What are Parish Registers?
The Catholic religion was the state religion of France until 1787, with the exception of the period of 'Tolerance of Protestantism' from 1592-1685. The Catholic parish registers (Registres Paroissiaux or Registres de Catholicit) were the only method of recording births, deaths, and marriages in France prior to the introduction of state registration in September 1792. Parish registers date back to as early as 1334, though the majority of surviving records date from the mid-1600's. These early records were kept in French and sometimes in Latin. They also include not only baptisms, marriages, and burials, but also confirmations and banns.The information recorded in parish registers varied over time. Most church records will, at a minimum, include the names of the people involved, the date of the event, and sometimes the names of the parents. Later records include more details such as ages, occupations, and witnesses.
Where to Find French Parish Registers
The majority of church records prior to 1792 are held by the Archives Départementales, though a few small parish churches still retain these old registers. Libraries in larger towns and cities may hold duplicate copies of these archives. Even some town halls hold collections of parish registers. Many of the old parishes have closed, and their records have been combined with those of a nearby church. Several small towns/villages did not have their own church, and their records will usually be found in a parish of a nearby town. A village may have even belonged to different parishes during different periods of time. If you can't find your ancestors in the church where you think they should be, then make sure to check neighboring parishes.Most departmental archives will not do research in parish registers for you, though they will respond to written inquiries regarding the whereabouts of the parish registers of a specific locality. In most cases, you will have to visit the archives in person or hire a professional researcher to obtain the records for you. The Family History Library also has Catholic Church records on microfilm for over 60% of the departments in France. Some deparmental archives, such as Yvelines, have digitized their parish registers and put them online. See Online French Genealogy Records.
Parish records from 1793 are held by the parish, with a copy in the Diocesan archives. These records will usually not contain as much information as the civil records of the time, but are still an important source of genealogical information. Most parish priests will respond to written requests for record copies if provided with full details of the names, dates, and type of event. Sometimes these records will be in the form of photocopies, though often the information will only be transcribed to save wear and tear on the precious documents. Many churches will require donations of about 50-100 francs ($7-15), so include this in your letter for best results.
