Genealogy in the English Channel: Find your ancestors

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Genealogy in the English Channel: Find your ancestors

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Update: November 14, 2024



The Channel is a coastal department of Normandy. This territory, bathed by the eponymous sea over 350 km of coastline is an interesting territory for genealogists.


Created in 1790 during the French Revolution, the Department of the Channel draws its roots from the old province of Normandy. It is historically made up of two distinct countries: Cotentin in the north and Avranchin in the south. It is bordering on the departments of Calvados, from theOrnae, from the Mayenne andIlle-et-Vilaine.


The sleeve has rich peculiarities. His maritime past has left an indelible imprint with archives on sailors, fishermen and traders who crisscrossed the seas. 


Viking invasions that gave birth to the Duchy of Normandy, including the Hundred Years War and to the more recent conflicts, the Channel was the scene of many events that have built its demography and heritage.


In addition, proximity to the Anglo-Norman Islands and the history shared with England add an international dimension to research. The conquest of England by William the Conqueror in 1066 led to a strong Norman colonization across the Channel, of which many settlers were from the current Sleeve territory. 



 

📜 The archives of the Channel


The Departmental Archives of the Channel


Go to the Departmental Archives of the Channel:

📍 Conseil departmental de la Sleeve, 50050 Saint-Lô


Contact the Departmental Archives of the Channel:

📞  02 33 75 10 10

📧  Contact the Departmental Archives


    The Departmental Archives of the Channel vous proposent de nombreuses ressources numérisées et accessibles en ligne :


     

    Online acts 

     

    Unusual acts 

    • A dead man in the voyage of the new land, the weight of the old Champcervon bell, random wedding dates and many others on the J. Marchal site.

     

     

    🧳 Migration in the Channel


    Here is an overview of migration and population movements in the Sleeve department and its region: 


    • High Middle Ages (Ve-Xe centuries) : one of the most important migrations of this period is that of the island Bretons towards the Armorican peninsula (which will later become Brittany).


    • Middle Ages (11th-15th centuries) : The conquest of England by Guillaume the Conqueror in 1066 led to a large Norman colonization across the Channel. Many settlers were from the current Sleeve territory.


    • Modern time: une immigration modérée de travailleurs venant des departments voisins, principalement du Calvados, from theIlle-et-Vilaine, des Côtes-du-Nord, from theOrnae, from the Seine et de la Seine-Maritime marque la Sleeve. Ces migrants s'installent majoritairement dans les villes (Cherbourg, Saint-Lô et Coutances) plutôt que dans les zones rurales.

      At the beginning of the 20th century, the port of Cherbourg became an important transit point for transatlantic emigration. As early as 1922, the harbor recorded an average of 48,000 emigrants per year, mainly Europeans from Hungary, Greece, Turkey, Russia, Poland and Lithuania, on the way to North and South America. Many foreign consulates are therefore open in the city. These major travelers in search of the new world must go through the Atlantic Hotel in Cherbourg, the Disinfection and Health Center to obtain a health passport, compulsory to embark and present themselves to Ellis Island. A third of these emigrants will return to Europe thereafter. Between 1920 and 1930, nearly 500,000 emigrants went through Cherbourg.

      In the 19th and 20th centuries, although the department became industrialized with the development of metallurgy and the textile industry (thanks to the arrival of the railroad), it remains deeply rural and attracts far fewer foreign workers in comparison with its neighboring departments.


    • World Wars: During the First World War, 95,000 Manchois engaged under the flags. 20,000 lost their lives. The Second World War, in particular the Battle of Normandy in 1944, led to significant population trips and the destruction of many municipalities, including Saint-Lô.



    To find out more: 

     


    🎞️ The round in pictures


    Videos 


     


    Ancient images and cards


     

    The old maps of the department 


    • Des villages de Cassini aux communes d’aujourd’hui : le department de la Sleeve
    • Sur Old Maps Online : les cartes anciennes du department
    • Sur Gallica : les cartes anciennes de la Sleeve

     

     

    📖 L’histoire de la Sleeve


     

    Sur Gallica : les books and the press pour tout savoir sur le department de la Sleeve


    🖥️ Les sites de généalogie dans la Sleeve


    Les cercles et associations de généalogie dans la Sleeve


     

    Les blogs  et sites de généalogie dans la Sleeve


     

    Social networks to follow


      

    Bonnes recherches !


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