Who were the godparents of your ancestors?

Have you found the godparents of your ancestors? What was their place in their lives? We give you some tracks.

The role and place of godparents in religious baptism

If baptism holds an important place in the Christian religion for centuries, it was not until the 12th century that children were baptized (and a few centuries later for parish registers to make it).

The goal? Protect children and offer them the sacrament of baptism as soon as possible when infant mortality was terrible at the time. It’s to go faster than you’re no longer bathed but that you will just start pouring water on the children's front.

The newborns must therefore be presented very quickly - within three days.

Sponsorship is a function old as the world and which has been adopted by Catholics, Orthodox Christians and even by certain Protestants.

The role of the godfather and the godmother is commit to supporting your godson in your Christian life and helping him grow in faith. They can also participate in the education of the child and help parents.

In the 17th and 18th century, godparents must imperatively be Catholic. Due to their function, they develop a bond of spiritual kinship with the child which will prevent them from getting married in the future.

💡 Good to know: Civil baptism could have been practiced for the first time on June 13, 1790 by the Federation of Strasbourg. Its established origin dates back to June 8, 1794 (20 prairial year II), date of the separation of the Church and the State. Civil baptism takes place at the town hall of the home. It makes it possible to create a moral (and not legal) link between the godfather/godmother and the child.

The rules for choosing sponsors and godmothers

In many regions of France and according to eras, the choice of sponsors and godmothers was not left to chance. Obviously, this choice differs from one region to another.

At the end of the 17th century, little boys could have two sponsors and a godmother; and little girls, two godmothers and a godfather.

At the beginning of the 18th century and following the conferences of Angers in October 1703:

• The baptized boy must have had a man over the age of 14, the age of his godmother was not very important.

• The baptized girl must have a woman over 12/14 years old, regardless of the age of the godfather.

At least one of the two had to have made his first communion and/or know his catechism.

It is up to the godmother to choose the godfather. But in use, there were codes:

• For a first child: the paternal grandfather and the paternal grandmother were designated godfather and godmother.

• For a second child: the maternal grandfather and the maternal grandmother were in turn godfather and godmother.

• Then uncles and aunts and brothers and sisters.

In addition, at the time, It was customary to give the children three first names, including the name of the godmother for a girl and the name of the godfather for a boy.

Even today, parents are not allowed to be a godfather and godmother. Nor can they baptize their children, except in the event of an extreme emergency and necessity.

Find sponsors and godmothers in the archives

The mention of godparents in the archives is not made that in baptismal acts (in parish registers).

They can be mentioned as godparents or as witnesses of the event.

Their mention in the registers is important and can help you unlock your genealogy. Indeed, Each witness is a track in its own right to find information on the family puisque, le plus souvent, les witnesses étaient choisis dans le cercle familial. En fouillant à la recherche d’informations sur les parrains et marraines, vous gagnerez du temps pour la recherche d’actes dans le future (dans des paroisses connues).

In addition, and because the life of our ancestors is not limited to a birth and death certificate, the social position of the godparents can tell us a lot about the place that our ancestors had in the village. Indeed, it is not uncommon to find important people in baptismal acts such as lords, notables or a priest.

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