Finding Your French Ancestors with Resources Both Online and Offline

France has rich archives for genealogists, some reaching back to the 16th century. Civil birth, marriage, and death records began at the Revolution, but parish records were archived far earlier - and nearly all are available online today, if you know how to use the Archives Départementales. Learn about censuses and the particularities specific to French genealogy - the Tables Décennales, the military muster rolls - as well as unusual goldmines for French genealogy. Challenges such as disappearing graves, Alsace-Lorraine, the former French colonies starting with New France, and Huguenot and Jewish research will also be covered.