Archives départementales de France Online Searches at the 95 Regional Archives of France. All online searches are free to all French Canadian, Acadian, Franco American, Franco Ontarian, Franco Manitoban, Franco Albertan, Frankaskois, Cajun online family lineage researchers can conduct online searches with precision from one’s place of residence. New Version 2017-04-17 The country of France after the French Revolution formed 95 départements (regional departments.) In order for a family lineage researcher to conduct a family search of one’s ancestor, the researcher must first determine the modern- day ‘’département’’ of France his or her ancestor came from and, equally important, the name of the ‘’commune’’ (village, town, township, city) in which the ancestor was baptized into. The latter an absolute requirement in order to properly conduct an online search of one’s ancestor at about 92 of the 95 Archives départementales of France. The glossary below contains description of events (birth, baptism, marriage, divorce, death, burial) you will encounter as part of a great number of online search engines in France. The 95 Archives départementales of France are self- managed, and online offerings in regard to Civil Registers, Parish Registers, Pastoral Registers (Protestants), Notarial Acts, Cadastral Registers and Censuses vary from one département to the next as to the online presentation. Please note and highly important: most online searches at the 95 Regional Archives of France (Archives départementales) are conducted by ‘’communes.’’ A commune is a village, town, township or city. If you do not know where your ancestor came from within a particular département or region, for each of the 95 départements of France outlined below, I have included two online search engines addressing family names and communes within a particular département. Not a full-proof solution, but at least a partial one. In regard to the Protestant families of France, I have also indicated in which départements of France one can conduct an online search of an ancestor who might have been a Huguenot or Calvinist or Lutheran or a member of the Église réformée de France from the 16th century onward. How important are the Archives départementales de France in regard to family lineage searches? As a point in case, the Archives départementales de la Charente Maritime, a region from which many French Canadians originated, their online offerings to all family lineage researchers total: 4.5 million online images including acts of birth, baptism, marriage, death from the 16th century onward. And all of the above is free to all online researchers. For those family lineage researchers with limited knowledge of the French language, simply access online translators or purchase a pocket-size French- English dictionary. Within the following pages, the oldest register which can be accessed online is dated, year 996 within the Savoie region under the title of La charte de Rodolphe: le plus ancient document des archives de la Savoie – Rdolphe III, King of Savoie The oldest parish registers of France address the parish of Givry, the latter located in the Saône-et-Loire region for the period from 1303 to 1357. The oldest notarial act of France is dated 1304 in the Rhône region, at least the ones I have found. As they say in France among archivists, genealogists and family lineage researchers: Bonne lecture! http://www.rfgenealogie.com/le-magazine/44-archives-en-ligne-mode-d- emploi Glossary >> Actes état civil - Civil registers – After 1790 >> Actes de l’état civil – Same as above >> Actes paroissiaux – Parish registers of Catholic families >> Actes pastoraux – Church registers of Protestant families >> Affaires militaires – Military archives >> Année – Year >> Année (facultafif) – Online searches requiring the precise year or years of a request (events such as births, baptisms, marriages, divorces, deaths, burials) >> Annuler – Cancellation process of online requests >> Archives anciennes – Archival material prior to 1790 >> Archives communales – Local archives (Municipal Archives) within a département >> Archives de la période révolutionnaire – Archival material from 1790 to 1800 >> Archives en ligne – Online searches >> Archives modernes – Archival material after 1800 >> Archives numériséees – Digitized archives >> Baptême, mariage, sépulture (protestants) – Protestant acts of baptism marriage, death >> Cadastre renové – Land assessments 1930-1975 or about >> Cadastres – Land Registers >> Cadastre napoléonien – Land assessments from 1807 to 1850 >> Choisir une commune – Select a commune of your choice >> Choisissez dans le menu déroulant – Online option of selecting the online collection or the commune of your choice >> Choisissez une commune – Select a commune >> Choix de la commune – Select a commune >> Choix de la typologie – Online search options >> Commune(s) – Village, town, township, city (All online searches are conducted by communes (First requirement to any online searches in France)) >> Consulter en ligne – Online searches >> Consulter les registres paroissiaux et d’état civil – Online access to Parish & Civil registers >> Critères de de recherche – Online search options >> Début – From such a date to… >> Décès – Deaths >> Dénombrements de la population – Family census >> Dispenses de mariage – Marriage dispensations >> Documents en ligne – Online datas >> Documents figurés – Ancient maps and photos >> Documents iconographiques – Ancient photos and sketches >> Documents numérisés disponibles en ligne – Online collections >> Engagés pour les Amériques – Notarial records addressing; Contracts of engagement signed by many French Canadian, Acadian, Franco American pioneers prior to their departure in France with destinations such as New France (Nouvelle France), Acadia (Acadie), Louisiana (Louisiane). >> Ensemble des fonds – Totality of online databases >> Espace Notaire – Notary section >> État civil – Civil & Parish Registers >> État civil des communes – Online searches of Civil registers (Parish & Civil registers) by communes >> État civil numérisé – Digitized civil registers >> Évènements – Type of (events) civil or parish registers (Birth, baptism, marriage, divorce, death, burial) >> Exacte – Precise date of events (Birth, baptism, marriage, death….) >> Exploitation des images – Limitation as to the images downloaded, no resales of said online documents >> Faire des recherches – How to begin one’s family search >> Fonds – Various collections such as; Civil registers, Parish registers, Notarial records, etc >> Fonds de notaires – Notarial records >> Fonds et documents numérisées – Digitized dossiers available online >> Fonds numérisés – Digitized fonds (dossiers, collections) >> Généalogie – Online Civil & Parish registers – In a number of archives of France, Notarial records are included in said collection of dossiers >> Iconographie – Ancient photos online >> Images – Online images of original acts of baptism, birth, marriage, divorce, death, burial, notarial acts, land related acts such as cadastres… >> Images consultables – Online images which can be downloaded (Birth, baptism, marriage, notarial acts and others) >> Instruments de recherche – Online searches by dossiers (fonds) >> Inventaires en ligne – Online digitized dossiers (collections, fonds) >> Lancez la recherche – Begin online search >> Listes nominatives de recensement de population - Census >> Matrices cadastrales – Land assessments >> Matricules militaires – Military records >> Minutes de notaires – Notarial acts >> Minutes notariales – Notarial acts >> Nom – Family name >> Notaires – Notaries >> Notaires et tabellions – Notaries and notarial acts >> Numérisation des Archives – Material which has been digitized >> Outils de recherche et archives numérisées – Online digitized archives and dossiers >> Paroisse – Catholic parish >> Plans cadastraux – Online land registers - Maps of ancient districts >> Prénon – First name >> Publication de mariage – Marriage publications (Intent of marriage) >> Recensement (s) de population – Census >> Recensement militaire – Military census >> Recherche avancée – Advanced online searches >> Recherche dans le cadastre – Online search of land registers (cadastral searches) >> Recherche dans les registres paroissiaux, d’état civil et les tables décennales – Online searches of Parish registers (Prior to 1790), Civil registers (From 1790 onward), Family indexes of acts of marriages, births, deaths by ten year periods (the latter from 1790 onward) >> Recherche dans tous les fonds – Online searches among all searchable options (Dossiers – Collections) >> Recherche documentaire – Online searches >> Recherche documentaire : notaires – Online searches of Notaries >> Recherche en ligne – Online searches >> Recherche nominative – Basic research by family names or names of individuals >> Recherche par commune – Online research process by ‘’commune’’ (village, town, township, city) >> Recherche par formulaires – Online searches by dossiers >> Recherche simple – Basic online searches >> Recherche dans l’état civil – Online searches – Civil & Parish registers >> Recherche sur l’état civil numériisé – Online searches of digitized Civil registers >> Rechercher dans les archives – Online search within a particular archives >> Recherches thématiques – Online searches by subjects >> Registres matriculés – Military records of soldiers, officers who served in various wars for France >> Registres paroissiaux – Parish registers >> Registres paroissiaux catholiques de familles protestantes