Belgium, Civil Registration - FamilySearch Historical Records

General Information About Belgium Civil Registration
The events are recorded either in Dutch, 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. The record also states if the child was stillborn, although sometimes this term was applied to children who died shortly after birth.

In 1795, Belgium was annexed by France. Napoleon Bonaparte instituted the civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths. Civil registration occurs on a town-by-town basis and is supplemented with decennial indexes to the registers, which generally begin by 1802. Many of the earliest records from this time follow the French Revolutionary calendar, established in France in October 1793 and abolished by Napoleon on January 1, 1806.

Civil registration was instituted to record births, marriages, and deaths because not everyone was baptized, married, or buried in a church. It provided for a more complete registration of vital events for the whole population.

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 events were registered by eyewitnesses of the event. Barring spelling errors or faulty memory, civil records are as accurate as possible.

Record Content and Use
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 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 give their burial location
 * Witnesses may be members of the family

Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

Related Websites

 * Collection of Birth, Death, Marriage, Divorce and Other Certificate procedures
 * Belgium National Civil Registration

Related Wiki Articles

 * Belgium
 * Belgium Civil Registers
 * Belgium, Antwerp, Civil Registration (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Belgium, Brabant Civil Registration (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Belgium, East Flanders, Civil Registration (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Belgium, Hainaut, Civil Registration (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Belgium, Liège, Civil Registration (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Belgium, Limburg, Civil Registration (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Belgium, Luxembourg, Civil Registration (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Belgium, Namur, Civil Registration (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Belgium, West Flanders, Civil Registration (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Belgium Births and Baptisms (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Belgium Marriages (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Belgium Deaths and Burials (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from the record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you do not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.