Prison commune de Montréal, Place Vauquelin, 19e siècle — Archives de Montréal, VM6,R3067-2_155E-1939-005
Life is full of surprises.
As I was doing research for the Bangle Files at the Archives nationales du Québec on Viger Street in Montréal, I unearthed a document among the criminal files shedding light on the appalling living conditions at Montréal’s Common Gaol, actually the same building where John Bangle and his wife, Marie-Louise Quevillon, were detained in September, October, November 1820 and beyond.
When I read a few months ago that Ancestry had launched an index for the Québec notarial records on its Website, I was very excited. It was a search tool I had long hoped for, but as I was not aware it was in the works, it came as a total surprise to me.