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'''Population coverage:''' Possibly 5-10%.<ref name="profile" /> | '''Population coverage:''' Possibly 5-10%.<ref name="profile" /> | ||
he old Parish Registers are of great use to the genealogists. They include: | |||
*Baptism Records - note the sponsors, i.e., godparents and their place of origin | |||
*Marriage Records - note the witnesses | |||
*Deaths or Burials - often disconcertingly sparse in information | |||
Alphabetical indexes by parish are available and could comprise more than one village. All of these records are generally kept at the National Archives (Archives générales du Royaume) for the Brabant Province, and at the State Archives in each of the other Provinces (see list above for addresses). They are sometimes found in City Archives (Brussels, Antwerp, and Mechelen for example). | |||
Depending on the parish, the records go back to the early 18th century, and in some cases, to the 17th and 16th centuries. Although some may not have been available, all of Belgium’s Parish registers that are extant have been microfilmed, along with their indexes (Tables). In an effort to preserve the records in Brussels (AGR), using the microfilms is preferred over handling the originals. | |||
Parish records sometimes give minimal information, such as missing parents’ names on christening records. In such cases, it is vital to take note of the godparents or sponsors to establish kinship. | |||
Belgian genealogists have created a huge national file that contains all old Parish registers Indexes. This should prove invaluable to all researchers. | |||
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has microfilmed and is continuing to microfilm these records for all of Belgium for the Archives Générales du Royaume (AGR) as the privacy laws permit. The microfilms can be viewed at the Archives’ facilities or through a Family History Center. Check the FamilySearch Catalog at [http://www.familysearch.org/ http://www.familysearch.org] to find the one you need. | |||
== References == | == References == | ||