An Illustrated Tour of the Isle of Orleans To Be Presented March 15 in Tolland

An illustrated tour of the parishes of the Isle of Orleans, which draws 600,000 visitors a year looking for their roots or simply to enjoy its scenic pleasures, will be presented by Raymond Cassidy of Kensington at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 15, at the French-Canadian Genealogical Society in the Old County Courthouse, 53 Tolland Green, in Tolland.            

The island, 21 miles long by five miles wide, is located in the middle of the Saint Lawrence River just three miles north of Quebec. It drew many of the earliest French settlers because of its fertile soil and it continues today to be known as “the Garden of Quebec.”

The earliest of its six parishes goes back to 1661. A great majority of French Canadians today can trace their origins in the registers of those parishes to some 300 families who originally lived on the island.

“Many people have never been there,” said Cassidy, a member of the genealogical society’s board of directors. “I want to show them what the island is like and also to show them nearby places off the island such as Montmorency Falls and the Basilica of Sainte Anne de Beaupre.”

To pre-register for the talk please call 860-623-8721 or email semfcgsc@aol.com.