Researching family history in France Diana Johnson Mar 2011

Background France is organised into regions and departments Every town, village, commune etc has a postal code eg Amiens Michelin “Répertoire des communes” provides map references for two different scale maps that cover all of France.

French Regions & Departments Some examples

What family history data is available? Hard copy local records in “mairies” (town hall) and “Archives departmentales” No centralised indexing system IGI Microfilms Some on line records (Ancestry.com, departmental records eg Genealogical Societies eg Le cercle généalogique de Picardie GeneaNet (

Birth of my Great Grandfather Louis Joseph Delecolle Born in 1843 in Villers Bocage, Picardie (now Somme), France Original hand written birth certificate

Approximate translation The year 1843 thirtieth of March at the hour of 6 in the evening Joseph Michel Delecolle, aged 39 years, a farmer living in Villers-Bocage came before me the official mayor of the civil state of the commune of Villers- Bocage, chief town of the canton in the department of Somme to announce that a male child has been born in this commune in the ‘rue des Bonfleur today at 2 in the morning to him and his wife Josephine Carrette aged 30 years they wish to name him Louis Joseph.

Birth certificate continued He made this declaration in the presence of Louis Theodore Godard, age 36 years a shopkeeper and Jean Baptiste Prosper Carpentier age 26 a weaver living in Villers- Bocage the father and the witnesses signed the birth certificate with us after it was read.

French BMD records Church records only until 1792 Catholic “Registres Paroissiale “(baptisms, marriages and burials) Sep 1792 local mayors (le maire) responsible for civil registration of births, marriages and deaths. Had to be notified to town hall (mairie) within 3 days & marriages conducted there

Republican Calendar Sep 1792 to 31 Dec 1805 (Year I to XIV ) Uses 30 day months that run across months and years of the Gregorian calendar Need conversion tables to translate Eg “5 Vendémiaire Year I” is 26 Sep 1792 Also introduced Decennial tables, an alphabetical annual table on the last pages of each type of register

Some interesting aspects Women retain their family name for their entire life In 1579 it was made unlawful to marry without parental consent until the age of majority was reached, which was 30 for men and 25 for women. Successive Papal edicts increased the amount of information recorded.

By 1736 Baptismal records Child’s actual date of birth, parents names in full and names of godparents Marriage records Couples full names, ages, occupations, place of domicile, parents full name & place of domicile and names of 4 witnesses Burial Records (1746) Name, date and place of death, approximate age or date of birth, occupation and name of spouse (living or dead)

Some examples Baptism: Jean Baptiste Delecolle 3 May 1704 Death: George Dominique Delecolle 19 Mar 1804 Marriage: Michel Dominique Joseph Delecolle to Marie Elizabeth Julie Voiturier 29 Nov 1837 Other assorted samples