France
This article along with a secion on Italy was supposed to be in the 2009 March/April issue of Everton's Genealogical Helper. It was then supposed to be in the Spring 2009 issue that never happened. It was revised slightly in May 2009 for what was supposed to be the revived Helper that unfortunately was DOA!
I figured that it should finally be published somewhere, so here it is.
In the interest of full disclosure the descriptions of the Ancestry.com databases were taken from their website.
I am sure that over the past year more of the Departmental and City Archives have come online and that the holding of many of those listed have been increased.
There is a tremendous amout of information available online for research in France but you need to know the village or parish because most of it is not searchable by name. FamilySearch, Ancestry, and other mega sites may have added other collections over the past year as well.
The 22 images will not be posted so just visit the websites to see the actual images, based upon the descriptions.
On 15 Dec. 2010 I received a very nice comment from John Colletta
"Your online publication, "The Best French Sites on the Net," cannot be equaled, let alone topped. I will certainly cite it in my bibliography. However, I was wondering whether we might print it out in its entirety for attendees? Right now, my own handouts for French Genealogy ... except for a very few exceptions, cover only books, not Web sites. Hence, the tremendous value of your own work."
10/11/11 - French Genealogy Blog entry about using local history and what was found at departmental archives.
Bonne chance dans votre recherche!
The Best French Sites on the Net
By Jeffrey A. Bockman
In this issue we continue to look at foreign countries and move back to the “Continent” and look at the best sites for France and Italy. Please remember that it is impossible to cover everything about researching within a single county in an article, let alone several. I have attempted to provide some basic information about the various records that are available or in some cases the lack thereof. The intent of this series is to look at websites that provide access to images of real records. There are, however a few “non-image” helpful sites that have also been included such as indexes to vital records or other official documents where the documents are not available online or they are difficult to locate.
Getting Started
One of the best places to learn about the various records and their availability when starting to do research in a new county is to review the Research Outlines at:
Family Search
www.FamilySearch.org – Free Site http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/RG/frameset_rg.asp
They provide information about the history and availability of Church records, Civil Registration, Court Records, Census Records, Probate Records, Immigration, and many others.
Pick the first letter of the country or location of interest and look for the “Country Research Outline.” Also check to see if they have produced a version of their new publication titled “Finding Records of Your Ancestors, Country” for the country of interest. These are downloadable and printable files that include sample images of the various record types.
World GenWebProject
www.Worldgenweb.org – Free site
Another good place to learn about a new location is the local GenWebProject site. These are volunteer projects and the content can vary greatly but they can provide information about local records and resources along with links to online or transcribed records. Start at the World GenWebProject and then select the region, the country and then finally the local sites. They should also have links to helpful local organizations and any online records.
Major Issues
There are a number of challenges when starting to do research within continental Europe. One is the lack of countrywide censuses to help you find where you ancestor lived. Another is that the countries and boundaries between countries have changed over the years. There is also always the issue of language.
Location: You will need to find your ancestor’s town of origin. Work from Known to Unknown. Check every US record to see if there are clues to their European place of birth. Check the US Census records for the year of arrival and see if they were naturalized. Later passenger lists, immigration and naturalization records often contain the name of the village where they were born.
The US Federal naturalization records of a spouse may contain the arrival year and the village of birth of their spouse. If your ancestor arrived before their birthplace was required, then check the records for any siblings that arrived at a later date to see if they may have provided a clue.
Besides the name of the village, the department or region may also be needed because there can be several towns with the same name within a country.
Boundaries: Historical maps are very helpful to determine the geographical and political boundaries at a particular point in time.
Language: It should be of no surprise that the records will be written in the language of the area at that time. Catholic Church records will be in Latin. Even for those who know a language can have problems reading the old Gothic script. As the boundaries changed the language of the official records may also have changed.
There are several websites that can help to translate words or even an entire webpage. It will not be perfect but it can give you a good idea of the content. If you are trying to communicate with someone using machine translated text I strongly recommend that you copy the suggested translated version and then translate it back to the original language to see if the meaning is anything close to the original. A few helpful language websites are:
• Babelfish Translateur http://babelfish.altavista.com/translate.dyn
• Polly Glotto - www.pollyglotto.com/ translation: read and hear it
• Google Language Tools http://www.google.com/language_tools
FRANCE
The article How to Search For Ancestors in France by Catherine Clausse in the July/August 2008 issue of the Helper provided an overview of the various civil records in France and their availability. Many of the websites mentioned in that article are either reviewed or listed in the list of archives. Several additional archives have come online since that article was written and there have been changes to some of the web addresses. While there is now a tremendous amount of real church and civil records available online they are not indexed by name. You really need to know the name of the town!
Family Search - Research Outlines for France:
http://www.familysearch.org/eng/Search/Rg/images/36584_france_finding_ancestor.pdf - B&W
http://www.familysearch.org/eng/Search/Rg/images/36584_france_finding_ancestor_color.pdf - Color
France GenWebProject
www.francegenweb.org - Free Site
This is a very good site that provides useful information and has links to a variety of websites that include copies of digital records.
Language
Since France is very protective of the French language, many of the websites, especially the official ones do not have English versions. Use the “translate entire page” feature of your favorite translation site to give you an idea of what is on the page. Do not get nervous if you see the following phrases – they are not charging you:
• “Chargement en cours” means that the page or information is being loaded.
• “Télécharger gratuitement” means free access.
Culture.Fr
http://www.culture.fr/fr/sections/themes/genealogie?typeSearch=genealogie
This site contains links to genealogy associations and useful sites such as the list of archives. It also has a section called “les futures bases de Généalogie" that tells of new projects. It can be found at http://www.culture.fr/fr/sections/themes/genealogie/a_decouvrir/bases-sources-genealogie
Archives of France
Each of the 96 departments has an archive to house the older records for all of the municipalities within the department. A number of the archives have begun digitizing and posting records online. A list follows and includes new entries since the prior article. The website Archives of France at
http://www.archivesdefrance.culture.gouv.fr/ressources/en-ligne/acces-par-type-de-documents/#etat_civil should be checked for the most current listing since new sites and records are continually being added.
