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This article outlines a new system for computerized family reconstitution. It has been developed in the last 10 years by a multidisciplinary team of Quebec researchers belonging to the Inter-University Research Center on Populations (SOREP). Basically, this system is characterized by 1) an attempt to computerize as much as possible every step involved in the process of reconstitution, 2) a set of tools devised for identifying and measuring all forms and degrees of similarity between names and surnames, 3) a technique to process cases of ambiguous links, 4) a set of programs used to assess the quality of the data and the strength of the links created, and 5) an attempt to maximize the performance of the linkage work in terms of both efficiency and accuracy. The system has been designed to support several kinds of analyses, from social history and demography to population genetics. The paper contains a brief overview of the current state of research in the field record linkage, an introduction to the Saguenay population register, and a description of the system itself which has utilized sucessfully in the last year on the 660,000 Saguenay parish records, covering the period 1842-1971.

"This paper presents a statistical analysis of surnames, revealing a striking similarity between the Saguenay and Charlevoix regions in the province of Quebec, since the 19th century. Indeed, a migration study also shows that the former region was created in the 1840's by immigrants coming mostly from the latter. An analysis by decade also shows that the Saguenay population structure has remained relatively stable since the middle of the 19th century. It is suggested that this kind of surnames analysis may be a useful indicator not only of the dynamics of a population, but also of the evolution of the whole gene pool. It seems however to reflect very poorly the movement or diffusion of any deleterious gene in particular." (SUMMARY IN ENG AND SPA), (excerpt)

"In the light of the literature in the field, one would expect that the myotonic dystrophy (or Steinert) gene carries a severe selective disadvantage. Indeed, this phenotype is commonly said to entail...sterility, infant mortality, and a lower nuptiality. In the worst cases, it is not unlikely that the gene could eliminate itself through non-reproduction. [A model is developed and] tested in the Saguenay (Quebec) population, known for its exceptionally high prevelance (1/475) of the disease. Authors have been able to use a computerized demographic and genealogical data base in order to study several demographic variables (fertility, nuptiality, mortality, etc)....Case-control analyses produced very [few] differences between affected and control families, suggesting no significant selective disadvantage associated with the gene." (SUMMARY IN ENG AND ITA), (excerpt)