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*Use a gazetteer to determine which community serves your ancestor's locality. Your town might be a village too small to have its own civil registration office or parish church. Gazetteers can tell you the larger town which holds jurisdiction over that village. | *Use a gazetteer to determine which community serves your ancestor's locality. Your town might be a village too small to have its own civil registration office or parish church. Gazetteers can tell you the larger town which holds jurisdiction over that village. | ||
*Many records for French-speaking countries are now online. For Wiki articles with direct links to online records, click on the [[France Genealogy#Jurisdictions|'''France department''',]] [[Belgium Genealogy#Jurisdictions|'''Belgium province''',]] [[Luxembourg Genealogy#Jurisdictions|'''Luxembourg province''',]] or [[Quebec, Canada Genealogy#Historic Counties|'''Quebec county'''.]] | *Many records for French-speaking countries are now online. For Wiki articles with direct links to online records, click on the [[France Genealogy#Jurisdictions|'''France department''',]] [[Belgium Genealogy#Jurisdictions|'''Belgium province''',]] [[Luxembourg Genealogy#Jurisdictions|'''Luxembourg province''',]] or [[Quebec, Canada Genealogy#Historic Counties|'''Quebec county'''.]] | ||
*If you have access to the | *If you have access to the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, determine if it has records from the area where your relative lived. The best sources of information in French-speaking areas are records of births, marriages, and deaths kept by civil registration offices or parishes. The library has microfilmed these records for many localities, but not all. They are currently being digitized with hopes of having everything digitized by 2020. Use the [https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/search '''FamilySearch Catalog'''] to determine what records are available through the FamilySearch Library. | ||
== Research by Mail == | == Research by Mail == | ||
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== Addressing the Envelope == | == Addressing the Envelope == | ||
===Genealogical Societies=== | ===Genealogical Societies=== | ||
*The book Genealogical Research Directory: National and International by Keith A. Johnson and Malcolm R. Sainty lists the addresses of most genealogical societies in French-speaking nations (Sydney: Johnson and Sainty, 1993; | *The book Genealogical Research Directory: National and International by Keith A. Johnson and Malcolm R. Sainty lists the addresses of most genealogical societies in French-speaking nations (Sydney: Johnson and Sainty, 1993; FS Library book {{FSC|929.1025 G286grd |disp=929.1025 G286grd }}1993). | ||
Address the envelope to: | Address the envelope to: | ||
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===Civil registration offices=== | ===Civil registration offices=== | ||
(France | (France and Luxembourg ) Address the envelope to: <br> | ||
Monsieur l'officier de l'état-civil <br>Mairie de (Town) <br>(Postal code) (Town) | Monsieur l'officier de l'état-civil <br>Mairie de (Town) <br>(Postal code) (Town)<br>France | ||
===France | ===France Archives=== | ||
Find archive addresses with the help of the | Find archive addresses with the help of the {{FSC|142413|item|disp='''International Council on Archives' International Directory of Archives'''}} (Archivum Series, vol. 38 [Munich: Saur, 1992].<br> | ||
Address the envelope to: | Address the envelope to: | ||
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Monsieur le Directeur <br>Archives départementales <br>(Postal code) (Town) <br>FRANCE | Monsieur le Directeur <br>Archives départementales <br>(Postal code) (Town) <br>FRANCE | ||
===Local Parishes=== | ===Local Parishes=== | ||
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(Parish) see, [http://www.thecatholicdirectory.com/index.cfm?worldmap=true&MapVersion=World '''see Catholic Directory''']<br> | (Parish) see, [http://www.thecatholicdirectory.com/index.cfm?worldmap=true&MapVersion=World '''see Catholic Directory''']<br> | ||
(Postal Code) (Town)<br> | (Postal Code) (Town)<br> | ||
France (or Luxembourg | France (or Luxembourg) | ||
=== Postal Codes === | === Postal Codes === | ||
When addressing your letter, you will need to write the postal (zip) code before the name of the town when writing to France | When addressing your letter, you will need to write the postal (zip) code before the name of the town when writing to France and Luxembourg. Write the postal code after the word "Canada" when writing to Quebec. <br> | ||
*[ | *[https://worldpostalcode.com/france/ '''Postal Codes France'''] | ||
*[https://worldpostalcode.com/luxembourg/ '''Postal Codes Luxembourg'''] | |||
*[https:// | *[https://worldpostalcode.com/canada/ '''Postal Codes Quebec'''] | ||
*[https:// | |||
===How to Send Money=== | ===How to Send Money=== | ||
*You can arrange | *You can arrange an international bank order or electronic transfer through [https://www.westernunion.com/us/en/send-money/app/start '''Western Union'''] or [https://secure.moneygram.com/mgo/us/en/?gclid=CjwKCAiA8rnfBRB3EiwAhrhBGoKue987mIxquMVZxw1pI7O_27Gznad2GJaB4C48LjkNkQFp5vlgEhoCZNEQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds '''MoneyGram'''.] | ||