The website for each archive is different in both the type of information that they have available and also in the way that they provide it. Loire Atlantique had a wonderful easy to use image viewer while Aubervilliers attempted to download a pdf file that was over 50 MBs. Many of the sites have similar titles and prompts so navigating them becomes easier after visiting a few of them.
The main record groups that you will find are:
Parish Registration (registres paroissiaux) - Church records are available from the 1600s in some areas. Parish records continued to be kept even after civil registration began. Copies can be found at many of the municipal archives.
Civil Registration (registres d'état civil)
• Births (Naissances), marriages (Mariages), and deaths (Décès) began being recorded in 1792 by the authorities in the local community.
• Tables Decennales - These are a list of the civil registrations for a given year arranged alphabetically by surname.
• Censuses: From 1772 to 1836 it was mostly a count of the number of people living in a household. It would occasionally list the head of the household. Every five years since 1836, except for 1872 and 1916 a census has been taken that included everyone in the household giving their first and last names, their dates and places of birth (or their ages), their nationality, and their profession. Unfortunately these have not been indexed.
• Plans du cadastre napoléonien – These are maps that were created between 1807 and 1850 to determine taxes. It shows some of the major properties and land owners – see the examples under the Cote-d’Or archives.
• Postcards and photographs are also available at some of the archives
Loire Atlantique
http://culture.loire-atlantique.fr/culture/jcms/cu_10360/culture-jsp-fonds-d-archives-numerises
• Registres paroissiaux et d'état civil
http://culture.loire-atlantique.fr/culture/jcms/cu_10318/registres-paroissiaux-et-d-etat-civil
“Actes des baptêmes, mariages et sépultures jusqu'en 1792, puis des naissances, mariages et décès depuis 1792 jusqu'en 1880, des paroisses et communes de Loire-Atlantique (sauf état civil de Nantes).Tables décennales depuis la Révolution jusqu'en 1902 des registres d'état civil des communes de Loire-Atlantique.“
"Acts of baptisms, marriages and burials until 1792, and births, marriages and deaths since 1792 until 1880, parishes and communes of Loire-Atlantique (except civil Nantes). Décennales Tables up since the Revolution ' in 1902 the registers of the communes of Loire-Atlantique. "
Illustration – insert 63-2NetFH-FranFig1 – Caption: (Saint-Nazaire - Births (Naissances) - En 1880 – page 2 of 78)
• Recensements de population
http://culture.loire-atlantique.fr/culture/jcms/cu_10319/recensements-de-population
Listes nominatives des communes de Loire-Atlantique, établies tous les cinq ans, à partir de 1836 jusqu'en 1931 (sauf 1871).
List of the names of the people living in a town taken every five years from 1836 to 1931.
Illustration – insert 63-2NetFH-FranFig2 – Caption: (1911 Recensements de population for Saint-Nazaire)
• Plans Cadastraux - historic maps
http://culture.loire-atlantique.fr/culture/jcms/cu_10327/plans-cadastraux
Maps for the various towns can be selected by a drop down list.
My grandfather, John Stevenson was stationed in Saint-Nazaire during part of World War I. The town was heavily damaged during WWII so historic maps can help me learn about the town as it was when he was there.
Illustration – insert 63-2NetFH-FranFig3 – Caption: (1829 map of Saint-Nazaire)
Côte-d'Or (21)
http://www.archives.cotedor.fr/jahia/jsp/index.jsp -Free site
Select “Archives en ligne“ to access their online collection that includes:
Plans du cadastre napoléonien
He was also stationed east of Is-sur-Tille during the war. The overview map (Tableau d'assemblage) showed that the area east of town, where the railroad yard was located was in the area of Marcilly. His letters home told of the miller, a mill and homes along the river.
Illustration – insert 63-2NetFH-FranFig5 – Caption: (Cote-d’Or - Is-sur-Tille - Tableau d'assemblage)
The map for Marcilly-sur-Tille showed the original railroad line and the mill (Moulin) on the river.
Illustration – insert 63-2NetFH-FranFig6 – Caption: (Cote-d’Or - Marcilly-sur-Tille – Section A)
Aubervilliers
http://www.aubervilliers.fr/rubrique331.html
Aubervilliers is a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, They have the following “registres d’état civil” online.
• Naissances, mariages et décès : 1792 - 1801
• Naissances : 1801 - 1885
• Mariages : 1801 - 1885
• Décès : 1801 - 1905
• Tables décennales : 1792 - 1902
After selecting death records and then choosing the time period of January 2 – April 6 1905 it began the unprompted download of an over 50 MB file before I cancelled it. The events are listed in the order that they are recorded.
Departmental Archives
Ain (01)
http://ad01.vtech.fr/ - Free site
Illustration – insert 63-2NetFH-FranFig4 – Caption: ()
Church records and vital statistics kept in the department of Ain, the oldest existing registry records of baptisms, marriages and burials of the parish of Bourg-en-Bresse from 1509. Some of the old census records have not been posted. An index of names of the acts has begun: it mostly affects joint Ambérieu-en-Bugey, Bellegarde-sur-Valserine Belley, Bourg-en-Bresse, Gex, Nantua Oyonnax, and Polliat Trévoux, from 1792 to 1895.
They also have Napoleonic maps, from 1806 to 1867, Old postcards from the late nineteenth to early twentieth century, and the following Newspapers under Presse”)
• Le Courrier de l'Ain (à partir de 1821)
• L'Abeille du Bugey et du Pays de Gex (1853-1944)
• Le Carillon (1912-1914)
• L'Echo de la République (1848-1849)
• L'Echo de l'Ain (1847-1848)
• Le Patriote de l'Ain (1839-1840)
• La République nouvelle (1944-1962)
• Le Réveil (1843-1847) The local press, XIXe - XXe siècle
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (04)
http://archivesenligne.archives04.fr/arkotheque/actes_paroissiaux_etat_civil/index.php - Free site
Hautes-Alpes (05)
www.archives05.fr/arkotheque/etat_civil/index.php - Free site
Alpes-Maritimes (06)
http://www.cg06.fr/culture/archives-docunumerises.html- Free site
Civil and Parish records : http://193.48.79.11/archives/indexEC.php, maps, postcards, immigration (1880-1935), Nice baptisms (1814-1860) and Nice marriages (1814-1860).
Ardèche (07)
www.ardeche.fr/education-culture-jeunesse-sports/archives-departementales/consultation-en-ligne - Free site
Aube (10)
http://www.archives-aube.com/archives/decennales/index.php - Free site
Bouches-du-Rhône (13)
www.archives13.fr/ - Free site
Cantal (15)
http://archives.cantal.fr/?id=recherche_guidee_etat_civil
Charente-Maritime (17)
http://www.charente-maritime.org/conseil_general_17/archives_departementales/accueil_archives.htm#
Select “Archives en ligne“» to view the four million pages of church and civil records
Corrèze (19)
www.archinoe.fr/cg19/registre.php - Free site
Côte-d'Or (21)
http://www.archives.cotedor.fr/jahia/jsp/index.jsp -Free site
Select “Archives en ligne“ to access their online collection
Côtes d'Armor - part of Côtes-du-Nord (22)
http://sallevirtuelle.cotesdarmor.fr/AD/accueil.aspx - Free site
Click on Entee to bypass registration.
Creuse (23)
http://www.actes23.fr/ -Free site
A free registration is needed to view the documents. There are 218 Communes - 7560 Registres online.
Deux-Sèvres (79)
Doubs (25)
http://archives.doubs.fr/?id=login&idredirect=&service – Free site
A free registration is needed to access the site.
Drôme (26)
http://archives.ladrome.fr/?id=recherche_guidee_etat_civil - Free site
Eure (27)
http://archives.cg27.fr/pleade/ - Free site
Eure-et-Loir (28)
http://www.archives28.fr/ec/ecenligne.php - Free site
Parish and civil registers of birth, marriage and death (through 1883), Tables decennales (through 1902)
Gironde (33)
http://archives.gironde.fr/ressources/default.asp - Free site
Hérault (34)
http://archives.herault.fr/registres_d_etat_civil-392.html - Free site
Landes (40)
http://www.archives.landes.org/index.php?id=353 - Free site
Loire-Atlantique (44)
www.cg44.fr/cg44/display.jsp?id=a27sr_15187 - Free site
Lozère (48)
www.culture.lozere.fr/afficherressourceculturelle.do?id_ressource=76 - Free site
Maine-et-Loire (49)
http://www.archives49.fr/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=20 - Free site
Manche (50)
See FamilySearch
Marne (51)
See Ancestry.com
Haute-Marne (52)
http://archives.haute-marne.fr/sdx/adhm/generic-subset.xsp?type=ecivil - Free site
Mayenne (53)
www.lamayenne.fr/?SectionId=315 - Free site
Access to over 5 million acts of birth, marriage and death in the commune, plus tables decennales (1802-1902), census lists (recensement de population) from 1836-1906, the ancien cadastre, and registres matricules d'incorporation militaire (military registration).
Meurthe-et-Moselle (54)
http://www.archives.cg54.fr/archives/DefautBureau.aspx?Onglet_ID=752 – Pay for Use
Meuse (55)
http://www.cg55.fr/culture/user_archive_fond_inventaire.asp - Free site
Morbihan (56)
http://scecp.cg56.fr/etat-civil/ - Free site
Nord (59)
http://www.archivesdepartementales.cg59.fr/?id=archives_online - Free site
Oise (60)
www.oise.fr/Tables_decennales_de_l_etat_civil.929.0.html - Free site
www.oise.fr/Recensements_de_population.930.0.html - Free site
A free registration is required, the message translates to ”To know more about you to give you the best service.
No personal information is collected and information is used only as statistics.”
Orne (61)
http://www.cg61.fr/archives/fonds-numerises.html - Free site
État civil (1552 – 1902): http://archives.orne.fr/mdr/index.php/rechercheTheme/requeteConstructor/3/1/R/0/0 - Free site
Haute-Saone (70)
For Courchaton and Vesoul - see Ancestry.com
Saône-et-Loire (71)
www.archives71.fr/archives/arkotheque/index.php - Free site
Sarthe (72)
www.archives.sarthe.com/RegistreNumerise.asp - Free site
Savoie (73)
http://www.savoie-archives.fr/index.php?id=889 - Free site
Tarn (81)
http://archives.tarn.fr/index.php?id=858 - Free site
Val-de-Marne (94)
http://www.archives94.fr/consultation/eta/search-form.html - Free site
Var (83)
www.archives.var.fr - Free site
Vendée (85)
http://archives.vendee.fr/recherche/ - Free site
État civil: http://www.archinoe.net/cg85v6/etatcivil.php
Vienne (86)
www.archives-vienne.cg86.fr/numerique.php3 - Free site
Yvelines (78)
http://img-dad.cg78.fr/bin/Asp_Archives/anummain.asp - Free site
Includes the ancient department of Seine et Oise
Regional/City Archives
Aubervilliers
http://www.aubervilliers.fr/rubrique331.html - Free site
http://www.aubervilliers.fr/article3484.html - registres paroissiaux
Bastia in Haute-Corse (20B)
http://www.bastia.fr/rubrique.php?id_rub=archives_etat_civil
Begles
http://www.mairie-begles.fr/index.php?id=155# - Free site
Indexes are listed under consultation.
