Verified Research · Genealogical Proof Standard
Prepared for Jennifer Barabe-Snyder · September 2026 · for Jack's Canadian-descent documentation. Every claim links to the record that proves it — including the honest limits.
You asked for two things: proof that a Barabé ancestor was born in Canada, and documentation of immigration to the United States. Both are verified against the actual records, and we've now also confirmed how Jack connects to the line — through your father, Paul Barabe.
This page gives you the complete evidence file: the documents, the family line from Quebec to Michigan to California to New Mexico, and an honest, source-linked explanation of what Canadian citizenship law does — and does not — make possible for Jack. We'd rather you be 100% sure from real government sources than be told what you hope to hear.
One thing to know up front: the ancestor who made the move to America was named Antoine Barabé — not "Thomas." We explain that below, because it matters for any paperwork.
The key document is Antoine Barabé's baptism entry in the Saint-Valentin, Quebec parish register — a Catholic church record written in 1838, photographed directly from the original book:
"Aujourd'hui ce huit avril mil huit cent trente huit… a été baptisé Antoine, né le treize octobre précédent, du légitime mariage d'Antoine Barabé et de Marguerite Bourgeois…"
Translation: "Today, the 8th of April 1838… was baptized Antoine, born the 13th of October [1837], of the lawful marriage of Antoine Barabé and Marguerite Bourgeois…"
| Detail | From the record |
|---|---|
| Child | Antoine Barabé |
| Born | 13 October 1837 |
| Baptized | 8 April 1838 |
| Place | Saint-Valentin, Saint-Jean County, Quebec, Canada |
| Father | Antoine Barabé |
| Mother | Marguerite Bourgeois note below |
Open the baptism register page (image 323) at FamilySearch — free account needed to view the image.
Antoine Barabé's FamilySearch profile (KNC5-NGG) — his compiled life record with attached sources.
A small honest note: on the 1838 baptism record itself, Antoine's mother is written as Marguerite Bourgeois. The compiled family databases (FamilySearch, NosOrigines) index her as Marguerite Bergeron. This is a spelling difference between the original record and the index — it does not change who the child is. If you want it settled to the letter, the 1835 Vermont marriage record of his parents would confirm the primary spelling.
You mentioned the family believes the Canadian ancestor was "Thomas Barabé, born in Quebec." Here's what the records actually show:
There are real Thomas Barabés in Quebec — but they belong to a different branch, and none of them came to America.
So "Thomas" is a real family name in the broader Barabé surname, but the ancestor who immigrated to America in your line is Antoine (1837–1898). The name "Thomas Barabé 1833" appears to have been introduced by an AI-generated summary — no such person shows up anywhere in the documented chain from Quebec to Michigan to California.
Why this matters for Jack: if his paperwork were built around proving a "Thomas Barabé," we'd be chasing a person who never emigrated. The documented immigrant ancestor is Antoine — and we have his records.
One open question for you: where did the name "Thomas" come from? If it's from an AI summary, we're set. If you have a family document or oral history with a "Thomas" on it, send it along and we'll check it too — we want to be sure we're not missing a branch.
Here's the honest truth about this part: for a French-Canadian family crossing into the U.S. around 1859, there was no formal immigration file — no visa, no passenger manifest (those weren't kept for the Canadian border until 1895). So there's no single "immigration paper" to find. Instead, immigration is proven indirectly, from records on both sides of the border — and we have a strong chain of those:
| Record | What it proves | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Quebec baptism, 8 Apr 1838 | Born in Canada | FamilySearch image |
| Marriage, 23 Jun 1859 — Keeseville, Essex, NY | In the U.S. by 1859 (married Marie Boyer, also Canada-born) | Antoine's profile |
| 1860 U.S. Census — Marquette, MI | Living in Michigan; birthplace listed Canada; father in same household, also Canada-born | 1860 census record |
| 1880 U.S. Census — Negaunee, MI | Grocer in Negaunee; birthplace Canada; father born France; wife Canada-born; son Eldridge in the household | 1880 census record |
| 1883 county history (published) | "A. Barabe" listed among the founding members of St. Paul's Catholic Church, Negaunee (est. 1861) | History of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan |
| Death records, 1898 | Died 14 Apr 1898, Negaunee MI; buried there (Find a Grave) | Antoine's profile |
This is exactly how Canadian-descent evidence files are built for families of this era: Canadian birth record + U.S. residence records + census birthplace entries, each one corroborating the others.
Here's the documented descent, generation by generation, with your line now confirmed through your father, Paul Anthony Barabe. The star marks the Canadian-born immigrant ancestor:
The family's path: Quebec → Keeseville, New York (1859) → Marquette, Michigan (1860) → Negaunee, Michigan (iron mining) → Los Angeles, California (by 1913) → Arizona → New Mexico.