* | *Another recommended method: Simply telephone Ruesch International Financial Services at 800-424-2923. Ask for an international bank draft for the equivalent of $10 (or another amount) in either Canadian dollars or Luxembourg, Swiss, or French francs. There is a $2 service charge. Have the check made payable to the organization you are contacting. Ruesch will give you a transaction number to write on your own payment check to them. Send the payment to: | ||
::Ruesch International Financial Services | |||
::International Division, 10th floor | |||
::1350 Eye Street N.W. | |||
::Washington, DC 20005 | |||
* | When they receive your payment, Ruesch will promptly send you a foreign currency draft (check) you can mail to Europe or Quebec. | ||
*When writing to a parish it is also a good idea to send a donation of $15 as a courtesy. '''Do not send a personal check''', which is difficult and expensive to exchange. Cash is most easily converted to foreign currency, but there are always risks in sending cash. Consider using the international bank draft also for that purpose. | |||
*Some researchers do not send money when writing to a civil registration office, archive, researcher, or genealogical society for the first time. These organizations may prefer to bill you for their services. Some may ask you to make an electronic transfer to their account number. If you want, you may write an institution to determine their fees before making a request. However, this will significantly increase the time it takes to get information. | |||
* | |||
== What to Expect == | == What to Expect == | ||
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|} | |} | ||
=== | === Letter to a Genealogical Society === | ||
'''Many genealogical societies can be contacted by e-mail. This will save postage costs for both you and them.'''<br> | '''Many genealogical societies can be contacted by e-mail. This will save postage costs for both you and them.'''<br> | ||
{| | {| | ||
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|} | |} | ||
=== Letter to | === Letter to Professional Researcher === | ||
{| | {| | ||
|- | |- | ||
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|style="border:1px solid black; padding-left:10px"|2. Do you have the civil and parish registers for the town of (fill in town name)? For which years? | |style="border:1px solid black; padding-left:10px"|2. Do you have the civil and parish registers for the town of (fill in town name)? For which years? | ||
|style="border:1px solid black; padding-left:10px"|2. Possédez-vous les registres d'état-civil et paroissiaux de (fill in town name) | |style="border:1px solid black; padding-left:10px"|2. Possédez-vous les registres d'état-civil et paroissiaux de (fill in town name) ? Pour quelles années ? | ||
|- | |- | ||
|style="border:1px solid black; padding-left:10px"|3. Are there other years available somewhere else? | |style="border:1px solid black; padding-left:10px"|3. Are there other years available somewhere else? | ||
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|style="border:1px solid black; padding-left:10px"|6. Pourriez-vous m'envoyer le nom et l'adresse de l'Association généalogique de votre région? | |style="border:1px solid black; padding-left:10px"|6. Pourriez-vous m'envoyer le nom et l'adresse de l'Association généalogique de votre région? | ||
|- | |- | ||
|style="border:1px solid black; padding-left:10px"|7 | |style="border:1px solid black; padding-left:10px"|7. With my greatest thanks, please accept my sincere greetings. | ||
(Your signature) | (Your signature) | ||
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(Fill in your name and address) | (Fill in your name and address) | ||
|style="border:1px solid black; padding-left:10px"| | |style="border:1px solid black; padding-left:10px"|7. Avec mes plus grands remerciements, je vous prie d'agréer, l'expression de mes sentiments distingués. | ||
(Your signature) | (Your signature) | ||
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|style="border:1px solid black; padding-left:10px"|4. Could you trace my ancestors back to the previous generation? | |style="border:1px solid black; padding-left:10px"|4. Could you trace my ancestors back to the previous generation? | ||
|style="border:1px solid black; padding-left:10px"|4. Pourriez-vous remonter mes ancêtres à la génération précédente | |style="border:1px solid black; padding-left:10px"|4. Pourriez-vous remonter mes ancêtres à la génération précédente ? | ||
|- | |- | ||
|style="border:1px solid black; padding-left:10px"|5. I would like more information on the family of (fill in the person's name). I would be very grateful if you could obtain the names and birth dates of his/her brothers and sisters as well as the marriage of their parents. | |style="border:1px solid black; padding-left:10px"|5. I would like more information on the family of (fill in the person's name). I would be very grateful if you could obtain the names and birth dates of his/her brothers and sisters as well as the marriage of their parents. | ||
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