Brest
http://archives.mairie-brest.fr/4DCGI/Web_RegistresLance/ILUMP11061 - Free site
Records for Brest Centre are online but Brest Recouvrance in not yet available.
Bourg-en-Bresse
http://archives.bourgendoc.fr/4DCGI/Web_RegistresLance/ILUMP15275 - Free site
Cannes
http://archives.ville-cannes.fr/index.php - Free site
http://archives.ville-cannes.fr/index.php?lang=en – in English
Cholet
There is a name index with links to pdf page images.
• les actes de baptême, mariage et sépulture des paroisses Notre-Dame (1668-1789) et Saint-Pierre (1675-1790)
• les actes de naissance et de mariage pour la période 1797-1887. Deaths wll be added later.
Grenoble
http://archives.grenoble.fr/site/index.html# - Free site
Click on Généalogie for access to records
Houilles
http://www.houilles.fr/article/archive/473 - Free site
tables décennales de 1792 à 1932 - http://www.archinoe.fr/houilles/visu_td.php?id=1792
Lorient
http://212.234.117.90/4DCGI/Web_RegistresLance/ILUMP5901 - Free site
Lyon
http://www.archives-lyon.fr/consulter_les_documents_en_ligne/pageLibre000110ed.html - Free site
Click on “Accéder aux registres” to select records
Nantes
http://www.archives.nantes.fr/PAGES/ENLIGNE/etat_civil/etat_civil.htm - Free site
Reims
http://www.ville-reims.fr/fr/culture/les-archives/archives-en-ligne/index.html - Free site
Rennes in Ille-et-Vilaine (35)
http://www.archives.rennes.fr/fonds/index_fonds.php - Free site
There is an index of naissances (births) from 1807 to 1880 linked to the images.
Romans
http://www.archinoe.fr/romans-archives/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15&Itemid=29 - Free site
Scroll down on the page to see the selection fields.
Saint-Cloud
http://www.saintcloud.fr/index.php?idSite=1&p=archives - Free site
There is a name index for “Les registres paroissiaux” from 1700 to 1792 with links to the images.
Sceaux
http://www.sceaux.fr/fr/sceaux/les-archives-en-ligne/index.html - Free site
Seine-et-Marne
http://archives.seine-et-marne.fr/front/go.do?pid=page_121508890359087207 - Free site
Click on “Consulter des registres d’etat civil”
Vitry-sur-Seine
http://www.arkhenum.fr/am_vitry/etatcivil/index.php - Free site
French Shipping Lines
http://www.frenchlines.com/passenger_index_en.php - Free site in English
Passenger lists are available in pdf format. The four page booklet listed the cabin passengers for the 1894 voyage of the French mail steamer La Borgogne that sailed from New York to Havre on Saturday April 7, 1894.
Illustration – insert 63-2NetFH-FranFig7 – Caption: (April 7, 1894 La Borgogne )
Ministry of French Defense
www.servicehistorique.sga.defense.gouv.fr/ - Free site
Their website includes numerous records under various categories including:
• Archives orales (oral histories) - Biographical sketches about various military figures.
There are three volumes (Tomes):
Tome 1 includes 22 histories
Illustration – insert 63-2NetFH-FranFig8 – Caption: (General Francois Valentin)
• Banque de documents includes:
- Portraits de gendarmes
Photographs of policemen
Illustration – insert 63-2NetFH-FranFig9 – Caption: (Colonel Massol (1886-1889))
- Plans de bâtiments de la Marine conservés dans les archives de l'armement
Plans and photographs of 400 naval ships
Mémoire des hommes
http://www.memoiredeshommes.sga.defense.gouv.fr/ - Free site
http://www.memoiredeshommes.sga.defense.gouv.fr/spip.php?page=sommaire&lang=en – in English
“This website gives the public access to databases created from the digitalization and indexation of biographical records preserved in the services of the ministry of defence. It also aims to honour the memory of those who took part in contemporary wars and sometimes gave their lives for their country. “
• World War I
Premiere Guerre mondiale - Images
Crédit ECPAD
This information wase recorded by French war veterans administration just after the war. This database is the result of the digitalization and indexation of these records nowadays preserved by the ministry of Defence (direction of memory, heritage and archives). The "Mort pour la France" distinction is granted under the terms of the invalidity pensions and war victims code. It will be possible to add data or modify this base on request of administration or any person according to French law.
• Dead for France
This database gives access to information about more than 1,3 millions soldiers who died during World War I and obtained the special distinction "killed in action" (in French "Mort pour la France").
http://www.memoiredeshommes.sga.defense.gouv.fr/spip.php?rubrique51
A search for Demary returned two entries:
Illustration – insert 63-2NetFH-FranFig10 – Caption: (Card for DEMARY Pierre Joseph 21-09-1884 01 - AIN)
• Aeronautical personnels
http://www.memoiredeshommes.sga.defense.gouv.fr/spip.php?rubrique52
The second includes more than 70 000 individual digitized soldiers who belonged to the military aerospace.
• War diaries
http://www.memoiredeshommes.sga.defense.gouv.fr/spip.php?article68
The last Database contains scanned images of marches and newspaper operations, notebooks accounting campaign, logs, etc. all military units involved in the First World War. The direction of the Memory, Heritage and Archives (DMPA), in partnership with the Department of Defense history (SHD), wished to extend to a wider public access to holdings of the Department of Defense complementing individual data files of "Death to France" already online.
• Indochina War - Index
This database gives access to information about the men and women who died during the Indochina war (1945-1954) and obtained the special distinction "killed in action" ("Mort pour la France"). This was also compiled by ECPAD.
