Manche, France Genealogy

Guide to Manche ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, parish registers.

History
Manche is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from part of the province of Normandie. The department includes the Cotentin Peninsula down to the famous Mont St Michel but, of the off-shore Channel Islands, only Chausey is part of the department. Manche borders the Normandy departments of Calvados to the east and Orne to the southeast. Mayenne, a department of the Pays de la Loire, is to the south-east, and Ille-et-Vilaine in Brittany is to the south-west. (Wikipedia)

Localities (Communes)

 * FranceGenWeb
 * Locom
 * Wikipedia
 * Wikipedia, former localities



Church Records and Civil Registration (Registres Paroissiaux et Etat Civil) Online
The vast majority of your research will be in church records and civil registration. For more information on these records and how to use them, read France Church Records and France Civil Registration. '''Fortunately, these records are available online from the archives of each department:’’’
 * Departmental Archives of Manche

See Using France Online Department Archives for step by step instructions on finding and reading these records.

Online Local Databases and Extracted Records
Groups devoted to genealogy have also extracted and/or indexed records for specific localities, time periods, religious groups, etc. Since church records at the departmental archives are generally not indexed, you might find an index here that will speed up your searching.
 * Tout en Un (All in One) Online Databases Check for online databases and records in right column.  Check back occasionally to see if new databases have become available.
 * Tout en Un (All in One) Local Databases Here you may find extracted/translated records, record indexes, and other helpful records such as cemetery, land, or military records.
 * Geneanet Collaborative Indexes Search by locality (parish or commune).
 * FamilySearch Collections:
 * (index and images)
 * (index and images)
 * (images only)
 * Genea-Bricolo
 * Bigenet
 * Bases généalogiques de la Manche - Arbres généalogiques
 * Coutances Cotentin Généalogie et Histoire
 * Dispenses du diocèse de Coutances
 * La Basse Normandie protestante
 * Entraide Généalogique Bretagne-Maine-Normandie
 * UCGHN Union des Cercles Généalogiques et Héraldiques de Normandie
 * Association parisienne de généalogie normande

Microfilm Records of the FamilySearch Library
The church and civil registration records have all been microfilmed. These microfilms may be ordered for viewing at Family History Centers located around the world. To find a microfilm: Click on, find and click on "Places within France, Manche," and choose your locality from the list.

Learning to Read Enough French to Do Genealogy
It's easier than you think! You do not have to be fluent in French to use these records, as there is only a limited vocabulary used in them. By learning a few key phrases, you will be able to read them adequately. Here are some resources for learning to read French records.
 * French Genealogical Word List
 * French Handwriting.

There is a three-lesson course in reading handwriting in old French records:
 * Reading French Handwritten Records Lesson 1: The French Alphabet,
 * Reading French Handwritten Records Lesson 2: Key Words and Phrases
 * Reading French Handwritten Records Lesson 3: Reading French Records

These lessons focus on reading church record and civil registration records: Another resource is the French Records Extraction Manual, Full Manual. Much more is covered, but these first four lessons are especially useful.
 * France Church Records
 * France Civil Registration- Vital Records
 * Chapter 1: OLD FRENCH RECORDS
 * Chapter 2: PARISH CHRISTENING AND CIVIL BIRTH ENTRIES
 * Chapter 3: MARRIAGE ENTRIES
 * Chapter 4: OTHER ENTRIES
 * Chapter 5: FRENCH HANDWRITING AND SPELLING

Search Strategy

 * Search for the relative or ancestor you selected. When you find his birth record, search for the births of his brothers and sisters.
 * Next, search for the marriage of his parents. The marriage record will have information that will often help you find the birth records of the parents.
 * You can estimate the ages of the parents and search for their birth records.
 * Search the death registers for all family members.
 * Then repeat the whole process for both the father and the mother.
 * If earlier generations are not in the record, search neighboring parishes. 

Genealogical Societies and Help Groups

 * Manche Wiki GenWeb Associations
 * Manche Forums
 * Southern Europe Genealogy Research Community

Websites

 * Tout en Un Manche
 * GenWeb, Manche Portal
 * Cousins 50
 * Geneanet Surname Search
 * France Geneawiki Genealogical Sources includes instructional discussions of various records available.
 * French Republican Calendar. This site will help you translate dates used by France from 24 October 1793 to 31 December 1805.