The archives of notaries: a treasure for genealogists
Find out how to exploit the notarial archives to enrich your genealogical research and retrace the history of your ancestors thanks to authentic documents.
©️Pexels - John de Toshka
Diving in the meanders of family history is an exciting adventure for any genealogist. Among the essential secondary sources, the notarial archives are distinguished by their richness and their diversity. These authentic documents, produced by notaries over the centuries, offer a unique window on the life of our ancestors, their relationships, their goods and their commitments.
Mais comment naviguer efficacement dans cette masse d'informations ? Quels types d'actes rechercher ? Et où les trouver ? Cet article vous guide à travers les méandres des notarial archives pour optimiser vos recherches généalogiques.
Minutes and directories of notaries: history, conservation and consultation
THE " minutes Are the original acts written by notaries. They are generally accompanied by summary registers called " directories Who are daily recording tables.
Villers-Cotterêts order of 1539 recommande leur tenue à travers le royaume de France, mais cette pratique reste inégale, même à la veille de la Révolution. Ce n'est qu'en 1791, sous l'impulsion d'un décret-loi, que l'obligation de conserver deux exemplaires des directories est instaurée, le double devant être déposé au greffe du tribunal. Cette mesure sera ensuite confirmée et pérennisée par la loi du 25 ventôse an XI (16 mars 1803), qui pose les bases du notariat moderne.
These documents, kept in notarial studies and then paid to the departmental archives after a period of 75 years, constitute a gold mine to reconstruct family history.
Most departmental archive services have digitized and posted some of these acts in order to facilitate their access to researchers. For unmmeded acts, it will be necessary to go there, to the departmental archives, to consult them.
THE notarial archives : une source inestimable pour la généalogie
THE notaires, en tant qu'officiers publics, ont pour mission de rédiger et conserver des actes juridiques authentiques. Leurs archives regroupent une multitude de documents tels que des actes familiaux, relatifs à la propriété ou de crédit :
- Marriage contracts : They detail the financial agreements and the arrangements between the families of the future spouses, offering valuable information on family relationships and heritage.
- Wills : These documents reveal the last wishes of your ancestors, family ties and goods transmitted.
- Inventories after death : They list a person's possessions on their death, providing a detailed overview of their lifestyle and their environment.
- Guardian or curatorship accounts
- Notoriety acts : On the declaration of several witnesses, they make it possible to establish the veracity of a fact - as the death of a person for example.
- Learning contracts : They indicate the trades exercised and the training followed by your ancestors.
- Sales acts, leases and work quotes : they retrace real estate transactions and rentals, making it possible to follow the evolution of family properties.
- Credit acts : Receipts, bonds, rent titles ...
Comment accéder aux notarial archives ?
Pour débuter vos recherches au coeurs des notarial archives disponibles aux archives départementales, il est essentiel de connaître le nom du notaire, le lieu de l'acte et une date approximative. THE directories des notaires, véritables index chronologiques des actes passés, sont des outils précieux pour orienter vos investigations. En l'absence de directories, les registres du contrôle des actes ou de l'enregistrement peuvent servir de sources alternatives pour localiser un document spécifique.
Notarial archives are generally classified in the E series of departmental archives, although variations can exist according to the regions. It is therefore recommended to consult the research guides specific to each archive service for a precise orientation.
Here is the list of archive services that have scanned and posted notarial archives:
Departmental Archives:
01 : Ain
02 : Aisne
05 : High-alpes
06 : Alpes-Maritimes
07 : Ardèche
08 : Ardennes
12 : Aveyron
13 : Bouches-du-Rhône
14 : Calvados
15 : Cantal
16 : Charente
17 : Charente-Maritime
18 : Dear
22 : Côtes-d'Armor
23 : Hollow
26 : Drome
27 : Eure
29 : Finistère
31 : Haute-Garonne
33 : Gironde
34 : Hérault
35 : Ille-et-Vilaine
37 : Indre-et-Loire
39 : Jura
40 : Moors
42 : Loire
43 : Haute-Loire
44 : Loire-Atlantique
48 : Lozère
50 : Sleeve
58 : Nièvre
64 : Pyrénées-Atlantiques
66 : Pyrénées-Orientales
68 : Haut-Rhin
69 : Rhône
70 : Haute-Saône
71 : Saône-et-Loire
72 : Sarthe
73 : Savoy
74 : Haute-Savoy
76 : Seine-Maritime
77 : Seine-et-Marne
78 : Yvelines
79 : Deux-Sèvres
80 : Sum
81 : Tarn
82 : Tarn-et-Garonne
83 : Var
85 : Sold
86 : Vienna
87 : Haute-Vienna
92 : Hauts-de-Seine
93 : Seine-Saint-Denis
Our advice for effective research
- Préparation en amont : Gather all the information already in your possession concerning the ancestor sought, such as key dates and places, to target your research.
- Use of online tools : Many archive services offer research and other tutorials to guide you in your research at the heart of the notarial archives.
THE notarial archives are valuable allies for any genealogist wishing to deepen the history of his family. They offer intimate and concrete details on the life of our ancestors, their relationships and their possessions. By exploiting these resources with method and rigor, you can considerably enrich your family tree and give life to the names that compose it.
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