MyHeritage Publishes France, Tables of Successions and Absences, 1890–1970
We’re excited to announce the addition of an important new historical record collection: France, Tables of Successions and Absences, 1890–1970. This valuable collection offers an index of deceased or officially missing people from various French departments, spanning 80 years of history. It includes 26 million records, with high quality scanned images.
Search France, Tables of Successions and Absences, 1890–1970
The records typically include the name of the individual, date and place of death, age at death, and the name of the spouse. In some cases, you may also find additional details such as date and place of birth, place of residence, and even the names of the deceased’s parents. If the individual left an inheritance, the record will indicate the inheritance file reference, providing even more opportunities for genealogical research.
Why This Collection Is Important
This collection shines a light on the lives of people in France during an important time in history. Since national death records for this period are not yet digitized or available online, these records help fill that gap and make it easier to connect with long-lost relatives and learn more about your family’s story.
The records were originally maintained for tax purposes, used to manage inheritance claims. The inheritance files referenced in these records are a key resource for genealogists because they document the estates of individuals who passed away or were officially declared missing, which is particularly useful for tracing family lines and understanding inheritance patterns. Given that the records are organized by tax registration offices, they also provide geographic context for the deceased’s residence or place of death, which is an added bonus for locating ancestors.
A Rich Collection of French Records
This release is part of MyHeritage’s ongoing effort to build a robust collection of French records. Following the acquisition of Filae, and more recently MesAieux.com, MyHeritage now serves as one of the best resources for researching French-speaking ancestors. These records join other notable French collections on MyHeritage, such as:
France Birth, Marriage, and Death Records
With the addition of this new collection, we now have nearly 1.4 billion historical records from France, in 120 collections, helping users trace their French roots more easily and in greater detail than ever before.
Example
In the newly added France, Tables of Successions and Absences collection on MyHeritage, we uncovered a record for Sarah Bernhardt, one of the most iconic actresses of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Born Henriette-Rosine Bernard on October 22, 1844, Bernhardt starred in some of the most celebrated French plays of her time, including La Dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas, Ruy Blas by Victor Hugo, and La Tosca by Victorien Sardou. Known for her versatility, she took on both male and female roles, famously playing Hamlet and earning the admiration of writers like Edmond Rostand and Victor Hugo.
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In the record, her profession is listed as “Directrice de théâtre,” which translates as ‘Theater Director.’
Summary
We hope this new collection will lead to meaningful discoveries in your family history. While the collection currently covers a variety of French departments, we are actively working on enriching it further, with additional departments to be added soon.
Searching the collections on MyHeritage is free, and you can explore these newly added records without a subscription. To view the full details and save records to your family tree, you’ll need a Data, Complete, or Omni subscription.
If you have a family tree on MyHeritage, our record-matching technology will automatically notify you if records from this collection match your ancestors. You can review the record and easily add the new details to your family tree.
Enjoy exploring France, Tables of Successions and Absences, 1890–1970 and uncover more of your French heritage!
