Your French ancestors' free public records online
A- FRENCH NATIONAL SOURCES
1) The French national public library
2) The French Foreign Affairs public archives
The ADEL database (not very useful yet)
3) The French armies public archives
The data base of dead soldiers (called Mémoire des Hommes)
Example of an American dead for France (Edward Stone)
Example of a German dead for France (Marcel Jules Deutsch)
Example of a French pilot dead for France (my relative Jules Jeannin)
Example of an executed American spy (Leo Mac Ghastley)
4) The French metropolitan national archives
Example of a decorated American general (Charles Carroll-Tevis)
5) The French overseas national archives
B- FRENCH COUNTY SOURCES
1) The French county public archives
2) The French metropolitan county archives
Home page of the Yonne county archives website (my native county)
3) The French overseas county archives
C- FRENCH MUNICIPAL SOURCES
1) The French municipalities
2) The online French city-archives
Example of Bonifacio city-archives (Italian books)
Example of Blois city-archives (Catholic books)
Example of Metz city-archives (Lutheran books)
Example of Nantes city-archives (Calvinist books)
Example of Alès city-archives (Calvinist books)
Example of Lyons city-archives (Jews’ registration)
Example of Rheims city-archives (military hospital)
Example of Brest city-archives (boat movements)
Example of Bourg-en-Bresse city-archives (abandoned children)
3) The online records of Paris city-archives
Paris old civil records (1792-1859)
Paris new civil records (1860-1932)
Paris decade indexes (1860-1932)