Alpes-Maritimes, France Genealogy

Guide to Alpes-Maritimes ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, parish registers, and military records.

History
Alpes Maritimes is part of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. In 1793 Alpes-Maritimes included Monaco and San Remo, but not Grasse which was then part of the Department Var. In 1860 Nice was annexed to France, as well as Menton, Roquebrune and the arrondissement of Grasse.

Alpes Maritimes is divided into 2 arrondissements (Grasse and Nice) and 52 cantons.

Localities

 * Liste des communes des Alpes-Maritimes
 * GenCom
 * Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui
 * Locom-France

Online Church Records and Civil Registration
The vast majority of your research will be in church records and civil registration. Fortunately, these records are available online from the archives of each department.

Finding Church Records and Civil Registration Online
Each Department of France has archives that provide digitized images of these records. Here is the website for the Department Archives of Alpes-Maritimes, where you will find these records. Alpes-Maritimes Departmental Archives


 * Registres paroissiaux (parish registers)
 * Registres d'état civil (civil registration)
 * Censuses (Recensements)

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

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 known family members.
 * Repeat this process for both the father and the mother, starting with their birth records, then their siblings' births, then their parents' marriages, and so on.
 * If earlier generations (parents, grandparents, etc.) do not appear in the records, search neighboring parishes.

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

Resources

 * Tout en Un
 * Memorhom
 * Genea-Bricolo
 * Alpes-Maritimes GenWeb
 * Cousins 06

Websites

 * French Wordlist
 * Alpes-Maritimes FranceGenweb
 * Archives Départementales
 * Tout-en-Un
 * Archives cannoises en ligne
 * Archives départementals des Alpes-Maritimes
 * Archives municipales de Nice
 * Ancestry.fr
 * GeneaNet Relevés

Societies

 * Association Généalogique des Alpes-Maritimes
 * Archives départementales Route de Grenoble 06036 Nice
 * Cercle de Généalogie de Roquebrune et du Mentonnais Boite Postale N°4, 06190 Roquebrune Cap Martin
 * CG du Pays Cannois c/o Mme Évelyne SAIU 6, avenue du Prado 06400 CANNES
 * Centre Généalogique et Héraldique du Comté de Nice - 24, bd Prince de Galles 0600 Nice
 * Cercle Généalogique de Nice et de la Provence Orientale - 7, avenue de Fabron 06200 Nice

Websites

 * Archives Départementales
 * Alpes Maritimes France Genweb
 * Gazetteer for Alpes Maritimes

Resources

 * Les bases de données locales gratuites
 * 
 * Momorhom
 * Genea-Bricolo
 *