Aisne, France Genealogy

Guide to Aisne ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, parish registers.

History
Aisne is one of the original 83 departments created on 4 March 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Champagne, Île-de-France, and Picardy. The name comes from the Aisne River, which crosses the department from east to west. Aisne borders Belgium to the northeast, as well as the French departments of Nord, Somme, Oise, Ardennes, and Seine-et-Marne.

Localities
Alternative sources of locality information:
 * FranceGenWeb
 * Locom
 * Wikipedia list of communes
 * Wiipedia list of former communes
 * Geoportail

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 Aisne, where you will find these records.

Aisne 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

Societies

 * Cercle Généalogique de l'Aisne
 * CG de l'Aisne
 * BP 263 02406 CHATEAU THIERRY
 * France


 * Association des Releveurs Bénévoles pour la Recherche et l'Entraide (ARBRE)
 * Généalogie-Aisne 12 rue des frères Desains
 * 02100 Saint-Quentin
 * France


 * Fédération des sociétés d'histoire et d'archéologie de l'Aisne
 * (FSHAA)
 * 28, rue Fernand-Christ, 02000 Laon'
 * France
 * Tél. : 03.23.24.61.47


 * '''Société Historique et Archéologique de Château-Thierry (SAC)


 * '''Société Académique d'histoire, d'archéologie, des Arts et des Lettres de Chauny et de sa région (SHHP)


 * '''Société Historique de Haute-Picardie (SASQ)


 * '''Société Académique de Saint-Quentin (SHASS)


 * '''Société Archéologique, Historique et Scientifique de Soissons (SAHVT)


 * '''Société Archéologique et Historique de Vervins et de la Thiérache (SHRVC)


 * Société Historique Régionale de Villers-Cotterê

Websites

 * Tout en Un
 * Genea-Bricolo
 * Genea Wiki Aisne
 * Cousins 02
 * Aisne Genweb
 * Cercle généalogique de Picardie
 * Généalogie-Aisne
 * Hugueots Picards
 * Relevé des actes de l'Aisne
 * Relevés Aisne

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Centre d'Histoire Familiale de Saint-Quentin, 15 bis bld Victor Hugo,02100 Saint Quentin, France +33 03 23 05 23 81