sign in sign up
<<
Home , Aisne, Allier, Allier (river), Apennins, Arno (department), Aube

National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution Société Nationale des Filles de la Révolution Américaine

ROCHAMBEAU CHAPTER Chapitre Rochambeau Association affiliée à la NSDAR, régie en par la loi de 1901

www.roch.darfrance.org

30 JUNE 2013

HOW TO FIND YOUR ANCESTORS IN FRANCE

I. Genealogy Publications

Many French family genealogies have been published. The three-volume directory by Colonel Arnaud, Répertoire des généalogies françaises imprimées (Directory of printed French genealogies), published in 1980, lists all the descendants and genealogies for at least three generations published in books or journals indexed in the Bibliothèque Nationale (National Library). The said "Colonel Arnaud" series includes 73,000 names representing approximately 350,000 families (try at www.amazon.fr but this source is difficult to find).

Another source outlining these genealogies is the series of volumes by Gaston Saffroy, Bibliographie généalogique, héraldique et nobiliaire de la France, des origines à nos jours - imprimés et manuscrits (Bibliography of genealogy, and of France from its origins to today, printed and in manuscript). This can be found second-hand - a precious source, but quite expensive.

During the years 1987-1988, two other books were published by the Archives Nationales de France (National Archives of France) : the Guide des Recherches sur l’Histoire des Familles (Guide to Research on Family History) and Les Familles Protestantes en France (Protestant Families in France), both written by Gildas Bernard.

A final book, currently out print, is La Généalogie, Histoire et Pratique (Genealogy: History and Methodology) by Joseph Valynseele, published by Larousse (try at www.amazon.fr).

Starting from each reference in the series by Colonel Arnaud, it is possible to find the corresponding items in libraries or on those internet sites that offer review of scanned documents, such as Gallica (http://Gallica.bnf.fr), Internet Archive (http://archive.org) or Geneanet (for a paid subscription). "Google Books - (Advanced)" provides book excerpts from key words, including surnames or family names.

1|13

II. Genealogy research via the internet

The Internet also allows access to many genealogical sites.

- The most commonly used website (with free access to all the information provided by its membership) is http://www.geneanet.org (English available). It contains exceptionally rich information on the majority of French families. Nearly one billion individuals are listed on this site. But, as always, one must verify the data by finding the original documents.

- The website at http://www.geneabank.org (in French and English, via paid access) allows you to search millions of surnames or family names on the databases of regional genealogical societies, organizations, or associations. Searches can be undertaken for the entire of France, or by specific , making use of the databank of over 71 million records collected.

- The Bigenet website at http://www.bigenet.fr (40 million records, via paid access) offers similar resources, but based on parish registers and civil or marital status records. These sources cover only about half of France’s departments.

- Lastly, traditional search engines, including www.ancestry.fr (via paid subscription), provide access to rich genealogical data. Your research becomes all the easier if the surname/family name being researched is rare and/or when a specific question is asked.

III. Genealogy research based on records (scanned or otherwise)

In France, the records of modern civil or marital status (starting from 1792 on) are not reportable nor searchable until they are at least 100 years old, and then only by decade. Therefore, for the periods of 1792-1902, and soon for the period of 1902-1912, the records relating to civil/marital status have already been forwarded to the relevant departmental archives. As a consequence, the "archives départementales" is where you should look first. You will find in annex 1 a short description of the administrative structures in France and their evolution since 1790.

The municipal civil/marital status records are very complete, except for the (where the records were burned in 1871 during the Paris Commune, with prior records only partially restored), and except for some other communities, victims of one, or the other, of the two world wars, and of other disasters.

The baptismal, marriage and death records, run by Catholic parishes until 1792, have existed since the mid-sixteenth century (in theory, since the Ordinance of Villers-Cotterets of 1539), and they are very complete from the year 1640 onward. Most are written in French, but for more ancient times, it is still common to find records written in . These records are all held in the Departmental Archives of each corresponding parish.

