Uncovering My Family in the Québec Hôtel-Dieu Patient Registers

While performing a Full Text search on Family Search, I made a new discovery, which is rather rare for me. It was Registres journaliers des malades, 1689-1876 from the Hôtel-Dieu de Québec, the oldest hospital in North America.

I clicked in… and was quite thrilled with what I saw.

I was able to find a few relatives in the daily patient logs. They had short stays, illnesses, all recorded by the Augustinian nuns.

What These Records Actually Are

The Hôtel-Dieu kept incredibly detailed daily registers of every patient admitted. Each entry typically includes:

• Date of admission (usually just the day of the month)
• Full name
• Age
• “Native d’Irlande” or “native de Québec”
• Residence
• Parents’ names (often abbreviated)
• Occupation of the father
• Date of discharge or death
• Length of stay

For poor Irish immigrant families like mine, these were often the only records outside of baptisms, census and burial records. They captured the children during the chaotic years after losing a parent.

How to Find These Records Yourself (Step-by-Step)

How to Find These Records Yourself (Easiest Method)

The fastest way is to use the Image Group Number (DGS) field:

1. Go to FamilySearch.org and this link will take you to the page we are looking for – link.
2. Find the years you want and record the DGS number.
3. Then go back to the Search and on the drop down menu, click full text search.
4. Add the DGS number into the bottom .

Alternative (if you prefer browsing): Search the FamilySearch Catalog for “Registres journaliers des malades” → open the volume you want and browse manually.

Why These Records Matter

Most of us expect to find our ancestors in censuses or church records. But for poor urban families in 19th-century Québec City, hospital registers often fill the gaps — showing illness, poverty, and how families survived when there was nowhere else to turn.

If you have Irish ancestors in Québec City between the 1830s and 1870s, try a broad name + location search. You might be surprised what turns up.

The hospital records don’t sugar-coat it are a reminder of experiences our ancestors had in early Quebec City.

If these records help you find your own ancestors, I’d love to hear about it in the comments. The Hôtel-Dieu registers are free and digitized — they just need a little patience and the right search to bring them into view.

Happy hunting!