ACGS Spring Conference 2025
100% Virtual
May 17, 2024 11 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. ET
A Focused View on the Founders of New France
Are you passionate about genealogy, history, or the fascinating stories of the founders of New France? Then our Spring Conference is the event you’ve been waiting for! Whether you’re a seasoned genealogist or just beginning your journey, this conference is designed to captivate and inspire you.
We are thrilled to present three esteemed speakers who will delve into various intriguing aspects of New France’s founding figures. Each speaker brings a unique perspective and a wealth of knowledge, promising sessions that are both educational and engaging.
We hope that you enjoy the day’s speakers and topics. Read on for a full description of each speaker’s presentation and biography, and secure your spot at the ACGS Spring Conference!
Click Here to Register for the Spring Conference Today!
Registration closes on May 10, 2025
All Presentations will be Recorded and Available for 30 Days after Conference for Paid Attendees
Speaker Biographies and Presentation Summary
Janet (Jan) Noel, “Mothers of Many: The First Canadiennes”
Jan Noel joined the University of Toronto’s History and Historical Studies Departments in 1990 as an Early Canada specialist. She has written some thirty-five monographs, including prizewinning scholarship on indigenous women traders (New York History Award) as well as Canada Dry, a study of the temperance movement (Macdonald Prize). Her article “A Man of Letters and Gender Troubles of 1837” was chosen as Canadian Historical Review article of the year for 2017.
Her book, Along a River: The First French Canadian Women (UTP 2013) was followed in 2020 by Merchant Women in New France for a project organized by Le Bibliotheque Nationale de France and national archives.
Recent work includes a 2023 Canadian Historical Association panel and publication on Seen But Not Seen: Influential Canadians from the 1940s Until Today; a lecture on Laura Secord to the United Empire Loyalists Association; and ongoing book reviews for scholarly journals.
Mothers of Many: Les Canadiennes
Join us on a captivating exploration of the women who helped shape Canada’s early history. This presentation follows women of French Canada across different eras. It starts with the first nuns who arrived in the little port of Quebec in 1639, inspired by unrealistic visions of mass indigenous conversion. These “Founding Mothers” revised their mission to serving French colonists, who benefited from schools and hospitals that still exist today. Still, Quebec and Ville-Marie (Montreal) remained tiny outposts surrounded by forests. The arrival after 1660 of a military regiment and also some 800 brides – the famous filles du roi sent out by the King of France – assured survival of a precarious fur trading colony under siege. The filles du roi mothered large farm families, the embryo of a civilization that endures to this day along the St. Lawrence River. They established customs that would persist, even as their descendants spread out across the continent.
Harsh winds tested the strength of that society. In 1759 British forces came up the river and captured Quebec. After the British takeover, American forces in turn tried to conquer the French Canadians. Isolated on their seigneuries, the populace – noted for its forceful women, often better educated than the men – kept its language, religion and culture intact. The presentation explores the isolation and resilience of seigneurial life, and the powerful resurgence of French-Canadian identity and population growth, also known as the “Revenge of the Cradle.” It reflects too on the struggles of rural life in the early 20th century, leading to mass migrations – into bustling Montreal and, even further, in search of new opportunities in the United States.
Judy Nimer Muhn of Lineage Journeys, “Beginning/Intermediate Acadian & French-Canadian Genealogy”
Judy has been researching her family tree from the age of 12, specializing in French-Canadian, Acadian, Native American, Scottish, Michigan, Ontario and Quebec research. Beginning as a professional genealogist in Europe in 1993, she has lectured at National Genealogical Society conferences, RootsTech, Federation of Genealogical Societies as well as conferences in Europe and around the United States. Traveling extensively around the world, Judy has visited and researched in the villages and archives of Germany, Scotland, France, Quebec, and Ontario where her or her husband’s family lived. Owner of Lineage Journeys, she conducts research for clients and offers presentations for a variety of organizations.
Judy is the President of the Michigan Genealogical Council, board member & Awards Chair of the National Genealogical Society, President of the Oakland County Genealogical Society and member of many societies.
Beginning Acadian & French-Canadian Genealogy
From extensive experience in tracking the founding French families of New France, researching the Acadians and French Canadians is made easier by years of documentation that you’ll learn about! This session includes information about online research resources, learn about the founding people in both Quebec and Acadie and key social media help areas, and the fundamental tools of this elaborate and well-documented group of people.
Lisa Elvin-Staltari, “Carignan-Salières Regiment”
Lisa Elvin-Staltari’s professional background includes over 20 years as a professional teacher, sales consultant trainer public speaker, radio host and writer. As a genealogist for over 15 years, she has turned her childhood fascination into a career. Originally from Drummondville, Quebec Canada, she claims both French and English Canadian heritage. She and her family now reside in Tucson, Arizona.
Her website and blog “Have Roots, Will Travel” began in 2013, and eventually evolved into her YouTube Channel where she produces videos on a weekly basis focusing on French Canadian Genealogy and series on the Filles du Roi, which is now celebrating its 300th episode and the Filles À Marier which has over 100 episodes.
She is the Membership Chair for La Société des Filles du Roi et Soldats du Carignan as well as a board member. She also coordinates their educational outreach. She speaks to a variety of genealogical groups across the country and works with individuals on a variety of genealogical projects as a professional genealogist.
She is a proud member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, National Genealogical Society, New England Genealogical Society in addition to several state genealogical societies.
Carignan-Salières Regiment
Join us for an engaging presentation on the Carignan-Salières Regiment, the first French military unit to arrive in New France in 1665. Discover how these soldiers helped stabilize the colony, established vital settlements, and laid the groundwork for future generations through their contributions as both warriors and settlers. Through historical insights, vivid visuals, and compelling stories, this presentation highlights the regiment’s transformative impact on New France and their enduring legacy in shaping Canadian history.
Schedule of Events
Saturday, May 17th, 2025
Agenda
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Janet (Jan) Noel, “Mothers of Many: The First Canadiennes”
12:45 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
Judy Nimer Muhn, “Beginning/Intermediate Acadian & French-Canadian Genealogy”
2:15 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
Lisa Elvin-Staltari, “Carignan-Salières Regiment”
Click Here to Register for the Spring Conference Today!