From 1792 onward, however, we can still find "acts of catholicity" because churches have continued to maintain their records, mainly of baptisms and marriages, even if the state keeps the official records. One should directly contact the respective parish for additional information.

In some , but quite rarely, some Protestant registries have been preserved. Even fewer Jewish registries or records have been maintained. For these two religions, it is

2|13

best to research through specialized associations (such as www.huguenot.fr, www.- france.org, www.shpf.org for the Société de l’Historie du Protestantisme Française (Society for the Protestantism), www.refuge-huguenot.ish-.cnrs.fr for le Refuge huguenot, as well as the Cercle de Généalogie Juive (Circle of Jewish Genealogy) at www.genealoj.org (in English or French).

Notarial Archives are available and researchable under the same 100-year conditions. Almost all documents prior to 1792 and many subsequent documents (contracts, inventories, leases...) have been turned over to the Departmental Archives (the "E" series).

A monumental project of document scanning has been undertaken in France for twenty years, and almost all the France departments have scanned the totality of the parish registers or marital status documents. They can be accessed online in a simplified way through a search engine, by typing in the letters AD followed by the department name or number - for example AD14 to access the departmental archives of , in .

The same holds true for the resources held by the Bibliothèque nationale (National Library, the site Gallica as noted above) and the Archives nationales de France (National Archives of France) at www.archivesnationales.culture.gouv.fr, including the Archives d’Outre-Mer (Archives of Overseas ). Departmental archives offer many additional resources other than marital status, such as old real estate registries, census data, military drafts or conscriptions, legal proceedings, etc. Frequently they have been scanned, and all are relevant documents that are useful for genealogy research.

For French ancestors who emigrated to French Canada, visit www.archivescanadafrance.org, where many documents have been scanned and are available online.

IV. Volunteer genealogy

The French are becoming more and more interested in their genealogy. There are more than 150 "circles" or genealogical "centers" (affiliated with the Fédération Française de Généalogie (French Genealogy website at http://www.genefede.org). For the most part, they publish newsletters where subscribers can ask questions and receive answers. These organizations are national, regional or thematic in scope. A sample list is provided in annex 2. Generally, one must become a paid subscriber in order to have access to their databases.

Numerous associations and blogs have also been created whose objectives are to reconstruct both ascending or descending genealogies, from the patrilineal descendant line or otherwise, and whether purely French or not. These are based entirely on volunteer efforts and on mutual assistance. The research within these sites can be made only from the surname or family name being sought, and thus it is not possible to establish an exhaustive list.

For non-French speakers, be sure to have on hand a good bilingual dictionary - many are even available online - in order to pursue the most thorough searches possible within the French sources.

Lastly, it is possible to make use of professional genealogists. However, as you can imagine, these services are not free of .

______

3|13 ANNEX 1 sources : wikipedia, internet French regions and departments

France, structured in until the at the end of the 18th century, is currently organized in regions (régions) and departments (départements). Departments are numbered.

old provinces

new regions

4|13

List of departments by region

(excluding overseas territories) with their numbers

Name of the region Departments Regional capital

Alsace Bas-Rhin (67) Haut-Rhin (68)

Aquitaine (24) (33) (40) -et- (47) Pyrénées-Atlantiques (64)

Auvergne (03) Clermont-Ferrand (15) Haute- (43) Puy-de-Dôme (63)

Bourgogne Côte-d'Or (21) Nièvre (58) -et-Loire (71) (89)

5|13

Name of the region Departments Regional capital

Bretagne Côtes-d'Armor (22) Finistère (29) -et- (35) (56)

Centre (18) Orléans -et- (28) (36) Indre-et-Loire (37) Loir-et-Cher (41) (45)

Champagne-Ardenne (08) Châlons-en- (10) (51) Haute-Marne (52)

Corse Corse-du-Sud (2A) Haute-Corse (2B)

Franche-Comté (25) Besançon (39) Haute-Saône (70) Territoire de (90)

Guadeloupe (971) Basse-Terre

Guyane Guyane (973)

