Bouches-du-Rhône, France Genealogy

Guide to Bouches-du-Rhône ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, parish registers.

History
Bouches-du-Rhône is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from the western part of the former province of Provence and the principalities of Orange, Martigues, and Lambesc. It lost part of its territory in 1793, including Orange and Apt, when the Vaucluse department was created. It is surrounded by the departments of Gard, Vaucluse, and Var, and by the Mediterranean Sea.

Localities

 * FranceGenWeb
 * Locom
 * Wikipedia
 * Wikipedia, former localities

Online Church and Civil Records
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 Bouches-du-Rhône, where you will find these records.

Department Archives of Bouches-du-Rhône
 * 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 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. 

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

Genealogical Societies

 * Association Généalogique des Bouches-du-Rhône BP 22 13243 MARSEILLE CEDEX 01

Websites

 * Archives en ligne
 * Cousins FranceGenWeb
 * Tout en Un
 * Genea-Bricolo
 * Bouches-du-Rhône GenWiki
 * Cousins 13

Family History Centers

 * Centre d' Histoire Familiale d'Aix-En-Provence, 8 Avenue Marius Jouveau 13090 AIX-EN-PROVENCE, France +33 4-4221-2140
 * Centre d' Histoire Familiale de Vitrolles, La Petite Garrigue Avenue Salyens 13127 VITROLLES, FRANCE
 * Centre d' Histoire Familiale de Marseille, 28 Bd Joseph Vernet 7 Av du Parc Borel, 13008 MARSEILLE, FRANCE +33 33-4-91766785
 * Centre d' Histoire Familiale d'Avignon,18 avenue Charles de Gaulle LE PONTET, 84130 FRANCE