Illustration – insert 63-2NetFH-FranFig11 – Caption: (LUCAS Christian 02-12-1928 44 - LOIRE-INFERIEURE)
• War in Algeria and fights in Tunisia and Morocco - Index
This database gives access to information about the persons who died during the war in Algeria and fights in Tunisia and Morocco between 1952 January 1st and 1952 July 2nd and obtained the special distinction "killed in action" (in french "Mort pour la France"), Crédit ECPAD.
This information was recorded to appear on a commemorative monument on Quai Branly in Paris.
The following is an example of the data available:
“Surname LUCAS First name JACQUES Birth date 18-06-1934 Death 16-02-1956 Death country ALGERIE.”
Gallica - National Library
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ - Free site
This is the access point to the digital collection of The French National Library (La Bibliothèque Nationale de France) www.bnf.fr/.
There are currently over 20,000 digitized publications including plays, songs, and books. One of the more interesting titles is the Memoirs of the Sansons; or, Seven generations of executioners published in 1882. They propose to digitize over 90,000 items.
• Themes – History & Geography: Select from online publications that includes an extensive collection of history books on France, the World, and the middle ages, along with Biography and Genealogy. I can be found at http://gallica.bnf.fr/FromHomeToThemes?lang=en.
Newspapers
Among their collection are a number of digitized newspapers (journal in French).
For each paper, you can select the year of publication and then choose from a list or calendar of the available issues. The desired page can then be viewed. Every issue may not be available for any given year. The image viewer allows you move to other pages, zoom in and out, or download the page as either a pdf or tiff file.
Illustration – insert 63-2NetFH-FranFig12 – Caption: (Le Matin 12/31/1918 - page 1)
• Figaro non politique 1826-40 & 1854-1942
http://gallica2.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb34355551z/date
• La Presse (Paris) 1836-1914 & 1921, 1922, & 1933
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb34448033b/date
• L'Humanité 1904-1939 & 1944
http://gallica2.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb327877302/date
• L'Ouest-Éclair (Caen) 1912-1938
http://gallica2.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb41193642z/date
• La Croix 1880-1944
http://gallica2.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb343631418/date
• Le Figaro Supplément littéraire du dimanche (Sunday) 1876-1895, 1905-1914, & 1919-1929
http://gallica2.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb343599097/date
• Le Gaulois littéraire et politique 1868-1929 except 1876
http://gallica2.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb32779904b/date
• Le Matin journal républicain indépendant1882-1883 & 1905-1944
http://gallica2.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb328123089/date
• Le Monde diplomatique 1954-1977
http://visualiseur.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb343488968/date
• Le Petit Parisien 1876-1885, 1892-1893, 1895-1831, & 1944
http://gallica2.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb34419111x/date
• Le Temps (Paris) 1861-1942
http://gallica2.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb34431794k/date
Newspapers can also be found at the following sites:
Le Monde 1987- current
http://www.lemonde.fr/ - Free site
Read the current news and search the prior issues from 1987 to the present.
Click on Recherche sur Le Monde.fr at the top of the screen then click the magnifying glass.
On the Archives screen enter the search term and the time period.
Magazine L'Officiel
http://patrimoine.jalougallery.com/ - Free site
The online archive of the magazine l'Officiel includes various versions from around the world from 1921 to 2007.
Titles include: l'Officiel Hommes, Jalouse, L'Optimum, la Revue des Montres, and others.
L’histoire parL’Image 1789-1939
http://www.histoire-image.org - Free site
This is an online collection of historic images, painting, photographs, post cards, etc. from museum collections across France that can be searched by titles, artist, theme, or chronologically. A list of the museums can be found at http://www.histoire-image.org/site/static/institutions.php.
Illustration – insert 63-2NetFH-FranFig14 – Caption: (Historic Images for 1917)
Ancestry.com
www.Ancestry.com - Subscription Site
www.Ancestry.fr - French language site
Access to Ancestry.com’s foreign databases is available to World Deluxe Members and Ancestry Library Edition users. A listing of their holdings for France should be available at http://www.ancestry.com/search/locality/dbpage.aspx?i=d&tp=1652381&p=5087.
Unfortunately, the indexes by country now show a real mixture of records. Many of those listed did not originate in France.
Courchaton, France Church Records, 1670-1852
http://www.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=4310 - Transcriptions
“Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2000. Original data: Banet, Charles, Rev.. Courchaton, France Church Records, 1670-1852. Rensselaer, IN, USA: Charles Banet, 1980.
“Located in eastern France, in the majestic Valley of the Durgeon, the parish of Courchaton is not far from department capital of Vesoul. Completed in 1980 after nearly ten years of work, this database is a collection of church records for area residents between 1670 and 1852. It provides birth, marriage, and death information for over 40,000 individuals. Entries often reveal names of parents, children, and even brothers and sisters.
Source Notes,
Births:
Registrum Infantium Baptismatorum in Ecclesia Parochiali de Courchaton Inceptum 1677- (usque ad 1689)
Registrum Baptizatorum # in Parochia de Courchaton#Inceptum 1690.
Registrum Infantium Baptizatorum in Ecclesia Parochialis Sanctae Mariae Magdalenae, Ioci de Courchaton, inceptum ab anno 1706-1790.
Registrum Baptismatorum Incipit 2 Aprilis 1707, Explicit 18 Decembris 1789
Registre de Baptemes, Marriage et Sepulture de la Paroisse de Courchaton pendant l'anne 1790-1792
Actes de Naissance. Registre des Actes de Naissances de Courchaton, Anne 1793 - L'an 11*
Registres des Naissances # de la Commune de Courchaton pendant l'annees 1813 a 1822; l'anne 1823-1832; l'annes 1833-1842; l'anne 1843-1852.
Marriages:
Registrum Nominum Eorum Qui Sacro Matrimonii Vinduli Juncti Sunt in Ecclesia Parochiali de Courchaton 1677-1689.
