Help Please !! -How do I locate an early 20th Century marriage in France ?

[Rowlandson]

Hi All,

I hope that someone might be able to point in the right direction as to how I go about obtaining a French marriage certificate between the years 1913 - 1919.

I have a 2 x great aunt living in London in 1913 and giving birth to a son in the Dec Qtr of that year. She was at the time unmarried. However I can find no marriage for her in the British GRO between 1913 and 1919 when she turns up again as a Madame Pichard, and we believe she may of married in France. Her name was Blanche Elizabeth Woodroffe and she marries a Maurice Rene Pichard. We believe that the family later (1940's) lived in the Berck area of France.

Any help however small would be most appreciated 

Regards,
Rowlandson

[Svenja]

Hi

You can only find a marriage in France if you know at which place they married and which departement this place belong to. But not every archives departementales has already put online the marriage records of the time frame 1913-1919. But many of them have the census (recensement de la population) from 1911 to 1936 online.

Did you already search at geneanet? https://de.geneanet.org/

Regards

Svenja

[Rowlandson]

Hi Svenja,

Many thanks for your reply.

I was hoping that there might be some kind of French national index online such as Free BMD. My problem is I wouldn't know where to start to look for their marriage location wise.

I have not as yet tried searching geneanet, but will certainly take a look.

Many thanks once again for your advice, 

Rowlandson

[Svenja]

Hi

We believe that the family later (1940's) lived in the Berck area of France.

Berck sur Mer belongs to the Département Pas-de-Calais.

archives départementales Pas-de-Calais

http://www.archivespasdecalais.fr/Chercher-dans-les-archives/Archives-en-ligne/Histoire-d-une-personne

It says that the "recensements de la population" of the years 1921-1936 are digitised, but I can't find them online for Berck.

Maybe you can find the marriage in the tables decennales (which are online until 1942), but the records are only online until 1912.

There are also the archives municipales, they have the civil records of Berck of more than 100 years ago, but I think they are not online.

http://www.berck.fr/la-mairie/archives-municipales

Regards
Svenja

[jayaygee]

Hello Rowlandson

There is a marginal note on Maurice René PICHARD's birth entry stating that he married Blanche Elizabeth WOODROFFE on 2nd September 1915 in Berck-sur-Mer.  You will have to be request the marriage certificate from the Mairie, as from what Svenja says, the relevant records aren't on line.  You may be able to apply on line - I will look.

In case it is of any interest, Maurice's birth entry is on line : he was born in the 14th district of Paris on 11th August 1888 to Adèle Pauline PICHARD, no father named.  He died, according to another marginal note on, 7th July 1951 in Berck.

Regards
Judith

[jayaygee]

Hello Rowlandson

Herewith Maurice René's birth entry.

Regards

Judith

[Rowlandson]

Dear Svenja & Judith,

Thank you both so much for all your help.

Svenja - following your advice I looked at the tables decennales for Berck sur Mer and found an entry for Rene Maurice Pichard & Blanche Elizabeth Woodroffe in 1915. But the actual marriage entry doesn't appear to be online to view, neither as you say, does the census.

Judith - many thanks for this additional information of Rene Maurice Pichard's birth and death dates, and for the copy of his actual birth entry, all of which is new information to me. It would appear that Ive been researching his christian names the wrong way around .... just to add to the confusion 

I guess if I now would like a copy of the actual marriage entry I have to apply to the Mairie directly ?

Many thanks once again both for all your help, it is much appreciated 

Rowlandson

[jayaygee]

Hello again Rowlandson

Yes, you will have to apply to the Mairie for the actual marriage certificate.

If you want more information about René Maurice, he is in the Léonore database : he was decorated with the Légion d'Honneur, but, as the last document dates from 1971, the records won't be on line for another couple of years or so (50 years after the date of the last document).

Regards
Judith

[Rowlandson]

Hi Judith,

This is great, many thanks for this additional info,

Regards

Rowlandson