Luxembourg, Civil Registration - FamilySearch Historical Records

Luxembourg Civil Registration

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Collection Time Period
Civil birth, marriage, and death records have been kept from 1796 to the present, although this collection only has records until 1924. This collection does have some parish records that date back to 1793. Some of the earlier records (until 1805) follow the French Republican calendar.

Record History
Around 1796, after Luxembourg was annexed by Republican France, it became a requirement for the civil authorities of the communes of Luxemburg to record each birth, marriage, and death that took place in the community. This record was kept regardless of the individuals’ religious affiliation. This record keeping would continue until the present.

Why This Record Was Created
Civil registration was instituted to record births, marriages, deaths; this was done regardless of religious affiliation. This provided for a more complete registration of vital events for the whole population.

Record Reliability
Civil records are the primary source for research after 1796. They are recorded by either the mayor himself or a government clerk within 3 days of the event. They are generally correct as far as the information goes, as the event was registered by those who were eyewitnesses of the event. Barring spelling errors or faulty memory civil records are as accurate as possible.

Record Description
The events are recorded either in French or German totally by hand or in partially pre-printed books where the information is then entered by hand. The name of a child not registered when born will not be given in the death record, but the gender of that child will be. If the child was stillborn it will state that, although sometimes this term was applied to children who died shortly after birth.

Record Content
A birth record may provide the following information:


 * Day and hour of birth
 * Name of parents
 * Occupation and age of parents
 * Names of witnesses to the birth
 * Birthplace of the child

A marriage record may provide the following information:


 * Names of the couple
 * Their birthplace and place of currant residence
 * Birthdates and ages of the couple
 * Names and consent of parents
 * Occupations of the couple to be married
 * Place of residence and occupations of parents

A death record may provide the following information:


 * Day and hour of death
 * Age or birth date of the deceased
 * Birthplace of the deceased
 * Name of the deceased person
 * Marital status of the deceased and former occupation (when applicable)
 * Name of the spouse (when applicable) and may give the date and place of that spouse’s death
 * Indicates if parents are deceased or gives their residence if they are still living. When they are deceased, it may state where
 * Witnesses may be members of the family

How to Use the Record
Use civil records, depending on the record, to find the birth, marriage or death date of a person, and also where he was born, his age, name of spouse (if applicable) and name of parents. The records contain even more information than those found in church records. The details presented go far beyond the typical information about the event taking place.

Related Web Sites
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Sources of This Collection
"Luxembourg Civil Registration, 1793-1923", database, FamilySearch (http://pilot.familysearch.org/recordsearch), 2009.

Digital copies of original records housed in various civil archives throughout Luxembourg.

Citations for an image or index published in FamilySearch Collections
Instructions for citing this source can be found at: How to Cite FamilySearch Collections