Belgium, East Flanders, Civil Registration - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Record
Belgique, Flandre-Orientale, registres d’état civil

Record Description


East Flanders (Dutch: Oost-Vlaanderen, French: Flandre-Orientale) is a province of Flanders.

The collection consists of civil registration of births, marriages and deaths from the Belgian National Archives. The collection also includes marriage proclamations, marriage supplements, and some original indexes. Additional images will be added as they become available.

The events are recorded in Dutch, Flemish or French and cover the years 1541-1912.

For information on the content and use of records please see the wiki article Belgium, Civil Registration (FamilySearch Historical Records).

Record Content
Birth Records generally contain the following information:


 * Birth date and place of birth
 * Name of child
 * If still-born, illegitimate, or twin
 * Gender
 * Names of parents, father's occupation and their residence
 * Birth place of father
 * Birth place of mother
 * Date and number of record

Baptism Records generally contain the following information:


 * Date and Place of Event
 * Name of Child
 * Age or Birth Date
 * Legitimacy
 * Names of Parents
 * Residence Place
 * Witnesses or Godparents

Marriage Records generally contain the following information:


 * Date and Place of Event
 * Name of Bride and Groom
 * Residence, Marital Status, and Age
 * Names of Parents
 * Names of Witnesses

Marriage Intentions generally include:


 * Full Names of the Couple
 * Ages of the Couple
 * Marital Status, Prior to this Marriage
 * Occupation
 * Residence

Marriage Proclamations and Supplements generally include:


 * Date and Place of Event
 * Names of Bride and Groom

Death Records generally contain the following information:


 * Date and Place of Death
 * Name of Deceased Person
 * Age or Birth Date
 * Residence Place and sometimes the Place of Origin
 * Cause of Death
 * Marital Status
 * If Married, the Name of the Spouse and sometimes the Names of Children
 * Sometimes Names of Parents
 * Names of Witnesses

How to Use the Record
To begin your search it is helpful to know:


 * Your ancestor's given name and surname
 * Some identifying information such as residence, age, estimated event year, and family relationships

Search the Collection
To search the collection by name fill in your ancestor’s name in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about those in the list to what you already know about your own ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person.

If you did not find the person you were looking for, you may need to search the collection by image. ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the appropriate "Place" ⇒Select the appropriate "Record Type and Years" which takes you to the images.

Look at each 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.

With either search 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.
 * If your ancestor used an alias or a nickname, be sure to check for those alternate names.
 * Even though these indexes are very accurate they may still contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.

For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

For Help Reading These Records
These records are in Dutch, Flemish and French so it is helpful to be able to understand these written languages. For help with reading the records, see the following wiki articles:


 * Netherlands Language and Languages
 * French Wordlist

You may also want to see the 3 FamilySearch Tutorials on "Reading Dutch Written Records"

Using the Information
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. Save a copy of the image or transcribe the information. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details. Add this new information to your records of each family. You should also look for leads to other records about your ancestors.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.
 * Check for variant spellings of the names.
 * Continue to search the index and records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives
 * Be aware that, as with any index, transcription errors may occur.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for alias names, nicknames and abbreviated names.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby localities. Be aware that boundary changes could have occurred and the record of your ancestor is now in a neighboring locality.
 * Try alternative search methods such as only filling in the surname search box (or the given name search box) on the landing page leaving the other box empty and then click on search. This should return a list of everyone with that particular name. You could then browse the list for individuals that may be your ancestor.

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Related Websites

 * Zoekakten - This website is in Dutch. It narrows down this collection by different regions and records.
 * Belgium Ancestry

Related Wiki Articles

 * Belgium Civil Registers
 * Belgium Civil Registration (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Belgium
 * Belgium Births and Baptisms (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Belgium Marriages (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Belgium Deaths and Burials (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Citations for this Collection
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information; that is, cite your sources. This will help people find the record again and evaluate the reliability of the source. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records. Citations are available for the collection as a whole and each record or image individually.

Collection Citation:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):

Image Citation: