France, Civil and Military Pensions, 1836-1862 (Bulletin des Lois)

This database contains civil and military pension records printed in the Supplément to the Bulletin des Lois for the years 1836-1862.

What’s in the Records

The Bulletin des Lois (Bulletin of the Laws) was an annual publication in France that provided an official listing of laws, orders, and regulations (ancestor of the Journal Officiel). The Supplément, published at the same time, provides information on several government appointments, including a list of beneficiaries of pensions granted by civil or military decree. This database includes records of pensions paid to military personnel and government employees, as listed in the volumes of the Supplément. Pensions could be transferred to a widow or minor children. This database contains over 220,000 references of individuals who received a state pension during the period.

In addition to details on pay and service, the records may include:

• name
• birth date
• birthplace
• death date
• marriage date
• spouse
• spouse birth date, birthplace, death date
• children’s names, birth dates, birthplaces