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Jean-Yves Vanier, the genealogist who goes back through the centuries from Canada to Europe
An engineer by training, Jean-Yves Vanier worked for decades in the petrochemical industry in Edmonton, in Western Canada. This native of Quebec finally decided to give up everything to launch into genealogy, his passion, and he now grows the genealogical branches of his family, as well as those of his clients.
Jean-Yves Vanier, professional genealogist, in Edmonton, in the Canadian province of Alberta, November 30, 2023. © Léopold Picot / RFI
By: Léopold Picot Follow
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From our correspondent in Canada,
On the first floor of the Cité Francophone d'Edmonton, a small, discreet door is hidden at the end of a corridor. A sign reads: “Northwest Genealogical Society”. Three computers, two large tables and shelves filled with books fill the space. There are no crowds: three passionate volunteers are chatting around a table, two women and a man.
Michèle Fortin, Doriane Vincent and Jean-Yves Vanier could almost say that they are from the same family, because they all have family from Quebec. “
It’s easy to find common ancestors between French speakers. In Quebec, endogamy was very important; originally, there were only a few thousand settlers in New France! As a gift to my parents, I even found them an 11th generation cousin
,” laughs the genealogist, 52 years old, with long gray hair framing small rectangular glasses.
Michèle adds with a big smile: “
We even have stars in our family trees! Me, I'm a very distant cousin with Céline Dion – like many people, and I even have Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, four generations away, it's not that far.
»
A sudden passion
Unlike many genealogists, Jean-Yves did not discover his origins through his family. Originally from Gatineau, a city bordering Ottawa in Eastern Canada, he studied engineering, in French then in English, and obtained a position in the petrochemical industry in Edmonton, Alberta. “
I had done an internship with a company and they offered me a position in 1995. I was the first of the family in several generations to leave for the west
,” describes the genealogist. About ten years later, his mother received a letter at the family home in Gatineau that she forwarded to him. “
It was a letter that said: I am a genealogist, my name is Noël Vanier from Laval, and if you give me information about your immediate family, I will send you your family tree
,” recalls Jean-Yves.
Curious, he accepted, sent information about his family and received a much thicker envelope a few weeks later. There, Jean-Yves is impressed: “
They were very large leaves. I spread it all out on the ground, and it gives me a tree with my family, from my name, up to the first Guillaume Vanier, originally from Honfleur, who arrived in 1665. I learned that I was cousins with the governor General Georges Vanier, for example!
»
To thank his loved ones who helped him, Jean-Yves decided in 2006 to create a website with one objective: to trace all of his ancestors. “
Today it is huge, at the time it was very small. Google referenced it, then another genealogist, Vanier contacted me to tell me that I could add another branch to his tree, and yet another. It has become a family site throughout North America.
» For a time, four Vaniers, amateur or professional genealogists, worked together. Today, the digital tree has thousands of ancestors.
From plastic to the roots
But Jean-Yves does not stop there, he begins to seriously delve into the field and pursues amateur research. After 25 years in the petrochemical industry, he broke down: “
I burned out and told myself I had to stop. I had accumulated enough money, and my wife, who was still working, reminded me that she had had five years off to study, and that I could do it too.
»The coronavirus pandemic is definitely launching it. He became a professional by training online, obtaining diplomas in genealogy. “
I am happier, less stressed. The pay is less good, but it is very rewarding work: I make people happy. Before, you know, I made plastic
,” breathes the professional.
Three years ago, he launched his business, Vos Aïeux. What he likes is the diversity of stories. Quebecers often want to know their origins in France, some of which date back to the 16th century. The Acadians, a population that was deported after the English conquest, instead want to know what their ancestors experienced at that time. Certain trajectories touch him a lot: “
I notably retraced the story of two Acadians deported to France, to Saint-Malo, and who died, one during the crossing and the other shortly after, leaving behind them orphans.
»
Some searches, the simplest and most direct, only take a few hours, for which he charges less than a hundred Canadian dollars, around sixty euros. Others on the other hand… “
A gentleman hired me for several years. He wants to know everything, all the stories of all his ancestors. He must have spent almost $20,000! He says it’s a legacy for his children, he even wants me to write him a book with all the anecdotes I find,
” describes Jean-Yves, still astonished.
In any case, Jean-Yves Vanier is not about to tire of it. Each presentation he makes to the families who hired him reminds him why he chose this profession: “
People love it. When I make my presentations, everyone is happy, they are amazed by their own stories, which they did not know
. »
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