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GenAmi - The Association for Jewish Genealogy   
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Genealogical Research in France

by Micheline Gutmann

Before going to the various sources, it is important to note the similarities and differences in the provinces.

  • No systematic declarations of births, marriages, death, (there are some exceptions which are dealt with region by region), before the establishment of civil records on January 1, 1793.
  • Names were seldom fixed before this date, except in the South (East and West) and often in Lorraine, more frequently in Haut-Rhin than in the Bas-Rhin.
  • They were fixed, in theory, following the decree of Bayonne on 20 July 1808, which applied to all the Napoleonic Empire. However, sometimes they were changed afterwards.
  • Notarised acts exist in all the areas but mainly relate to the 18th century with regard to the marriages. Other secondary acts are accessible in many areas.
  • Censuses started in France in 1836, (except for Paris and I’lle-de-France). The census of 1851 indicates religion.

We strongly recommend the book ‘Les familes juivres en France’ by Gildas Bernard, archivist at the French National Archives. The book includes an historical summary and a detailed inventory detailed of all the available sources at the time of its publication in 1990. (A copy is available from the GenAmi Library and in all the large departmental libraries).