Heretofore, in dribs and drabs, we have discussed the odd marginal notes added to civil registrations, particularly in the post on recognizing a child. We give now all of the possible marginal notes, mentions marginales, which the French officier d'état civil may -- nay must -- write or, if somewhat lazy, stamp onto a civil registration.
On all registrations -
any rectifications or corrections of spellings, dates, sex (we cannot say why this last mistake gets made, but it does. Perhaps the diffident officer did not look; perhaps it was a Friday after lunch...... Who can say?), etc.
On the birth registration or acte de naissance:
- Reconnaissance d'un enfant naturel - the recognition of a natural child by one or both of the parents
- Légitimation - the legitimization of a child's birth by the marriage of his or her parents
- Adoption par la nation - becoming a ward of the state
- Arrêt déclaratif de naissance - Late registration of birth. By law, a birth must be registered within three days of the event. If not, the courts must give permission for the registration and the tardiness must be noted in the margin
- Adoption
- Legitimization by adoption (a parent marries and the new spouse adopts)
- Revocation of adoption
- Francisation (oh! delightful word) not of the person, with beret and baguette, but of the name, the note for which goes on the birth registration of the person who changed his or her name, that of the spouse and of the children
- Name change, again, the note for which goes on the birth registration of the person who changed his or her name, that of the spouse AND of the children (at this, our krakatoan rage boils and seethes)
- Legal judgements on any disputes concerning the civil status of the person, such as disputing any of the above
- Marriages, all of them
- Divorce or separation - is noted on the birth registrations of the couple. Again, all of them.
- Death, including legal declaration of death
- Mort pour la France - Died in battle
On the marriage registration or acte de mariage:
- Le mainlevée d'opposition d'un mariage - the withdrawal of an opposition to a marriage. This was written on the banns until 1927, and is now on the acte de mariage
- Divorce or separation
- Reconciliation after separation
We imagine that future notes will include a DNA sample and the number of the microchip inserted into the child at birth. However, make no bones about it, finding an acte de naissance full of notes is a little bit of the Grail for a French genealogist.
©2010 Anne Morddel
French Genealogy
Some precisions :
On birth registrations
Marriages are written since august 1897
Divorces are written since 1932
Death is written since march 1945
Regards
Posted by: Geneaclio | 17 November 2010 at 21:19