Contribute your Photo and History

HOW TO START

To start compiling one's family history, it is useful first to have a good understanding of Mauritian history to better understand that have affected your family's history. For example, what was the environment in which the family was living at a certain period in time: was it during the war, was it at a time of extreme poverty, what occupations did they engage in? Were they literate?

It is also helps to understand the demographic history of Mauritius and the different arrivals of peoples into Mauritius, their numbers, their movements such as births deaths, manumissions, partnerships, marriages divorces over time.

Methods used in compiling family history

Oral history

In Mauritius, the use of oral history is absolutely necessary to help in compiling a family's story for the very simple reason that many families have not kept written records about their family. But many have very good recollections about their past and remember what their parents or grandparents told them.

You need to talk to as many family members as possible and compare what each has said.

Visits to places

It also helps to visit places that have a connection with the family history. It heightens your sense of place, and your appreciation of what the family may have experienced even though the place may not look as it used to at the time the people you are studying were living there. 

Old prints and photographs

If you are lucky enough to have a collection of family photographs, these can be of much use to identify other members of the family. If a place has changed studying old prints and photographs can help to recreate the atmosphere at that time to better understand the history and the family.

AT ALL TIMES YOU NEED TO RESPECT YOUR FAMILY HISTORY

Many families do not want their history researched and written, for multiple reasons. Some are not interested at all. Others want to hide, or forget the past, maybe because memories can be painful.

You must respect this.

DOCUMENTS NEEDED

Certificates
  • Birth
  • Marriage
  • Death
  • Manumission (Affranchissement)
  • These allow you to obtain basic information about a person’s life especially dates, places lived
  • Each village and town has a Civil Status Office which should have all the registers for a person who has lived or was born in the same area. If a person has moved many times, one may need to go to the other locations as well.
  • It may be simpler to go to Port Louis Central office. You can apply to the Civil Status Office for birth certificates of parent, grand-parent and/or great grand-parent, until they obtain the birth certificate of the first ancestor born in Mauritius. You have to prove your are related to the person whose documents you are looking for.
Parish registers (registres de Paroisse)

• If you are born into a Christian family, there are good chances the births of members of family will have been recorded in the registers

Other family papers
  • Photos, vaccination certificates, receipts, bank statements etc can all provide some information which will help you put together your family history

Difficulty of finding records

  • For some groups it is easier than others as much of their history is recorded because they were literate and kept family papers. These include well French settlers of a higher social class: Army staff, administrative officials etc. There would be little for those who were poor, or arrived as orphans. They are not recorded.
  • Slaves' names were not recorded when they were disembarked. Later their original names were substituted for other names. These can be found in slave registrations, manumission returns etc
  • Indians who came as immmigrant labourers in 19th century have names and numbers recorded and their distribution on estates. These are located at the Mahatma Gandhi Institute.
  • Free passengers of whatever nationality can look in ship arrival registers in the National Archives.