Benin, Mixed Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Benin

What is in This Collection?
This collection spans 1840-2012 and contains images of registered births, marriages, and deaths collected by the government. It also includes cemetery registers, colonial correspondence, newspaper clippings, and court registers. These records came from the Benin National Archive.

Benin is a country located in Western Africa and was a French colony from about 1900 to 1958. These records are written in French. For help reading these records see the following:
 * France Language and Languages
 * French Word List

What Can This Collection Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:


 * Birth
 * Marriage
 * Death
 * Cemetery
 * Colonial Correspondence
 * Court Registers
 * Newspaper publications
 * Population Census
 * Land Records
 * Employee records
 * Army records
 * School records
 * General vital records

Birth, Marriage, and Death Records
 * Names of the child, couple, or deceased
 * Parents’ names
 * Date and place of birth
 * Date of the marriage
 * Death dates
 * Names of spouse
 * Cause of death

Other records will include a variety of information such as further clues to land ownership, education, family, and service records.

How Do I Search the Collection?
To search the collection it is useful to know the commune (French territorial division) where your ancestor lived as well as their dates. To browse by image: ⇒ Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒ Select the 'Department' category ⇒ Select the 'Commune' category ⇒ Select the 'Record Type and Years' category which takes you to the images. Search the collection by image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination. To search by index: Fill in the requested information in the boxes on the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the individuals in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to look at the information on several individuals comparing the information about them to your ancestors to make this determination.

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.