Where do I find birth records?
Jenni Kay
Just wondering where I might find birth records for a Felix Pagand born in
Paris 1851? Is there an online database, index, or snail mail address?
Thank you,
Jenni
Australia
Denis Beauregard
écrivait dans soc.genealogy.french:
>Hi all,
>
>Just wondering where I might find birth records for a Felix Pagand born in
>Paris 1851? Is there an online database, index, or snail mail address?
Most of French vital records are only available if you go to France,
in regional archives (called AD), or on microfilms (you can get them
from the Mormons/LDS).
Some records are online, usually marriages.
Some are freely available. The reference list is www.geneactes.org.
It will tell you for each departement what is available.
Some are available to members of participating genealogical societies.
This is the www.geneabank.org system.
Some are available for a cost. The 2 main databases are
SWIC (many resellers like www.genealogie.com) and www.bigenet.org
(from French federation of genealogical societies or FFD).
Since most databases are controlled by societies, and that each may
have different opinion, you will find some society not on the net,
and some using one or many systems to sell or display their data.
Also, some regional archives have their microfilms online. At this
time, the list is short: Mayenne, Vendee, town of Rennes (free) and
Savoie (for a fee).
As for Paris, I think you will have to use the LDS microfilm or to
find someone to search for you or to learn French and subscribe to
mailing lists (avoid the AFG series). Paris archives burned in 1871,
so archives before 1860 are nearly all destroyed (both deposit were
burned). About 1/3 of records were rebuilt, i.e. 2.3 millions on the
8 millions that were destroyed.
But, for Paris, an important resource is called Fonds Andriveau. It
is available in USA (actually out of France) and is an index of
births and marriages made in main towns of France, including Paris.
The owners of these data forbidden their availability in France, so
you can exchange reading of those records against search in France.
Most resources are only in French. I have some in English on my site:
a how to do guide at www.francogene.com/search-fr/index.php and a list
of mailing lists and other resources at www.francogene.com/links
(but not updated for a while).
Denis
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