How to find old maps of France online
Google maps and Google streetview are very helpful to discover what your ancestors’ hometown looks like nowadays. But most of the time, landscapes and towns
Category: French genealogy
Using Gallica to get to know your French ancestors
If you want to find more information about your French ancestors’ lives, you should use Gallica. It’s the digital library of the National library of
Finding your ancestors in Paris
Paris is often considered as a “black hole” for French Genealogy: most people fear that if they find ancestors who were born in Paris, they
Understanding records from the French Revolution
The Revolutionary period (between 1792 and 1806) can be quite challenging for French genealogy. There are two main reasons for this. First, because during this
Where to find French archives: an overview of French administrative divisions
In France, archives are organized based on administrative divisions. This is why it is important to understand French administrative divisions when you want to research
How to use French census records
French census records (“recensements” in French) are a great resource if you want to know more about the living conditions of your French ancestors: how
How DNA helped uncover the identity of a French ancestor
After testing my DNA with FamilyTreeDNA, I uploaded my data on MyHeritage to find new matches. Almost all my ancestors were French, so I primarily
Civil registration and parish records: what’s the difference?
In the year 1792, French parish records were replaced by civil registration. For this reason, documents before and after 1792 provided different information. Here are
Finding your ancestors in France: where to start
When you want to build a family tree with French ancestors, the place to start is almost always civil registration or parish records. They are