Île-de-France Paris (75) Paris (91) Hauts-de- (92) Seine-Saint-Denis (93) Seine-et-Marne (77) Val-de-Marne (94) Val-d' (95) (78)

Languedoc- (11) (30) Hérault (34) Lozère (48) Pyrénées-Orientales (66)

Limousin (19) (23) Haute- (87)

Lorraine -et- (54) (55) Moselle (57) (88)

Martinique (972) Fort-de-France

Mayotte (976)

Midi-Pyrénées Ariège (09) (12) Haute-Garonne (31) (32) Lot (46) Hautes-Pyrénées (65) (81) Tarn-et-Garonne (82)

6|13

Name of the region Departments Regional capital

Nord-Pas-de- (59) Pas-de-Calais (62)

Basse-Normandie Calvados (14) (50) (61)

Haute-Normandie Eure (27) Seine-Maritime (76)

Pays de la Loire Loire-Atlantique (44) -et-Loire (49) (53) (72) Vendée (85)

Picardie (02) Oise (60) (80)

Poitou- (16) Charente-Maritime (17) Deux-Sèvres (79) Vienne (86)

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Alpes-de-Haute- (04) Hautes-Alpes (05) Alpes-Maritimes (06) Bouches-du-Rhône (13) (83) (84)

La Réunion La Réunion (974) Saint-Denis

Rhône-Alpes (01) Lyon Ardèche (07) Drôme (26) Isère (38) Loire (42) Rhône (69) (73) Haute-Savoie (74)

7|13

Evolution of French departments

There are currently 101 departments in France, 96 departments in , and 5 overseas departments. These modern departments were created on 4th, 1790, as a replacement of the Ancien Regime provinces, and with a view to strengthening national unity. Almost all of them are therefore named after , mountains or coasts, rather than after the historical or cultural territories of the Ancient Regime. Paris, for instance, is in the department of the Seine. The number of departments, initially 83, had increased to 130 by 1809 with the territorial gains of . Following Napoleon’s defeats in 1814-1815, the returned France to its pre-war borders, and the number of departments was reduced to 86. Throughout the subsequent centuries, through wars and colonizations, France both gained and lost a number of departments, finally resulting, in 2011, in the current 101 departments.

The department is an , one of the three levels of public government below the national level. For what matters here, the Département has the responsibility of archives. It is therefore important to know to which department you should turn for your genealogical records, knowing that the names of the French departments have evolved over time and with changes in the limits of the French .

You will find below a more detailed outline of the evolution of French departments.

1790 Creation of the 83 French departments.

1791 The department of Mayenne-et-Loire become Maine-et-Loire.

1792 Annexation of Savoie, creating the department of Mont-Blanc.

1793  Annexation of the of , creating the department of Alpes-Maritimes.

 Annexation of , creating the department of Vaucluse.

 Annexation of Rauracienne Republic, creating the department of Mont-Terrible.

 Division of (into Golo and ) and of Rhône-et-Loire (into Rhône and Loire).

 The departments of Gironde and Vendée become Bec-d'Ambès and Vengé.

1795  Annexation of the Austrian and the of Liège: creation of the departments of , Deux-Nèthes, , Forêts, Jemmapes, , , Meuse- Inférieure and -et- Meuse.

 Departments of Bec-d'Ambès and Vengé revert to Gironde and Vendée.

1797  Annexation of Cisrhénane Republic, thus creating the departments of Mont-Tonnerre, Rhin-et-Moselle, and .

 Annexation of the , creating the departments of , and Mer- Égée (Aegean Sea).

 The of Santo Domingo becomes several departments: South, West, North, Samana and Inganne. 1798 Annexation of the Republic of : creation of the department of Léman.

1800 Incorporation of Mont-Terrible into Haut-Rhin.

1802  Legal removal of the three French departments of after their loss in 1799.

 Annexation of the Subalpine Republic, creating the departments of , , Pô, Stésia, and . 1804 Santo Domingo becomes independent.

1805  Annexation of the , creating the departments of the , () and .

 Elimination of the department of Tanaro.

