MyHeritage Publishes 22 Million Records in 8 New French Collections

Three weeks ago, MyHeritage published 463 million French historical records that were previously available exclusively on Filae, a leading French genealogy company that we recently acquired. This week, we’re excited to announce the publication of 22 million additional records in 8 new historical record collections from France. Also coming from Filae, the new collections include census, military, and burial records, covering centuries of French history and many French departments. They complement the vital records and censuses released previously and further solidify MyHeritage’s position as the go-to resource for individuals researching their European heritage.

Here’s more information about each of the new collections.

Collection	Description	Number of Records	Link to Search
1901 France Census	An index of census records from the 1901 France Census with images	2,431,044 records	Search collection now
France, Census of Corrèze, 1911	An index of census records from the department of Corrèze in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of France with images	242,063 records	Search collection now
France, Censuses of Hérault, 1836–1936	A compendium of census records from the department of Hérault in the Occitanie region of Southern France from 1836 to 1936	5,924,272 records	Search collection now
France, Censuses of Côtes-d’Armor, 1872–1906	A compendium of census records from the department of Côtes-d’Armor from 1872 to 1906	4,283,463 records	Search collection now
France, Daily Burial Registers of Parisian Cemeteries	An index of individuals buried in Paris from 1804 and 1968 with images	6,755,342 records	Search collection now
France, Military Enlistments and Conscripts of Nord	An index of enlistment and conscription of soldiers in the French department of Nord from 1865 to 1932	1,050,192 records	Search collection now
France, World War II Prisoners of War	An index of French prisoners of war captured by German forces during WWII	957,825 records	Search collection now
France, Military Conscripts of Seine	An index of soldiers conscripted in the former French department of Seine	801,492 records	Search collection now

1901 France Census

The 1901 census collection consists of 2.4 million census records and includes images. The collection includes given names, surnames, ages, birth places, residence information, and implied relatives. Additional details found on each record’s associated image include occupation, family relationship, additional members of the household, and nationality.

MyHeritage enhanced this collection by inferring relationships within the household, providing deeper insight into family connections and increasing the chances of receiving matches to these records. 

Currently this collection contains records from eight departments: Charente, Creuse, Dordogne, Eure-et-Loir, Indre, Marne, Orne, and Vienne. More departments will be added in future updates.

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France, Census of Corrèze, 1911

This collection features the 1911 census records from the department of Corrèze in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of France, and includes images. The indexed census records include given names, surnames, birth years, birth places, and residence information. Additional details found on each record’s associated image include occupation, family relationship, additional members of the household, and nationality.

MyHeritage enhanced this census collection by inferring relationships between members of the household, when possible.

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France, Censuses of Hérault, 1836–1936

This collection of 5.9 million records is a compendium of census records from the department of Hérault in the Occitanie region of Southern France. These indexed census records include given names, surnames, birth years, birth places, relationships, and residence information. Included are records from all quinquennial censuses conducted between 1836 and 1936.

Search France, Censuses of Hérault, 1836–1921

France, Censuses of Côtes-d’Armor, 1872–1906

This collection of 4.2 million records is a compendium of census records from the department of Côtes-d’Armor (which was known as Côtes-du-Nord prior to 1990). These indexed census records include given names, surnames, birth years, birth places, relationships, and residence information. Included are seven of the quinquennial censuses conducted in 1872, 1876, 1881, 1886, 1891, 1901, and 1906.

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France, Daily Burial Registers of Parisian Cemeteries

This collection of 6.7 million records is an index of individuals buried in Paris between 1804 and 1968. These registers contain the name of the deceased, their death date or burial date, location of their burial, death place, and their age.

The cemeteries in this index include: Auteuil (16th), Batignolles (17th), Belleville (20th), Charonne (20th), Grenelle (15th), La Villette (19th), Montmartre (18th), Montparnasse (14th), Passy (16th), Père-Lachaise (20th), Saint-Vincent (18th) and Vaugirard (15th). Extramural: Bagneux (92), La Chapelle (93), Ivry (94), Pantin (93), Saint-Ouen (93), and Thiais (94).

