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Archiver > ALSACE-LORRAINE > 2004-03 > 1080410459
From:
Subject: Re: [ALS-LOR] Village Records and other thoughts
Date: Sat, 27 Mar 2004 18:01:30 +0000
Charles:
Thank you so much for the valuable testimony. If I recall correctly after the Revolution a second set of each town Church records was sent to the Departmental Archives (from which the LDS made the microfilms.) We would have assumed that the second set of registers kept in the Departmental Archives would be identical... But of course, errare est humanum.
In 1792 or 3 the civil records became the legal records, and copies of these held in the departmental Archives were microfilmed by LDS. However, this doesn't mean that the Church stopped recording births, marriages and death. Their records kept in the town may definitely contain interesting information for the period beyond 1792.
This is really an other incentive to go here and check for additional clues.
If I remember correctly, you have been researching Epfig and surrounding towns. Was Epfig one of the communities where you found some discrepancies? Would you know if Thannenkirch (68) church records exist in the town for the period before 1748, or how to find about it?
Best,
Giliane
> This is a sort of follow-up on comments made about village records.
>
> Church records prior to the 18th century.
>
> In 1998, while following a lead and seeking to locate the man who extracted
> an ancestor's village records, we were sent to the home of a man living in a
> villge several miles away. While there he showed us an 18th century
> Catholic Church register. We were told that while the book was photocopied
> it had never been microfilmed. I've since checked that village and
> registers are available for that period. Was it a duplicate (second copy)?
> I never did get the exact time frame so I'll never know. This register
> should have been in the possession of the Archives.
>
> A friend recently photographed 2 family 18th century Catholic Church burial
> documents at the Archives in Strasbourg. They differed slightly from the
> copies that I had made from the rented LDS microfilm. He was unaware that
> duplicate books existed and is checking on this but I've yet to hear from
> him. I know from past experiences that 2 civil books recording the same
> vital stats were kept and have seen the slight differences in copies that I
> made from LDS films (registers kept at the Archives) and those available and
> photocopied in that village. A question arises: If duplicate books were
> made and if they do exist where are they kept. Villages that lack
> registers, and I can think of several where many years are missing, can
> another copy also exist somewhere. And if so, where. Or are these just
> dreams of finding rich treasures somewhere on the dusty shelves of some
> church or archive or in someone's home.
>
> Church documents during the French Revolution through the 19th century
> including some recorded in the 20th century.
>
> Several years ago I had the privilege of viewing and photocopying thousands
> of, while scanning several that were extremely important to me, Catholic
> Church documents in Latin (baptisms, marriages, burials and also a family
> register that included some pertinent info on each family, and in several
> families when a family member emigrated) that were contained in 13 or 14
> registers dating from the early 1790s to the 1950s. While not all registers
> were available nor complete, and many 1790s documents were written after the
> fact and were lacking, it did allow me to obtain some information that was
> not available through the LDS films. In my case I was able to see my
> grandfather's baptismal record with his complete name along with his
> godparents. There were also the signatures of many of my ancestors and
> relatives. At home I discovered that a number of these documents existed
> only in the church records although this vital stat information should have
> been included in the civil records. A specific case is that of one
> ancestor's 1800 baptism document that I located but the birth was never
> recorded. Without that document I'd still be believing that he was born in
> another village. Other examples were burials that had no counterparts in
> the civil death records and several marriages left unrecorded.
>
> Hopefully these documents have been now been removed and secured as planned.
> They were in a wooden cabinet as are many of the civil registers. I did not
> see nor ask for any current registers and believe that they must have been
> kept separate.
>
> How many other churches have these registers can never be easily determined
> but I've been told that the Protestant Church in this village also has it's
> own set of 19th century books written in German.
>
> As for the priests assisting you - well if you now had 3 or more parishes
> where you were the only priest and had all the responsibilities that several
> priests had in each parish in the past I doubt if looking through old
> documents would be a priority even if available. And no, it wasn't a priest
> who assisted me; it was my cousins who took seriously my request to search
> out whether said registers existed and then secured them and assisted me in
> the photocopying that resulted in my good fortune. It takes lots of luck
> and knowing the right persons even when you can't speak the language.
>
> And...
>
> If you can make the trip to Alsace do so. Spend some time in the
> villages(s) of your ancestors and don't just pass through. Some villages
> have hotels, B&B or gites as they are called there and many of these can be
> viewed on-line. try: 1. http://www.flash-hotel.com/selectdv.php?op=dl67
> Not all gites are listed in #1.
> 2. In Google - village, gites - ex. Schleithal, gites.
>
> You can always do a tour but life is fragile and those whom you can meet
> today might not be there later in your life. In 1997, the first visit to
> meet my cousins, an 84 year old 3rd cousin, whom I never met, asked his son
> every day when I would arrive only to die 3 months before my arrival.
>
> If at all possible make contacts, especially with cousins, even far removed
> ones. It takes time but some of us have done this and now enjoy the lasting
> friendships made with our Alsatian cousins. I started in 1997 researching
> Alsace. Since that time, and 5 visits, I've met 100s of my cousins (2nd to
> 8th) and have gathered in my files over 17,000 relationships all stemming
> from my Alsatian grandfather with 20,000 more just waiting to be linked but
> unfortunately most never will, and still so much more to do. I also have
> located about 50 ancestral surnames. It's so possible if you try.
>
> For those of you that are new to this hobby - don't be overwhelmed by the
> languages, or discouraged at first by few finds. It usually takes lots of
> effort but the rewards are forever enjoyable to behold. For those of you
> who have the time extract a film of an ancestral village. If interested in
> doing so I can put you in contact with a Genealogy Society that might
> publish it one day or refer you to someone else. No monetary gain, only a
> copy of your book and the knowledge that you contributed to the cause will
> be your reward.
>
> Also don't be afraid to ask questions for even dumb ones to some were not so
> dumb when they started.
>
> Charlie
>
>
>
>
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