Registrum Matromonio Conjunctorum Parochia de Courchaton. Ionceptum 1690
Registrum Matromonium Incipit 1709-1789.
Actes de Mariages. Registre des Actes de Mariages. Annee 1793 - L'An 11.*
Actes de Mariages, Commune de Courchaton, Canton de Villersexel, Arrondissement, Departement de la Haute Saone, 1809-1852
Burials:
Registrum Defunctorum in Parochia Courchaton et Grammont Inceptum 1678-1716.
Liber Mortuorum in Ecclesia Sanctae Magdalenae de Courchaton, Incipit 1717-1789.
Actes de Deces. Registre des Actes de Deces de la Commune de Courchaton 1793-L;An 11. *
Actes de Deces. Registre des Deces de la Commune de Courchaton pendant l'annees 1813-1852.
Confirmations:
Registrum Confirmationes 1697, 1700, 1701, 1702, 1703, 1704, 1706, 1708, 1710, 1713
Confirmati in Oppido Clavallensis 20 Aprilis 1717
Nomina infra scripta Confirmatorum Bruntenti 23 Maii 1722 = 1727
Note: The Civil Registers 1813-1822 reads: Registre des # divores et Adoptions de la Commune de Courchaton. There were no records of divorce or adoption in any of the registers, civil or ecclesiastical.
*Between 1794-1805 the French Republican Calendar is used in the Registres. These dates have been converted into Gregorian Calendar in this index. To find the French Republican Calendar date, the user must convert backward from the Gregorian Calendar.
These registers were microfilmed for the Genealogical Society of Salt Lake City at Vesoul, Departmental Archives in 1975 (23 September)
Film #: 1,118,032 = 1670-1792 (Parish Registers)
Film #: 1,118,033 = 1793-An 10 (Civil Registers) 1793-1822
Film #: 1,118,034 = 1823-1852 (Civil Registers)
Language of the Registers: 1670-1756 = Latin; 1756-1792 = French; 1793-1852 = French
Orthography
The intention that we had in making an index was to keep families together. This required the establishment of a filing name. We refer to Dauzat's Dictionnaire de noms de famille de France as an adequate introduction to some of the things that take place in the development of spelling of names.
There are some things that seem to be consistent in chosing the filing name. We noted a transfer of consonants: »
See the detailed list of of the various examples.
« We could not make up our mind about retention or dropping of the prefix article La, Le or L', or the preposition prefix De, Du, D'. Usage in filing by others shows no pattern or consistency. We have seen indexes that obviate the problem by entry at both places."
A search of the database for DEMARY returned an entry for "Marguerite DEMEURRE : married to 9/23/1753 Jean Pierre Bertenand. Birth date/age: ca I714 son/daughter of 9/13/1764 Birth date/age: 8/21/170l son/daughter of 9/12/1775."
Marne, France
Marne, France - Births, 1501-1907 (in French)
http://www.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1311 - Index
Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2008. Original data: Actes de naissances des registres civils et paroissiaux originaux des communes et paroisses du département de la Marne. Châlons-en-Champagne: Centre Généalogique et Héraldique de la Marne.
This database contains information extracted from birth records for parishes and communities in the department of Marne, France covering the years 1501-1907. The information was compiled by the French genealogical association Centre Généalogique et Héraldique de la Marne.
There are over 1.3 million birth records represented in this database. While this is a significant amount of records, it does not necessarily cover all birth records in existence for this time and place.
Information extracted from the original records includes:
• Name of child
• Gender
• Birth date
• Birthplace
• Father’s name
• Mother’s name
• Place of origin
• Comments
Marne, France - Marriages, 1529-1907 (in French)
http://www.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1312 - Index
Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2008. Original data: Actes de naissances des registres civils et paroissiaux originaux des communes et paroisses du département de la Marne. Châlons-en-Champagne: Centre Généalogique et Héraldique de la Marne.
This database contains information extracted from marriage records for parishes and communities in the department of Marne, France covering the years 1529-1907. The information was compiled by the French genealogical association Centre Généalogique et Héraldique de la Marne.
There are about 1.3 million marriage records represented in this database. While this is a significant amount of records, it does not necessarily cover all marriage records in existence for this time and place.
Information extracted from the original records includes:
• Names of bride and groom
• Their ages
• Their places of origin
• Their parent’s names
• Names of former spouses if divorced
• Marriage date
• Marriage place
• Comments
Marne, France - Deaths, 1547-1907 (in French)
http://www.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1313 - Index
Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2008. Original data: Actes de naissances des registres civils et paroissiaux originaux des communes et paroisses du département de la Marne. Châlons-en-Champagne: Centre Généalogique et Héraldique de la Marne.
This database contains information extracted from death records for parishes and communities in the department of Marne, France covering the years 1547-1907. The information was compiled by the French genealogical association Centre Généalogique et Héraldique de la Marne.
There are over 1 million death records represented in this database. While this is a significant amount of records, it does not necessarily cover all death records in existence for this time and place.
Information extracted from the original records includes:
• Name of deceased
• Death date
• Place of origin
• Age
• Father’s name
• Mother’s name
• Marital status
• Spouse’s name
Paris, France & Vicinity
"Pre-1860 civil registration records for Paris and suburb communes were destroyed in a fire that burned the archives of the Seine department (Archives de la Seine) and the Paris courthouse (Palais de justice de Paris) in 1871. With the loss of these civil registration records, it is necessary to use other sources to find information that would otherwise be available in those records."
"In 1924, Maurice Coutot, a prominent genealogist and heir researcher, started to reconstruct a collection of civil registration by extracting information from original parish church records of births, marriages, and deaths."