Your connection to the Barabé line is confirmed by your father's published obituary (French Funerals & Cremations, Albuquerque/Rio Rancho, New Mexico — also carried in the Albuquerque Journal):
"Paul Barabe, age 70… was born on October 20, 1946 in Phoenix, AZ to Vertin G. and Margaret Vogel Barabe. He is survived by his wife, Joni Barabe of 50 years; three children, Jennifer Barabe'-Snyder (Tom), Melissa Pacheco (Chris), and Jon-Paul Barabe (Dominica); and grandchildren, Jack, Maggie, Hannah, Campbell, Sophie, Felicia, and Estevan."
That single document confirms three generations at once: Jennifer → Paul → Vertin G. + Margaret Vogel → (Eldridge Sr. + Anna Arland) → Antoine. The full chain is documented:
download Save Paul's obituary for your records: Paul Barabe obituary (French Funerals)
This is the part where we owe you total honesty, because you told us Jack's goal is Canadian citizenship. We can document Jack's Canadian ancestry completely — and we have. But whether Jack is or can become a Canadian citizen is a question of law, not genealogy, and the law is clear. Here is the legal picture, straight from the Government of Canada and Canada's national immigration museum, with every source linked and downloadable so you can verify it yourself.
The decisive fact: Antoine Barabé died in 1898. Canadian citizenship, as a legal status, did not exist until 1 January 1947. Antoine died 49 years before there was any such thing as a "Canadian citizen." Under the law of his lifetime, he was a British subject — the same legal status as anyone else born in the British Empire. He never held Canadian citizenship and could not have held it. There was nothing for him to pass down.
The Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 (Canada's national museum of immigration history) states it plainly:
"The Canadian Citizenship Act of 1946 created the category of Canadian citizenship… Prior to 1947, individuals born in Canada and naturalized immigrants were classified as British subjects rather than Canadian citizens. The Canadian Citizenship Act came into effect on 1 January 1947."
Official sources:
download Save these for your records: Pier 21 page (full copy) Pier 21 — key quotes Canada.ca rules 2009–2015 — key quotes
Even leaving the 1947 problem aside, citizenship by descent has strict limits. Since 2009, it has been limited to the first generation born outside Canada to a Canadian parent. On 15 December 2025, the Government of Canada passed Bill C-3, which loosened that limit — but the new rules still require a Canadian citizen parent:
"People born outside Canada in the second generation (or later) may be Canadian if their parent was also born or adopted outside Canada to a Canadian citizen (meaning the grandparent was Canadian), and that same parent spent at least 1,095 days in Canada before the birth." — Canada.ca, "Change to citizenship rules in 2025"
Official sources:
download Save these for your records: Bill C-3 rules — key quotes Eligibility check — key quotes
Under current Canadian law, Jack is not a Canadian citizen through this line, and no genealogy can change that. Three reasons, each documented above:
1. No Canadian citizen exists in the chain. Antoine (b. 1837 Quebec) was a British subject who died in 1898 — before Canadian citizenship existed (1947). He had no citizenship to transmit.
2. Every generation since has been American-born. Eldridge Sr. (MI 1871), Vertin George (CA 1913), Paul (AZ 1946), Jennifer, Jack — all born in the U.S. to U.S.-born parents. The "Canadian parent" required by every rule (1947 Act, 2009 first-generation limit, and Bill C-3) simply does not exist.
3. No one in the chain ever lived in Canada. The family left Quebec in the 1850s. The 1,095-days-of-residence path in Bill C-3 is impossible to meet — there is no Canadian parent at all, let alone one with three years of Canadian residence.
We are not immigration lawyers, and the Government of Canada is the only authority that can rule on a citizenship application. If Jennifer or Jack ever wants the government's official answer, the correct step is to apply for a Citizenship Certificate (proof of citizenship) through the official process — the link is on the "Check if you may be a citizen" page above. We'll be glad to help gather whatever documentation that application asks for.
What this file does deliver — honestly and completely: Jack is a documented descendant of Canadian-born ancestors, with a verified chain from Antoine Barabé (born 13 October 1837, Saint-Valentin, Quebec) down to Jennifer, generation by generation, each link backed by a primary or published record. That is real, valuable family history — and it's exactly what this evidence file proves.
And if you can tell us where "Thomas" came from, we'll make sure we're not missing a family-document branch before we close the file.
Prepared by Marc Joy Media research (Marcus Joyner). Every claim in this document is linked to a primary or published record you can open yourself. We verify to the Genealogical Proof Standard and clearly separate verified facts from open questions. We are not certified genealogists or immigration lawyers; citizenship eligibility is determined solely by the Government of Canada (IRCC), and the evidence above is presented so you can judge the situation with full information.