8|13

1808  Annexation of the , creating the departments of the Méditerranée, of , and .

 Creation of the Tarn-et-Garonne department. 1809 Annexation of the : creation of the departments of Tibre and Trasimène.

1810  Annexation of a portion of the Kingdom of , creating the department of Bouches- du-Rhin.

 Annexation of the Rhodanian Republic, creating the department of .

 The department of Tibre (Tiber) becomes the department of .

1811  Annexation of the , creating the departments of Bouches-de-l'Escaut, Bouches-de-la-Meuse, Bouches-de-l'Yssel, Ems-Occidental, Ems-Oriental, , Yssel- Supérieur and Zuyderzée.

 Annexation of a portion of the Confédération du Rhin, thus creating the departments of Bouches-de-l’, Bouches-du-Weser, Ems-Supérieur and .

 Merging of the departments Golo and Liamone into the department of Corsica. 1812 Annexation of , creating the French departments of , with an incomplete status: Bouches-de-l'Èbre, , Sègre and .

1813 Reorganization of the departments of Spain, into Bouches-de-l'Èbre-Montserrat and Sègre- Ter.

1814 First abdication of Napoleon: France reverts back to its 1792 borders.

1815 Second abdication of Napoleon and loss of Mont-Blanc.

1848 The colony of is divided into the departments of , () and Constantine.

1860 Transfer by the of the Savoie region and of the , thus creating the departments of Savoie, Haute-Savoie and Alpes-Maritimes.

1871  Loss of the region of -Moselle, including Bas-Rhin, Haut-Rhin and Moselle.

 Creation of Meurthe-et-Moselle and of the Territory of Belfort, out of parts of the departments of Moselle, Meurthe and Haut-Rhin that remained French (the Territory of Belfort is not, however, classified as a Department at this time). 1902 Creation of a new department in French Sahara: the Territoires du Sud (Southern Territories).

1919 Reinstatement of Alsace-Moselle and its three departments.

1922 The Territory of Belfort now becomes a department.

1940 De facto annexation of Alsace-Moselle into the German Reich.

1941 The department of Charente-Inférieure becomes Charente-Maritime.

1945 Reinstatement of the three departments of Alsace-Moselle.

1946 Guadeloupe, Martinique, Guyane and Réunion become departments.

1955  Creation of a new department in Algeria: Bône.

 The department of Seine-Inférieure becomes Seine-Maritime.

1957  Reorganization of Algeria and French Sahara. 14 departments are created instead of the existing 5: Alger (Algiers), , Bône, Constantine, Médéa, , Oran, Orléansville, Sétif, , Tizi-Ouzou, , Oasis and Saoura.Réorganisation de l'Algérie et du Sahara français.

 The department of Loire-Inférieure becomes Loire-Atlantique. 1958 Creation of three new departments in Algeria: , Bougie and Saïda.

1959 Elimination of the Algerian departments of Aumale and Bougie.

1962 Algeria becomes independent.

9|13

1964 Reorganization of the Paris region:

 removal of the departments of Seine and Seine-et-Oise,

 creation of departments of Paris, Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis, Val-de-Marne, Yvelines, Essonne and the Val-d'Oise. 1969 The department of Basses-Pyrénées becomes Pyrénées-Atlantiques.

1970 The department of Basses-Alpes becomes Alpes-de-Haute-Provence.

1976  Corsica is split into Haute-Corse and Corse-du-Sud.

 Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon becomes a department. 1985 The status of Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon changes from “overseas department” to that of “overseas territory.”

1990 The department of Côtes-du-Nord becomes Côtes-d'Armor.

2011 Mayotte becomes a department.

______

10|13

ANNEX 2

The following lists of regional organizations or centers are of interest mainly for those families having a strong regional presence in France.

