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Conversos in Colonial French Canada

Re: Conversos in Colonial French Canada

Posted: 3 Feb 2013 9:37PM GMT
Classification: Query
>>I think this type of behavior was common in conversos because their lives depended on appearing Catholic.<<

Judaism in historic Quebec wasn't as hidden and secret as you *might* think.

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/Quebec.html

http://jgs-montreal.org/quebec-research.html

There's a massive amount of research territory to cover in-between an observation in the 20th Century to the Spanish Inquisition.

This is doctoral thesis level research, and requires a number of sophisticated skill sets, specifically (but not limited to in the least) the ability to read text in several languages, even "old English" is a challenge for most. Finding the original source data is one thing, comprehending and having the skill to evaluate it, is quite another.

"I've read that my first ancestor in Canada, Girard, was buried one day after his death"

In the 17th-18th Century the vast majority of New France inhabitants were buried the day after death. This practice changed, lengthening to two days and then to three in the mid-19th and into the 20th Centuries. The Quebec Catholic Church (and Drouin Collection) records are filled with specific detail and overwhelming evidence to support this statement.

Re: Conversos in Colonial French Canada

Posted: 3 May 2013 4:35AM GMT
Classification: Query
Surnames: Quebec Descendants of Conversos
Greetings everyone,
Sephardic-Crypto Jews migrated to Quebec and were some of the founding nations (i.e., google: Antaya Habraham & Pelletier & Eli Gelinas).


The ARABIC names (D'Arabi; Mohamed; Oman; Saracen etc.) are also suspected crypto Jews because they INTERMARRIED exclusively and consecutively down through the centuries.
You've probably also noticed 'given,' 'middle,' and 'surnames' were used 'interchangeably.'


Many of these 'crypto' Spanish/Jewish Conversos migrated to MONTREAL. They moved over into the New York and NEW ENGLAND valleys where they farmed and became entrepreuneurs (i.e., surname: MARCHANT = 'merchant').


Though raised 'Catholic' my mom had knowledge of HEBREW, and HEBREW terms, i.e., the 'Shewbread.' She RECITED ALL THE OLD TESTAMENT PATRIOTS...out of the clear blue sky one day...in chronological order.

Mom said when she was growing up, she was often asked if she was Jewish. Both her parents are 'first generation' to the U.S. They were mostly dark haired (but a sprinkling of blondes) and had blue/hazel/greenish or dark colored eyes, the typical longish narrow semitic noses, with a somewhat subtle but definite middle eastern type form/characteristics/frames.

Many "DIT" names are SUBSTITUTES in many cases, for Hebrew Surnames (I have stacks of notes).

OLD and NOBLE HEBREW LINES were in QUEBEC, including BENJAMIN, HABRAHAM, GELINAS, RAPHAEL, GABRAEL, DAVID, SOLOMAN, and others.

The SPANISH & PORTUGUESE given/surnames are also suspected SEPHARDIC-PORTUGUESE-SPANISH in many instances, and they also 'married into certain french families.'

I am working on connecting our SARACEN, D'ARABI, MOHAMED etc. family lines all the way back to the SINAI PENINSULA and down into the HEJAZ of NORTHWEST ARABIA.

The custom of 'burying the deceased one day after' is a Jewish ritual and I think they often claimed they 'could not sign' documents because they preferred 'playing the dumb peasant,' and to 'avoid entrapment' by the church.

They often did not like or trust any 'outsider' priests; they preferred 'crypto' jesuits, 'traveling cryptos,' or 'insiders' only.

Another 'crypto' trait was having their 'marriages' performed at a PRIVATE home and PRIVATE ceremony...


In regards to HEBREW naming patterns, they 'skipped a generation' when they felt threatened, then resumed it when they felt safe again ("mom" attests to this 'skipping' phenomena alot).

You've also noticed 'opera houses' out in the middle of their farm towns no doubt, tucked into their little 'bergs.'
I theorize they tried to hang on to their sense of high aacculturation in days gone by.

Mom's father spoke a type of 'catalan,' she said, and he always complained he could not understand the other 'french' speakers.

I have amassed stacks and stacks of handwritten notes on the CONVERSOS IN COLONIAL FRENCH CANADA. I am DELIGHTED to make your acquaintance!!!

Please accept my invitation to join the Sephardic Forum (it's free) where I have been a member for several years; I am one of a very few who has focused on Quebec and I am certain the forum will be delighted to hear from other Quebec descendants of Conversos. Harry Stein is the moderator and his Spanish/Portuguese archives are also free!
Yours truly,
tish eysman

Re: Conversos in Colonial French Canada

Posted: 5 May 2013 9:10PM GMT
Classification: Query
Surnames: Galipo, Galipeau, Gilbo, Guilbeault, Marchant
Thanks for the invitation to join the Sephardic Forum. I will definitely look into doing that to see what we can contribute and what we can learn further about family derivations.

Interesting that you noted the additional Middle Eastern connections. When we had some of the family complete DNA tests through the Family Tree DNA group, it came back as 87 % West European and 13 % Middle Eastern. The ME group was further attributed to Jewish, Palestinian, Bedouin South, and Mozabite. We weren't surprised by the Jewish connection but were by the others.

We do have one artifact that has come down to us from that side of the family. It is a tapestry with a 12-pointed star in the middle and various geometrical designs that surround it. On each of the four sides there is a saying that repeats itself but is written in a script that we've not been able to identify. I'd be willing to forward you a jpg image it you would like to see if you recognize the design and/or script.

Best wishes,

Tomel
Tom Lanagan
Email: tc49@verizon.net
Family names of interest on this topic: Galipo, Galipeau, Gilbo, Guilbeault, Marchant

Re: Conversos in Colonial French Canada

Posted: 1 Mar 2015 6:51PM GMT
Classification: Query
Surnames: Gelinas
I have just discovered that my family (Gelinas) has Jewish Roots. I can trace all the way back to Etienne Gelinas and Huguette Robert. I believe that Etienne is the Great grandson of Elie the Juif. Also I believe that Huguette was also of Jewish ancestry. I would love to know more.

Re: Conversos in Colonial French Canada

Posted: 21 Jul 2015 10:10AM GMT
Classification: Query
Surnames: Aubin, Lambert, Champagne, Brunet
I am a direct descendant of Aubin Lambert dit Champagne.....My Great Grandmother was Eva Aubin....who married Evariste Brunet abt 1900, and my dna has come back with Jewish ancestry, as well as Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, North African....this makes up 50% of my dna..,,and upon further evaluation the Mediterranean breaks down into Spanish, Basque, and Italian/Greek dna......this accounts for 32%. Aubin Lamert dit Champagne was a Quebec pioneer....and first family.
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