France, Haute-Garonne, Toulouse, Civil Registration - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection consists of civil registration of the town of Toulouse, Haute-Garonne, France. It includes births, marriages, and deaths from the (Archives municipales de Toulouse) Municipal Archives of Toulouse. Records may also include marriage banns. Banns were a means for the Catholic Church to give anyone a chance to legally prevent a marriage that might be invalid. These records are primarily in French, but some may also be in German. This civil registration gives records of vital life events of citizens and residents within the French government. To better understand these records, two phrases to translate would be arrondissement, which means "municipality," and type de registre et l'année, which means "record type and years." Haute-Garonne is named after the Garonne River that flows through the southwest department of France. Its main city is Toulouse.

Reading These Records
These records are written in French. For help reading them see:
 * France Language and Languages
 * French Genealogical Word List
 * French Handwriting
 * Script Tutorial for French

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The information in these records usually include the following:

Birth
 * Child's name and gender
 * Birthdate and place
 * Baptism date
 * Father's name
 * Mother's given name
 * Mother and Father's marital status

Marriage Registers
 * Bride and Groom's names
 * Marriage date and place
 * Marriage certificate and banns dates
 * Groom's age, occupation, and residence
 * Names of groom's garents (including maiden name of Mother)
 * Bride's age, occupation, and residence
 * Names of bride's parents, including maiden name of Mother
 * Birthplaces of bride and groom
 * Witnesses' names, ages, and occupations

Death
 * Death and burial date and place
 * Name and age at death
 * Cause of death
 * Father of deceased and his occupation
 * Date and birthdate of the deceased
 * Marital status of the deceased
 * If married, the name of the spouse

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Use the age to find an approximate birth year to begin your search in church or civil records
 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have moved, been recruited or lived nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify. Compile the entries for every person who has the same surname; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual. This compiled list can help you identify possible relations that can be further verified by researching civil registration records in the country
 * When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Save a copy of the image or transcribe the information. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details such as a title, an occupation, or land ownership. Add this new information to your records of each family. You should also look for leads to other records about your ancestors
 * Consult the France Record Finder to find other records

I Can't Find the Person I'm Looking For, What Now?

 * Consult the France Record Finder to find other records
 * Switch to a different record collection. Depending on the time period, another collection may be helpful
 * While searching, it is helpful to know such information as the ancestor’s given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence and age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as an ancestor and that the ancestor may have used nicknames or different names during their life
 * Keep in mind that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name
 * Standard spelling of names typically did not exist during the periods our ancestors lived in. Try variations of your ancestor’s name while searching the index or browsing through images. Pay special attention to how the name should have been pronounced and try variations on the pronunciation
 * Search the indexes and records of local genealogical societies

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in France.
 * France Record Finder
 * France Research Tips and Strategies

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.

França, Haute-Garonne, Toulouse, Registro Civil (Registros Históricos do FamilySearch)