers who’ve meticulously assembled family trees, delving into the intricate details of thousands of individuals and absorbing local history. The wealth of stories and insights they’ve gained is acknowledged. Yet, as with our own continuous research and reading, we’re all aware that the pursuit of knowledge is endless.
Could it be possible that we possess information you’ve yet to discover? We cannot guarantee it, but you can’t rule it out.
Our unwavering dedication to research perpetually enhances our database. By cross-referencing your family tree with our repository, we’re able to share stories you may already know, alongside those that have eluded your attention.
Over the years, we’ve honed our expertise in customizing content based on the client’s knowledge. If your understanding is extensive, rest assured the tour won’t cover mere basics. Clients who’ve explored deeply into their family history appreciate how we skillfully interweave their ancestry into our historical interpretation, refining their comprehension – in essence, our tours offer valuable insight.
I’ve already paid for a professional genealogist to create my family tree. Can we deduct the expense of Kim’s research?
Unfortunately, we won’t deduct Kim’s cost. While many professional genealogists can fulfill our requirements, the documents you’ve obtained from your current professional isn’t aligned with our needs. Kim from The French Canadian Genealogist, on the other hand, is well-versed in our criteria and can provide the specific information and format we require.
In the past, we offered Kim’s research as an optional component. However, this approach proved cumbersome for clients and resource-intensive for us. As a result, we’ve integrated Kim’s research into our standard procedure, which ultimately presents cost savings for you and simplifies our processes.
Do you provide any documents or records?
Tours Accolade provides private tours based on ancestry, and therefore, we don’t furnish any records. However, for your record-related needs, we recommend reaching out to Kim, a skilled professional genealogist who can assist you further.
Do you provide any information you got from the PRDH?
Our utilization of the PRDH database is exclusively for research purposes. Upon request, we can supply you with the PRDH IDs and names of the ancestors used to initiate the research (the last individual born before 1849 for each lineage). However, we don’t provide any further information from the PRDH.
For a broader range of details, you have the option to register directly on PRDH, which we highly recommend.
How far in advance should I book the tour?
Booking your tour as early as possible is highly recommended, as it provides us ample time to meticulously prepare a personalized experience tailored to your ancestry.
We don’t have a strict deadline due to the fluctuating nature of our workload and seasonal demands. Sometimes, we can work magic within a short notice of 48 hours. However, if we are unable to meet the preparation timeframe for your booked tour, you will receive a refund.
My ancestors never settled in Quebec City area, why would Old Québec be relevant?
From our experience, it’s very likely you have some ancestors who settled in Québec City and its surroundings. If you’ve only studied your patrilineal genealogy, you might believe you have no direct connection to the first permanent European settlement in the Saint Lawrence Valley. However, when considering all your French-Canadian lineages, which include hundreds or thousands of individuals, it’s almost certain you have some ancestors from Québec City. Many local pioneers appear in over 95% of French-Canadian family trees. Do you think you’d be the first client with absolutely no ties to Québec City? That’s statistically improbable.
Ultimately, Québec City played a central role as the capital of New France and later the Province of Quebec. This fact, along with the numerous landmarks and monuments in Old Québec, makes it the most relevant place in the world to connect history to your French-Canadian ancestry as a whole, even though other locations may hold significance for individual ancestors.
I would describe our tour as pretty amazing. It was fabulous to walk the streets my ancestors once did and to see documents with their names in it. Especially amazing was the museum* and statue of Guillame Couture my 8th great grandfather and his importance to the City of Levis. Your diligence in researching more of my family tree than even I knew was very insightful. Also, discovering that Abraham Martin (Plains of Abraham) was my 9th great grandfather was not something I had uncovered.
Martin P. (California) 2019
*It was a temporary exhibition on Guillaume Couture, by the Société d’Histoire de Lévis, inside the St-François-Xavier chapel.
Partner for this unique private experience: The French Canadian Genealogist.
