Canadian Passports 1681-1752

When this book was published with a new index in 1975, it became a major first reference for research on French Canadian coureurs de bois, voyageurs, explorers well- and lesser-known and other early frontiersmen. Many of these men have legions of descendants throughout the Mississippi Valley, the Gulf Coast, and beyond.
Written in French, the index of over 1,200 names allows the researcher to locate a particular person with ease, and the brief passport entries generally follow a standard form: name of the person who requested the passport, date, his destination, number (and generally, names) in the party, and other interesting and useful information. The beaver trade was usually the goal. In those early years, the destination was commonly designated simply as the West and that could mean the northern reaches of Canada or the lower banks of the Mississippi River. A more specific place-name, however, is often provided.