"France is divided into regions, departments, and communes (cities/towns). The city (commune) of Paris is further divided into neighborhoods called arrondissements. From 1795-1860 the city was divided into 12 arrondissements. These arrondissements are simply referred to by their number (i.e. 1st, 2nd, 3rd). Locations listed in these records may include one or more of the different geographical jurisdictions, including the arrondissements. If you see a number listed on the residence or commune of publication line, this is most likely signifying an arrondissement of Paris.
The old department of Seine encompassed Paris and vicinity. Today it is divided into the departments of Paris, Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis, and Val-de-Marne."
Paris, France & Vicinity - Births, 1700-1899 (in French) - New/Updated
http://www.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1295
Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2008. Original data: Maurice Coutot, comp. Etat civil reconstitué 1798-1860: Mariages, naissances, décès. Paris: ARFIDO S.A., 2006. © ARFIDO S.A.
This database contains birth extracts from the historic department of Seine, France from 1700-1899. It also includes some records as early as 1661. However, the majority of the records cover the year range 1798-1860.
This database includes all of the birth records that Maurice Coutot transcribed, consisting of approximately 150,000 records. While this is a significant amount of records, it does not include all birth records in existence for this time and place.
About the Records:
Information from the original parish church records were transcribed, or copied by hand, onto pre-printed extraction forms. These extraction forms are the records that make up this database. Information listed on these forms may include:
• Name of child
• Birthplace
• Birth date
• Names of parents
• Marriage date and place of parents
• Other remarks or notes
Illustration – insert 63-2NetFH-FranFig15 – Caption: (Paris birth card)
Paris, France & Vicinity - Marriage Banns, 1860-1902 (in French) - New/Updated
http://www.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1353
Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2008. Original data: Archives de Paris et sa région: Publications des bans de Mariages 1860-1930. Paris: ARFIDO S.A., 2006. © ARFIDO S.A.
This database contains extracts of marriage banns from the historic department of Seine, France from 1860-1902, which included the city of Paris and vicinity. By law, marriage banns were published at least ten days before the marriage was to take place. In some cases, the marriage may never have actually taken place.
About the Collection:
In 1895, Amédée Coutot, a prominent genealogist and heir researcher, started to reconstruct a collection of marriage banns from Paris and the surrounding communes of the old department of Seine by extracting information from original records. After Amédée’s death, his son Maurice continued this work. Today the collection is maintained by ARFIDO, a society founded by Coutot. This database contains over 3 million records extracted by the society and is comprehensive for the former department of Seine for the years 1860-1902.
About the Records:
Marriage banns declared a man’s and woman’s intentions to marry. It is possible to find the record of a couple intending to marry in the marriage banns, but never be able to find the actual marriage record for them. It is also possible to find incomplete records, bearing only one of the spouse’s name. Although such records are of less value, they may contain data which could be hints for further research.
Marriage banns were published in the communes of residence of both the intended bride and groom. The marriage ceremony was traditionally held in the bride’s commune of residence. This piece of knowledge will be helpful in locating the original marriage record in either civil or ecclesiastical registers.
Information from the original marriage banns were transcribed, or copied by hand, onto pre-printed extraction forms. These extraction forms are the records that make up this database. Information listed on these forms may include:
• Name of bride or groom
• Place of residence
• Names of parents
Name of intended spouse
• Date and place of publication of the banns
For each marriage bann, there are two extracts - one where the bride is the primary individual, and one where the groom is the primary individual. Information listed on the extract forms refers only to the primary individual. To gather information about both the bride and the groom it is necessary to locate both extracts.
Illustration – insert 63-2NetFH-FranFig16 – Caption: (Paris marriage banns)
Paris, France & Vicinity - Marriages, 1710-1907 (in French) - New/Updated
http://www.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1296
Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2008. Original data: Maurice Coutot, comp. Etat civil reconstitué 1798-1860: Mariages, naissances, décès. Paris: © ARFIDO S.A., 2006.
This database contains marriage extracts from the historic department of Seine, France from 1710-1907. It also includes some records as early as 1690. However, the majority of the records cover the year range 1798-1860.
About the Collection:
This database includes all of the marriage records that Maurice Coutot transcribed, consisting of approximately 150,000 marriages. While this is a significant amount of records, it does not include all marriage records in existence for this time and place.
About the Records:
Information from the original parish church records were transcribed, or copied by hand, onto pre-printed extraction forms. These extraction forms are the records that make up this database. Information listed on these forms may include:
• Name of bride or groom
• Spouse’s name
• Names of parents
• Marriage date
• Marriage place
• Occupation
• Birthplace
• Birth date
• Father’s residence
• Witnesses names
For each marriage, there are two marriage extracts - one where the bride is the primary individual, and one where the groom is the primary individual. Information listed on the extract forms refers only to the primary individual. To gather information about both the bride and the groom it is necessary to locate both extracts.
Illustration – insert 63-2NetFH-FranFig17 – Caption: (Paris marriage)
Paris, France & Vicinity - Deaths, 1707-1907 (in French) - New/Updated
http://www.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1297
Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2008. Original data: Maurice Coutot, comp. Etat civil reconstitué 1798-1860: Mariages, naissances, décès. Paris: ARFIDO S.A., 2006. © ARFIDO S.A.
This database contains death extracts from the historic department of Seine, France from 1707-1907. It also includes some records as early as 1694. However, the majority of the records cover the year range 1798-1860.
About the Collection:
This database includes all of the death records that Maurice Coutot transcribed, consisting of approximately 82,000 deaths. While this is a significant amount of records, it does not include all death records in existence for this time and place.
