Benin Colonial Records

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Colonial Records

French Colonization (1872-1960)

Benin, formerly known as French Dahomey, was colonized by France in 1872. On 1 August 1960, French Dahomey gained independence from France and was renamed Benin.

To learn more about the history of colonial Dahomey, read Slavery, colonialism and economic growth in Dahomey, 1640-1960.

Record collection	Years covered	Record type	Language	Who is in the records
Dahomey (Benin) Civil Registration and Parish Registers, 1889-1912, index and images.	1889-1918		French
Benin Civil Registration of Deaths 1891-2014, images.		Deaths	French