Haut Rhin, France, Births, Marriages, and Deaths 1504-1922

Naissances, mariages et décès, Haut-Rhin, France 1504 à 1922

Source Information

Ancestry.com. Haut Rhin, France, Births, Marriages, and Deaths 1504-1922 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2021.
Original data: Haut Rhin, France, Births, Marriages, and Deaths 1504-1922

About Haut Rhin, France, Births, Marriages, and Deaths 1504-1922

About the Haut Rhin, France, Births, Marriages, and Deaths 1504-1922

General collection information

This collection contains civil registries of births, marriages, and deaths between 1504 and 1922 from Haut Rhin, France. Most records are in French, but some records may be in German or Latin..

Using this collection

Birth registrations may contain the following:

  • Person’s name
  • Assigned sex at birth
  • Birth date
  • Birthplace
  • Father’s name
  • Mother’s name

    • Marriage registrations may contain the following:

  • Person’s name
  • Gender
  • Spouse’s name
  • Marriage date
  • Marriage place
  • Age at marriage
  • Father’s name
  • Mother’s name
  • Birth date
  • Birthplace

    • Death registrations may contain the following:

  • Person’s name
  • Assigned sex at birth
  • Spouse’s name
  • Death date
  • Death place
  • Burial place
  • Age
  • Father’s name
  • Mother’s name
  • Birth date
  • Birthplace

    • If you don’t speak French, knowing a few common words can aid in your search:

  • Naissance is French for “birth”
  • Mariage is French for “marriage”
  • Deces is French for “death”
  • Fille de is French for “daughter of”
  • Fils d is French for “son of”
  • Éspouse is French for “wife”
  • Époux is French for “husband”

    • When searching for female ancestors (both brides and mothers of each spouse), it’s useful to search both married and maiden names.

    If you’re searching for records between 1793 and 1805, you may encounter the French Republican calendar system. The system was established during the French Revolution to remove any references to religion or the monarchy. Each year began on the autumnal equinox (on or around September 23), with 1792 as year one. The year was divided into 12 months lasting 30 days each. Months were broken down into 10-day periods called décades. For reference, please see the following list of French Republican calendar months:

  • Vendémiaire (beginning late September)
  • Brumaire (beginning late October)
  • Frimaire (beginning late November)
  • Nivôse (beginning late December)
  • Pluviôse (beginning late January)
  • Ventôse (beginning late February)
  • Germinal (beginning late March)
  • Floréal (beginning late April)
  • Prairial (beginning late May)
  • Messidor (beginning late June)
  • Thermidor (beginning late July)
  • Fructidor (beginning late August)

    • From 1880 onwards, per French law marginal notes were kept on the documents relating to later events in life. These marginal notes are privacy restricted and are redacted from the documents.

    This collection only contains civil registries. Though French civil registration records are known to be thorough, it may be beneficial to try searching Ancestry's catalogue of French records for additional information.

    Collection in context

    French civil registration records are some of the oldest tools available to genealogists. In 1792, the French Revolution brought about the need for a civil registry system as a means to guarantee citizens’ rights.

    Most French civil registration records aren’t kept in the national archive, but rather within a “department” or territory. Most departments are located in France, but Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, and Réunion are also included. Within the department, records are housed at the local mairie (town hall) or bureau de l’etat civil (civil registrar’s office).

    Bibliography

    Mulcahy, Brian. “French Civil Registration Records” GenealogyBlog. Last Modified March 2, 2016. https://www.genealogyblog.com/?p=37457.

    Powell, Kimberly. “French Civil Registration: Vital Records of Birth, Marriage and Death in France.” ThoughtCo. Last modified July 27, 2018. https://www.thoughtco.com/french-civil-registration-1421945.

    The French Institute for Demographic Studies. “Civil Registration.” Last Modified 2020. https://www.ined.fr/en/glossary/civil-registration/.