______

Genealogical organizations, partners of GeneaBank (often online) (within parenthesis: the France department number)

Allier-Généalogie (03) Amis de (34) Ardennes Généalogie (08, Belgique) Association Brevinoise de Généalogie (44) Association Catalane de Généalogie (11, 66, Espagne) Association de REcherches Généalogiques et Historiques d' (95) Association de Recherches sur l'Histoire des FAmilles (ARHFA) (15, 46) Association Généalogie Pour Tous (07, 35, 70, Argentine, Chili, Tunisie) Association Généalogique de -Comte-Robert (77) Association Généalogique de Charente (16) Association Généalogique de la Loire (07, 42, 43) Association Généalogique des Alpes Maritimes (04, 06, 13, 56, 81, 90, ) Association Généalogique des Bouches du Rhône (13, 2B) Association Généalogique du de Bray (60, 76) Association Généalogique du Pays Grassois (AGPG06) (06) Association Généalogique et Historique des Yvelines Nord (78) Association Généalogique Vertavienne (44) Association Parisienne de Généalogie Normande (50, 58, 75) Association pour la Recherche et l'Entraide dans la Documentation et les Etudes Savoyardes (AREDES) (73) Atelier Généalogique de la MAL Tournan-en-Brie (77) Bibliothèque Généalogique et d'Histoire Sociale (01, 13, 15, 21, 25, 31, 34, 49, 50, 72, 75, 89, 95) Centre d'Entraide Généalogique de Franche-Comté (25, 39, 70, 90) Centre Généalogique de l'Orne et du (61) Centre Généalogique de Savoie (73, 74) Centre Généalogique des Côtes d'Armor (22) Centre Généalogique du Dauphiné (05, 26, 38, 69, 73, Suisse) Centre Généalogique du Finistère (29) Centre Généalogique et Historique du Poher (22, 29, 56) Centre Généalogique Savoyard Paris et Région Parisienne (73, 74) Cercle de Généalogie en Uzège et Gard (30) Cercle de Généalogie et d'histoire de la Seine-Saint-Denis (ex Cercle Généalogique de l'Est Parisien) (93, 94, 75, 56) Cercle de Recherches Généalogiques du Perche-Gouët (28, 41, 61, 72) Cercle d'Entraide Généalogique des Alpes Maritimes et d'Ailleurs (06, 13, 26, 81, 83, Malte) Cercle Généalogique 83 (06, 83) Cercle Généalogique de l' (17) Cercle Généalogique de (92) Cercle Généalogique de l'Aveyron (12, 30, 48, 81, 84) Cercle Généalogique de La Brie (77) Cercle Généalogique de la Côte d'Or (10, 21, 58, 89) Cercle Généalogique de (09, 11, 12, 30, 31, 34, 81) Cercle Généalogique de Maine et Perche (53, 61, 72) Cercle Généalogique de (17) Cercle Généalogique de Vaucluse (84) Cercle Généalogique de Versailles et des Yvelines (78) Cercle Généalogique des Alpes de Haute Provence (04)

11|13

Cercle Généalogique des Postiers, Télécommunicants et Tiers associés (CGPTT) (02, 55) Cercle Généalogique d'Ille et Vilaine (35) Cercle Généalogique du Bassin d' et du (CGBAPB) (33) Cércle Généalogique du CALvados (14) Cercle Généalogique du Pays Cannois - 06 (06) Cercle Généalogique du Pays de Fougères - 35 (35, 50) Cercle Généalogique du (82) Cercle Généalogique et Héraldique d' et du (15, 43, 63) Cercle Généalogique et Historique de l'Est Vannetais (56) Cercle Généalogique et Historique du (03, 18, 21, 58, 71) Cercle Généalogique Poitevin (86) Cercle Généalogique Rouen et Seine Maritime (76) Cercle Généalogique Vendéen (85) Ceux du Roannais (42, 69, 71) Chablais-Généalogie (74) CousAin (01) Entente Généalogique de l' Nord des Hauts de Seine (EGAN92) (56, 92) Entraide Généalogique Bretagne Maine Normandie (EGBMN) (14, 53, 61) Entraide Généalogique Cormeillaise (95) Entraide Généalogique de Tarn & Garonne (82) Entraide Généalogique du Midi Toulousain (EGMT) (09, 11, 12, 13, 25, 31, 32, 34, 39, 54, 60, 64, 65, 66, 70, 81, 82, 85) Entraide Généalogique Herbignacaise (44, 56) Foyer rural de Lattes (34) Gâtinais Généalogique (45, 77) GENDEP82 (82) GénéaCorrèze (19) Généalogie Aisne (02, Belgique) Généalogie en Corrèze (Brive - Ussel) (15, 19, 23, 46, 63) Généalogie et Histoire de la Caraïbe () Généalogie Valdoisienne (95) Groupement Amical des Généalogistes-83 (04, 78, 83) Histoire et Généalogie du Grand Fougeray (44) La France Généalogique (75) La Géniale Généalogie 71 (71) Les Amis de Racines Ardéchoises (L.A.R.A.) (07) Les Marmottes de Savoie (74) Loiret Genealogique 45 (45) Genealogie (73) Mémoire Vivante de Fégréac (35, 44, 56) Généalogie (11) Saint Marin Généalogie (Saint Marin) Section Généalogie de la Banque de France (89) Société Généalogique du et du (69)

