How to get birth certificates from France

[vicky19]

I'm helping a lady with her family tree and her father is French. I've not looked for anyone in France before, how would I go about ordering a birth certificate for grandfather, he was born in Paris about 1890. Do they have access to census like we do??

Many Thanks Vicky

[joger]

Hello, you don't have to ask for a birth certificate , you can have direct access to the original register .
Can you give the surname , forename ?

[Svenja]

Hi Vicky

For Paris you will find the birth certificate on this website:
http://archives.paris.fr/r/123/archives-numerisees/
http://archives.paris.fr/r/124/-at-civil-de-paris/

You should first try to find out in which arrondissement they lived (in the tables décennales).
Once you have found him in the tables décennales you can look at the Actes d'état civil.

Regards
Svenja

[vicky19]

Thanks... the name is Rene Mansion/Mancion/Mausion. I think he is born about 1893 in Paris... that's all we know... this is from the 1906 on census on Family Search where he is in Valenciennes Nord with his father but he has his father's surname (Peragallo) and what I think is his mother (Mansion)...but his dob was before his parents marriage in 1893... I wanted to check his mother is the second wife not the first wife... there is a convoluted story of affairs/bigamy etc and I'm not sure of the truth of it if you see what I mean...

[jayaygee]

René Jean Alexandre MANSION born 26 May 1889 to unnamed parents, was recognised by his mother, Jeanne Suzanne MANSION, 12 April 1890, in the presence of Alexandre PERAGALLO, one of the witnesses.   This is entered on the latter date in the register of Paris 5ème where his birth was also registered according to the entry.

[vicky19]

Wow, thanks JayJay, so it looks like the story of the father having an affair whilst his wife was in an asylum have some truth in it. V

[vicky19]

Sorry me again.... Where would I go for a birth in 1914....would I have to order it? I'm now not sure about the mother of Rene's son Jacques. Jacques was born in 1914 in Saint Denis, but the one we thought was his mother didn't marry Rene till 1923....

[jayaygee]

Unfortunately civil registration for the town of Saint Denis is only on line up to 1912, and the Archives Départementales of Seine-Saint-Denis have not yet put any civil registration on line.

You could try ordering the birth certificate online here:

http://ville-saint-denis.fr/actes-détat-civil

though the criteria they apply are strict. The upside is that it is a free service.

[vicky19]

Ah ok, thanks I’ll have try and get one ordered. Thanks again for your help. V