MyHeritage Publishes 359 Million New French Records

MyHeritage Publishes 359 Million Additional Historical Records from France 

• By Talya

December 8, 2021

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We are delighted to announce the publication of 359 million additional historical records from France from a vital records collection — including birth, marriage, and death records — and a naturalization records collection. This is our third update of French historical record collections since mid-October 2021, during which we have added 844 million records in total from 15 historical record collections. All these records were previously only available exclusively through Filae, a leading French genealogy company that we recently acquired. The new collections complement the huge French treasure trove of vital, census, military, and burial records, making MyHeritage an essential resource for anyone researching their French roots.

Here’s more information about the new collections.

Collection	Description	Number of Records	Link to Search

France, Vital Records Index	An index to select birth, marriage and death records in France.	357,634,212 records	Search collection now
France, Naturalizations, 1900–1963	An index of French naturalization records from 1900 to 1963	1,749,377 records	Search collection now

France, Vital Records Index

This collection of 359 million records is an index of various birth, marriage, and death records in France from the 16th through the 20th centuries. Birth records contain the name of the child, the date of birth and birthplace, and the names of the parents. Marriage records contain the name of the bride and groom, the date and location of the marriage, and the names of the parents. Death records contain the name of the deceased, the date of death, and location.

The France Vital Records Index is the perfect complement to the enormous vital record collections that MyHeritage published last month: France, Church Baptisms and Civil Births, France, Church Marriages and Civil Marriages, and France, Church Burials and Civil Deaths. The Birth, Marriage, and Death collections are from church and civil registrars while the Vital Records Index is from various genealogical societies around France. While there is some overlap in records from the 18th and 19th centuries, France, Vital Records often offers more details in these records, such as additional dates, places, and names of more relatives. Furthermore, the collection contains more records from the 16th, 17th, and 20th centuries,  offering the opportunity to trace your roots in France deeper into French history. However, the French Vital Records Index does not include images of scanned documents.

In addition to the birth, marriage, and death records, this collection contains an assortment of other records adjacent to these vital life events. Related to births, you may find birth recognitions, birth transcriptions, baptisms, and adoptions. Related to marriages, you may find marriage contracts, engagements, marriage banns, oppositions to marriage, marriage rehabilitations, wedding transcripts, marriage annulments, and divorces. Related to deaths, you may find military casualties, death testaments, obituaries, stillborns, death transcripts, and burial records.

Depending on regions and periods, the index may also include richer information such as: for birth records, age of the parents; for marriage records, date of birth (or age) and birthplaces of the bride and groom; or, for death records, date of birth (or age) and birthplaces of the deceased.

The collection also includes selected transcripts of census, decennial tables, or other French official archives. 

Search France, Vital Records Index

France, Naturalizations, 1900–1963

This collection of 1.7 million records contains an index of French naturalization records from the 20th century. Records contain the individual’s name and date and place of birth as well as the date of the decree of naturalization. The collection is an index of naturalizations and does not include images of scanned documents.

The decrees issued between 1900 and 1931 were published in the Bulletin des Lois (Bulletin of the Laws), and from 1924 onward, these were published in the Journal officiel de la République française (Official Journal of the French Republic). 

Search France, Naturalizations, 1900–1963

Sample Records

The France Vital Records Index contains the death record of renowned impressionist painter Pierre Auguste Renoir. The record shares his birth date and location, his death date and location, his parents’ names, and the source of the death record.

Death record of Pierre Auguste Renoir [Credit: MyHeritage France, Vital Records Index]

An additional record of interest appears in the France, Naturalizations collection: that of fashion designer Pierre Cardin. Cardin was born Pietro Costante Cardin in Italy, and moved to France with his family as a child. The record lists his date and place of birth and the date and country of naturalization. It includes a note that Cardin was a minor at the time of naturalization. He was 14 at the time.

Naturalization record of Pierre Cardin [Credit: MyHeritage France, Naturalizations, 1900–1963]

Summary

Following our acquisition of Filae, the new French collections added to MyHeritage this week, and those we published in the past 2 months are invaluable for anyone seeking to learn more about their French roots. Covering nearly every type of record and every French department, the MyHeritage French collections with 844 million historical records give French genealogy enthusiasts an opportunity to better understand the lives of their French ancestors. 

Searching the collections on MyHeritage is free. To view these records or to save records to your family tree, you’ll need a Data or Complete subscription. If you have a family tree on MyHeritage, our Record Matching technology will notify you automatically if records from the new collections match your relatives. 

Enjoy the new collections!