12|13

Genealogy organizations affiliated with Bigenet

AFDT : Au Fil Du Temps AG : Allier Généalogie AG13 : Association Généalogique des Bouches-du-Rhône AGB : Amitiés Généalogiques Bordelaises AGENA : Association Généalogique de l' AGHA : Association Généalogique des Hautes-Alpes AGP : Association Généalogique du Pas-de-Calais AGPB : Association Généalogique du AIN-G : Ain-Généalogie APGN : Association Parisienne de Généalogie Normande BIBGEN : Bibliothèque Généalogique CDR : Ceux du Roannais CEGFC : Centre d'Entraide Généalogique de Franche-Comté CGAHP : Cercle Généalogique des Alpes de Haute-Provence CGAS : Cercle Généalogique d'Aunis et Saintonge CGB : Cercle Généalogique de la Brie CGBAPB : Cercle Généalogique du Bassin d'Arcachon et du Pays de Buch CGBB : Cercle Généalogique de Boulogne-Billancourt CGCB : Cercle Généalogique de Conflans et de la Batellerie CGCO : Cercle Généalogique de Côte d'Or CGDP : Cercle Généalogique de la Drôme Provençale CGDT : Centre Généalogique de CGE : Cercle Généalogique de l'Eure CGEP : Cercle Généalogique de l'Est Parisien CGH-B : Cercle Généalogique du Haut-Berry CGHA : Cercle de Généalogie et d'Héraldique des Ardennes CGHAV : Cercle Généalogique et Héraldique de l'Auvergne CGHHML : Cercle Généalogique Historique et Héraldique de la Marche et du CGIV : Cercle Généalogique d'Ille-et-Vilaine CGLC : Cercle Généalogique de Loir-et-Cher CGO : Centre Généalogique de l'Ouest CGOP : Centre Généalogique de l'Orne et du Perche CGP : Cercle Généalogique Poitevin CGQ : Cercle Généalogique du Quercy CGRSM : Cercle Généalogique Rouen-Seine-Maritime CGSL : Cercle Généalogique de Saône-et-Loire CGV : Cercle Généalogique de Vaucluse CGVY : Cercle Généalogique de Versailles et des Yvelines CHGP : Cercle d'Histoire et de Généalogie du Périgord FDRFAG : Fédération Régionale de Familles d' et Gascogne GENIWAL : Généalogie Informatique Wallonie GUG : Généalogie en Uzège et Gard HGL : Histoire et Généalogie Landaises LCL-CASA : Cercle Généalogique du Crédit Lyonnais LG : Loiret Généalogique SGB-B : Société Généalogique du Bas-Berry SGEL : Société Généalogique d'Eure-et-Loir SGLB : Société Généalogique du Lyonnais et du Beaujolais UCGL : Union des Cercles Généalogiques Lorrains UGF : Union Généalogiste

______

13|13