Yvelines, France, Births, Marriages and Deaths 1734-1996

General Collection Information

This collection contains civil registries of births, marriages, and deaths between 1734 and 1996 from Yvelines, 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
• Gender
• Birthdate
• 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
• Birthdate
• Birthplace

Death registrations may contain the following:

• Person’s name
• Gender
• Spouse’s name
• Death date
• Death place
• Burial place
• Age
• Father’s name
• Mother’s name
• Birthdate
• 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 “deaths” 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 the bride and groom), it’s useful to search both married and maiden names. 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. 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, Brain. "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/.