FR-4 7149 990901 French resources for Jewish genealogy +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ FRENCH RESOURCES FOR JEWISH GENEALOGY - IV +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ A JewishGen InfoFile By: Micheline Gutmann Paris, France CHAPTER IV Religious Sources ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Without giving the history of the creation of the Consistoire, it is necessary to say that it is an administration created in 1808 by Napoleon to integrate the Jewish Communities into the civil French administration. Since 1808, there are a "Consistoire Central "and "Consistoires departementaux" (not all created that year). For more explanations about this organisation, you may consult the Encyclopedia Judaica. Here we are trying to explain what kind of documents we may find in the Archives of the Consistoires. No general list has been made of the documents existing in the differents Consistoires. As they are responsible for the cemeteries, they may have some registers. They may also have registers for marriages and Mohelbooks. So, you have to ask at each Consistoire for the information in that departement. I can explain what it is possible to find in the " Archives du Consistoire de Paris" and in that of the Consistoire Central. Both are directed by Philippe LANDAU. In the latter, it is very simple : you may have the minutes of the deliberations of the Consistoire Central, since the begining, 1808. In the Archives of the Consistoire of Paris: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1 - Census They have been ordered by the Consistoire and are very precious because, as we said in Chapter I, the archives of Paris before 1860 were destroyed in 1871. 3 Census are known to-day : - 1809 - They had disappeared for a long time and were found some years ago in the USA. A copy exists in the Archives of the Consistoire of Paris. The census is a list of families without any order, 2914 persons. For each one, first name, surname, address, year and place of birth. A study is being made by Leon KAHN in a book published in 1885. Inquire to the Association GenAmi. - 1852 - This one was discovered in 1995 in Israel by Philippe LANDAU. It contains only the heads of the families, their address, often the professions, sometimes the date of arrival in Paris. - 1872 - This one is the oldest one to have been known, used and studied. As I told you in chapter I, Paris is divided in districts, the "arrondissements", and this census has been done arrondissement by arrondissement, in alphabetical order (only for the first letter). It gives the surname, name, profession, address, for the head, the first name of the wife, the number of minor sons and daughters. Only in the 11th arrondissement are the children named. 2 - Marriages No Ketuba can be given, but only a certificate of religious marriage. You have to know the date as precisely as possible. The marriages have been recorded since the Synagogue of the rue Notre-Dame de Nazareth was built in 1823. Before 1872 there were no other official synagogues. At that time, the only information given were the surnames, names (not always), addresses, class of marriages. After this date, there are also the dates and places of birth (not very precise). In 1875 and after, other Synagogues were built and it is necessary to know precisely where the marriage has been celebrated to find it. The other official Synagogues were that of Rue de la Victoire, the most important in Paris, the Synagogue of rue des Tournelles, where most of the Polish and Russian people married after 1880, then the Synagogue rue de Buffault, a Portuguese one. Many little oratories were existing at the end of the 19th century and poor foreigners were often married there and not recorded at the Consistoire. There is now a publication of the CGJ, Paris 1996, "Mariages religieux juifs à Paris; 1848-1872", by Anne Lifshitz-Krams, an outgrowth of her doctoral research. The material is derived from the Archives of the Consistoire of Paris, and include the register of religious marriages (2304), and a copy of the alphabetic list taken from the 1872 census, the last in which religion was requested. This is available from the CGJ on their Web site. 3 - Death registers: existing since 1882. One can find the Surname, first name, name of the husband, addresses, age, cemetery, class. You have to know the date as precisely as possible. If you discover some other registers in USA or ISRAEL please tell us. In any case, write to Mr Philippe LANDAU , directeur des Archives du Consistoire, 17 rue Saint Georges, 75009 PARIS, France. Cemeteries ~~~~~~~~~~ In the old days, and still in Alsace and some other places, cemeteries were specifically Jewish and sometimes far from the Christian ones. In Paris, there were some Jewish cemeteries before 1810, rue de Flandre, only 23 names, and Montrouge, about 80 names. After, the cemeteries were generally not Jewish but some plots were reserved for Jews in the general cemeteries which belong to the towns. Now, it is officially said that there are no Jewish cemeteries in towns, the Jewish tombs are next to others. The principal cemeteries of PARIS are : Cimetiere Est (Pere Lachaise), open in 1804 Cimetiere Nord (Montmartre), open in 1825 Cimetiere de Pantin, open in 1825, now many Jews from North Africa. Cimetiere des Batignolles, open in 1833 (few Jews) Cimetiere de Passy open in 1820 (few Jews) Cimetiere Sud (Montparnasse), open in 1824, many Alsatian Jews Cimetiere de Bagneux, open in 1886, many Jews from Eastern Europe. Cimetiere de Thiais open in 1929, far from Paris, one of the less expensive. If you are looking for the place where your parent is buried, ask to : M. le Conservateur en Chef des Cimetieres de Paris, 16 rue du Repos, 75020 Paris. Give the name, the year, tell that it is an ascendant or a near relative, give a reason. Always send an envelope with a stamp or an International postal coupon. You may have the answer some weeks later. It is more and more difficult to do systematic research and to have answers. I think it is because there are not enough people to do the work. Another big problem : the tombs are not perpetual and when they are no longer being cared for, the town takes them back. Please take care of the tombs of your ancestors. It is a duty for Jews and for genealogists . Provider: Micheline Gutmann Association de Genealogie Juive Internationale http://www.chez.com/genami/ ------------- [01Sep99mg]rl Copyright 1999 JewishGen, Inc. +----------------------------------------------------------------------+