Belgium Church Records

For information about records for non-Christian religions in Belgium, go to the Religious Records page.

In the period before 1795, Church records(Parochieregisters, Kerkelijke registers, Registres ecclésiastiques) are the main genealogical resource in Belgium. The earliest start in the 1500s, but in many parishes they do not start until well into the 1700s. The main types of church records are:
 * Baptisms


 * Marriages


 * Burials

The records will be written in Latin for Catholics(the vast majority of the population, and the only legal religion before 1781), or in the local language, either Dutch, French or German. There were a small number of Dutch Reformed(Nederlands Hervormde), French Reformed(Egilse Reformee) and Lutheran churches, as well as some Jews.
 * Confirmations

Baptisms
Catholics traditionally baptised children a few days after birth. A typical baptism record includes: Always note the witnesses, as they often are a close relative such as an aunt/uncle, grandparent or an older sibling, even if it is not stated that they are related.
 * The name of the baptized
 * The date of baptism, and sometimes the birth date
 * The names of the parents, often including the mother's maiden name
 * The names of godparents or witnesses
 * Sometimes the residence of the parents, the relationship between witnesses and child, and whether the child was illegitimate

Marriages
A typical marriage record includes:
 * The names of the bride and groom
 * The date of marriage
 * Whether they were single, divorced or widowed. Any previous spouses may be named
 * The witnesses to the marriage
 * Sometimes parent's names, birthplaces and residences

Burials
A typical burial record includes:
 * The name of the deceased
 * The date of burial
 * The spouse or widow of the deceased for married women, and the parent's names for children.
 * Sometimes additional information such as age or residence

Other records

 * Confirmation records: Children were confirmed between the ages of 7 and 12. Candidates name, age, residence and father’s name. Church censuses, membership lists, family registers: Names of married couples, their ages or birth dates and places, sometimes marriage dates, childrens’ names, ages or birth dates, death or burial dates of children. Sometimes marriage dates and names of spouses of children are given.
 * Donations before death or for masses for the dead: Names of husbands and wives, and sometimes other family members.

Marriage contracts and banns
(Huwelijksvoorwaarden en bijlagen, Contrats de mariage)

Research use:Gives marriage information, identifies family relationships, shows places of residence not shown in parish registers.

Record type: Marriage information and documentation.

Time Period: 1300-present.

Content: Couples’ names, marriage intention dates, residences, occupations, witnesses’ names, often parents’ names and sometimes other relationships.

Location: City, state and church archives.

Population coverage: Possibly 5-10%.

Accessing Records
Most Church records are on the website of the Rijksarchief in België/Les Archives de l'Etat en Belgique(National Archives of Belgium). If you register for free, you can view images of the originals there. Many parishes drew up an alphabetical list of persons mentioned in their records, and some are searchable in the Archives's search engine.

Some church records can be found on the site Geneaknowhow, which contains many links to local genealogical websites and sources.

Most church records have been microfilmed by FamilySearch and are in the FamilySearch catalog. A few are being digitized and put online.