About the Records:
Information from the original parish church records were transcribed, or copied by hand, onto pre-printed extraction forms. These extraction forms are the records that make up this database. Information listed on these forms may include:
• Name of deceased
• Death date
• Death place
• Occupation
• Age
• Residence place
• Parent’s names
• Spouse’s name
• Witnesses names
Illustration – insert 63-2NetFH-FranFig18 – Caption: (Paris death)
Vesoul, France Marriages, 1595-1700
http://www.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=3505 - Index only
Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 1998. Original data: Banet, Charles, Rev. Marriage Records, 1595-1700, Vesoul, Dept. Haute Saone, France
"Nestled in the majestic Valley of the Durgeon in eastern France, Vesoul is the capital of the Haute Saone Department. Once a destination of religious pilgrims, this town now has only 17,600 residents. This database is a collection of marriage records from local church records between 1595 and 1700. Each entry shows the names of each spouse and the date of marriage. In many cases the place of baptism is indicated for each individual (by an asterix), and the location of the marriage ceremony."
Illustration – insert 63-2NetFH-FranFig19 – Caption: (Vesoul Marriage)
Emigrants from France (Haut-Rhin Department) to America. Part 1 (1837-1844) and Part 2 (1845-1847) - Book images
http://www.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=49142
About this book
Source: Original data: Smith, Clifford Neal. Emigrants from France (Haut-Rhin Department) to America. Part 1 (1837-1844) and Part 2 (1845-1847). Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2004.
"Author Clifford Neal Smith's fascination with German immigration records from the first half of the 19th century inspired him to transcribe many valuable but hard-to-find sources. An excellent example of Smith's tendency to burrow in the records is this work devoted to German-speaking individuals from the Upper Alsacian region of France, an area legendary for its change in rulers.
The book itself is based on the two surviving registers of passports issued by the departmental government between 1837 and 1844 for travel outside of France. The author has culled nearly 2,000 records from the registers for persons whose destination was the U.S. Also included is a select group of emigrants whose destination was given as Hamburg or London, cities which often were intermediate destinations in unreported emigration to America. Each entry gives the name of the emigrant, age, place of birth, places of residence and destination, profession, accompanying family members, and the entry number and date from the passport register. Originally published as two separate booklets, these remarkable finds are reprinted here for the first time in many years as two books in one, each of which is preceded by an informative introduction and followed by a surname index."
Illustration – insert 63-2NetFH-FranFig20 – Caption: (Emigration book)
Military
Stars and Stripes Newspaper, WWI Edition, 1918-1919
http://www.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1137
Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2007. Original data: Library of Congress, Serial and Government Publications Division, The Stars and Stripes, online, acquired 2006.
"This database contains a complete set of the World War I edition of the ‘Stars and Stripes’ newspaper, published February 1918-June 1919.
The ‘Stars and Stripes’ newspaper began during the Civil War. It first appeared in the twentieth century during World War I. During this war, the paper’s purpose was to boost troop morale and provide scattered troops across the Western Front with a sense of unity.
The newspaper was printed specifically for the armed forces and reported on the progress of the war, activities of the U.S. troops, and news from the homefront (including sports, comics, and editorials).
During WWI the weekly paper was published in France and delivered to soldiers via trains, cars, and motorcycles. Papers were also delivered by mail to military bases and individual subscribers back in the U.S.
This newspaper is important to genealogists because it provides a unique perspective on and documentation of American soldiers in the midst of the War. It can be a useful source for placing your WWI ancestors in historical context."
Illustration – insert 63-2NetFH-FranFig21 – Caption: (page 1 of the June 14, 1918 issue)
France Historical Postcards Collection, c. 1893-1963
http://www.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1223
Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2007.
Original data: Mary Martin Postcards (www.MaryLMartin.com), Perryville, MD, USA.
"This database contains approximately 2,000 postcards dating from about 1893-1963 with photos of places in France. Information provided about each postcard includes:
• Place information (city/town, state/province)
• Caption
• Postcard era (year range from which the postcard may be dated)
This database is primarily useful for obtaining a photograph or picture of a specific place in time. If you do not already have pictures of the places your ancestors lived, historical postcards are a good alternative to personal photos."
The New Orleans French, 1720-1733
http://www.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=48051
This book list marriages and baptisms. It gives information on where they came from or where they live along with the names of their parents and where they live or came from. There is an alphabetical index at the back and it can be searched.
FamilySearch
http://Labs.familysearch.org - Free site
Choose RecordSearch,
• Coutances Catholic Diocese 1802-1907
France Roman Catholic Parish Registers, Registres paroissiaux, Eglise catholique
The parishes in this diocese lie within the department of Manche (50).
Choose from an alphabetical list of the hundreds of towns and then select the church and the date range.
For Cherbourg(Notre-Dame du Roule) and 1834-1878 there are 1504 images available.
Illustration – insert 63-2NetFH-FranFig22 – Caption: (Marriage on page 2 of Cherbourg(Notre-Dame du Roule) 1834-1878)
WorldVitalRecords
www.worldvitalrecords.com – Subscription site
• The Registers of the Protestant Church At Caen, 1560 - 1572, Volume 1
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=qcd_registersoftheprotestantchurchatcaen_vol1
23,929 names in The Registers of the Protestant Church At Caen (Normandy).... Caen, France, Protestant church.. (1907)
From the Quintin Publications Collection.
• The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, 1610 - 1791, Volume 1: Acadia, 1610-1613
http://www.worldvitalrecords.com/indexinfo.aspx?ix=qcd97_vol_1
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents. Travels and Explorations of the Jesuit Missionaries in New France - 1610-1791. The Original French, Latin and Italian Texts, with English Translations and Notes; Illustrated by Portraits, Maps and Facsimiles. Edited by Ruben Gold Thwaites, secretary of the Wisconsin Historical Society. 73 Volumes, approximately 21,000 pages. 1896. Burrows Brothers. Cleveland, Ohio.
Thwaites, R.G. (Ed.) (1896). The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents: Travels and Explorations of the Jesuit Missionaries in New France 1610-1791, Vol. I: Acadia, 1610-1613 (Volumes 1-73). Cleveland: The Burrows Brothers Company. From the Quintin Publications Collection.
There are 73 volumes each with about 15,000 names in each volume.
