Upper Brittany, France Births & Baptisms, 1501-1911

Naissances et baptêmes de Haute-Bretagne, France, 1501 à 1911

Source Information

Ancestry.com. Upper Brittany, France Births & Baptisms, 1501-1911 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010.
Original data: association ABGH Parchemin. Base de données indexées à partir de registres de naissance et baptême. Rennes, France: ABGH Parchemin.

About Upper Brittany, France Births & Baptisms, 1501-1911

About the Upper Brittany, France Births & Baptisms, 1501-1911

General Collection Information

This collection contains civil registries of births and baptisms between 1501 and 1911 from Upper Brittany, France. Most records are in French.

Using this Collection

Birth registrations may contain the following:

  • Person’s name
  • Gender
  • Birth date
  • Birthplace
  • Father’s name
  • Mother’s name

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

  • Naissance is French for “birth.”
  • Fille de is French for “daughter of.”
  • Fils d is French for “son of.”

    • 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 an index of 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: https://www.ancestry.com/search/places/europe/france/

    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. Prior to this, the Roman Catholic church was responsible for much of the birth and baptismal record keeping.

    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.