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France, Military Enlistments and Conscripts of Nord

This collection of one million records contains records of enlistment and conscription of soldiers in the French department of Nord. Each record includes the soldier’s first and last name as well as the date and place of their enlistment/conscription. The soldier’s birth date is also often available.

Military enlistment was voluntary in France from 1815–1872. In 1872, conscription was instituted for young men requiring an enlistment of 5 years for those selected. The required length of service was shortened to 3 years in 1913. In 1923, after World War I, this was shortened to 18 months, and it was again shortened to one year in 1928.

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France, World War II Prisoners of War

This collection of nearly a million records contains lists of French prisoners of war captured by German forces following France’s defeat in the Battle of France, which took place from May to June 1940 during World War II. Records contain the soldier’s name, date and place of birth, rank, and unit, as well as the date the list was published and the name and location of the prisoner of war camp where the soldier was held.

At the request of the French state, German authorities published 100 lists of prisoners of war between August of 1940 and June of 1941 (58 lists in 1940 and 42 in 1941). The lists were published in alphabetical order according to surname. Camps set up within occupied France were known as “Frontstalags.” Within the territory of the German Reich itself, camps for soldiers and non-commissioned officers were designated “Stalags,” while commissioned officers were sent to “Oflags.”

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France, Military Conscripts of Seine

This collection contains registers of soldiers conscripted in the former French department of Seine encapsulating the city of Paris and its immediate suburbs. Each record includes the soldier’s first and last name, birth date, registration number, and recruitment office. Additional information can be found on the included images of the registers, such as the soldier’s place of birth, places of residence, parents’ names, spouse’s name, military accomplishments, and physical characteristics (height, eye color, hair color, etc.).

A period of 3 years’ military service was obligatory for most young men as needed from 1889–1920. The required enlistment period was reduced to 12 months in 1920.

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Sample Records

One of the censuses of Hérault contains the record for French architect Léon Azéma, most famous for designing the Palais de Chaillot, the building facing the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

A view of the Palais de Chaillot from the top of the Eiffel Tower, Léon Azéma’s most famous building

Léon Azéma appears in the 1891 census from Alignan-du-Vent, Hérault, Occitanie, France. His age is listed as 3. The original record doesn’t specifically state his relationship to the head of the house, but MyHeritage correctly infers that he was the son of Joseph Azéma and Léonie Escande.

Census record of Léon Azéma [Credit: MyHeritage France, Censuses of Hérault, 1836–1936]

The Censuses of Côtes-d’Armor, 1872–1906 collection contains a census record of French Communist politician Marcel Cachin. Marcel was 7 years old at the time of the 1876 census in Paimpol, Côtes-d’Armor, Brittany, France. The record infers his relationship to his father, also Marcel Cachin, as well as a brother, Alfred, and a sister, Sylvie.

Census record of Marcel Cachin [Credit: MyHeritage Censuses of Côtes-d’Armor, 1872–1906]

The record on MyHeritage indicates that he was 65 years old when he died in 1853. He was buried at the Cimetière du Père-Lachaise (20e), Paris, Île-de-France, France.

Burial record of Eugène Delacroix [Credit: MyHeritage Daily Burial Registers of Parisian Cemeteries. The original documents may be viewed on the website of Registres journaliers d’inhumation des cimetières parisiens]

Summary

The addition of these new French collections is part of the many exciting developments coming as a result of MyHeritage’s recent acquisition of Filae. These records are sure to offer fantastic new research insights and avenues for anyone with roots in France.

Searching the collections on MyHeritage is free. To view these records or to save records to your family tree, you’ll need a Data or Complete subscription. If you have a family tree on MyHeritage, our Record Matching technology will notify you automatically if records from the new collections match your relatives. 

Enjoy the new collections!