French Indexing Guide – Census

France, Dordogne, Census, 1856
The France, Dordogne, 1856 Census contains records from the 1856 census in the region of Dordogne, located in southwestern
France. In the future, censuses for other regions in France will become available online; those censuses will use record types similar
to those appearing in the Dordogne project.
This guide is a quick start to indexing the census records; carefully read the project instructions in each project to learn about the
unique features of that project.
Thank you for your desire to help preserve these precious records. Happy Indexing!
4
6
3
2
5
1
=Number of Household
=Surnames
=Given names
=Sex
=Marital Status
There are 6 basic elements to index in these Census Records
1
Number of Household* will be indexed as 1
2
Surname* will be indexed as Faure
3
Given Names* will be indexed as Jean
4
Sex* will be indexed as M
5
Marital Status* will be indexed as M
6
Age will be indexed as 42
*Fields with an asterisk are required fields. If they are not recorded, press Ctrl+B to mark the field as blank.
=Age
What You Need to Know about This Project
• Records are written on preprinted forms, making them easier to read.
• Each batch contains one image.
• Each image contains two pages, with up to 60 records. Index each record.
• You may need to add entry lines in the data entry area to match the number of records on the image.
• For a tutorial of how to add a record, see https://youtu.be/weU_UX448H0
• If an image has fewer than 60 records, you will need to mark the unused records as Blank in the data entry area.
• Each record form is organized in vertical columns, with headers listing the information contained below them.
• You may come across variations in the record form type used, but the wording will be similar or the same in most batches. Once you
learn to recognize the key words contained in these census records, you should be able to easily index each form type.
How to Read This Record
• Column numbers 1 and 2 contain information you do not index.
• Column number 3 (numéros des maisons) indicates the number of houses the census is being conducted about.
In this record, all individuals listed live in the same house. This is evidenced by a bracket that includes the families
living at the same address. In this case, it’s one single house. We do not index this information.
• Column number 4 (numéros des ménages) indicates the number of families living at the
same address. In this case, there are two families.
Family number 1 includes individuals 1 to 6.
Family number 2 includes individuals 7 to 9.
• Column number 5 lists the individuals that are part of each family.
• Column number 6 lists the families surnames (Noms de famille).
• Column number 7 lists the given names of each family member.
• Column number 8 contains information you do not index.
• Column numbers 9 to 14 show the marital status of each individual listed. In this column you will also find indication of the sex of
those individuals.
• Column number 15 shows the age of the listed individuals.
• Column number 16 contains observations (if any) made by the registrar. Do not index this information.
Six Basic Elements
For training purposes, this guide will demonstrate how to index record number 1.
1
Number of Household* (numéro de ménage) 1
• Type the number of the household. It is usually handwritten in column # 4, “Numéros des ménages.”
• If a household number was not recorded, press Ctrl+B to mark this field as blank.
2
Surname* (nom de famille) Faure
• The surname is typically written before the given names. If you cannot determine if a name is a given name or a
surname, index it in the Given Names field.
• Maiden surnames should be typed in this field before married surnames.
• Do not include titles or terms, such as “Madame” (Mrs), “Monsieur” (Mr), “Épouse” (Spouse), “Veuf” (Widower), or “Veuve” (Widow)
with the name.
• Do not include punctuation, except hyphens (-) and apostrophes (’) when they were written on the document as part of the name.
• Do not expand abbreviations; type what you see in the document.
• If the surname was not recorded or was written as a variation of the word “unknown,” press Ctrl+B to mark this field as blank.
3
Given Names* (prénoms) Jean
• The given names are typically written after the surname.
• If you cannot determine if a name is a given name or a surname, index it in this field.
• Do not include titles or terms, such as “Madame” (Mrs), “Monsieur” (Mr), “Épouse” (spouse), “Veuf” (widower) or “Veuve” (widow) with
the name.
• If a name was abbreviated, type it as it was written on the document. Do not type a period after the abbreviation.
• Do not index punctuation, except hyphens (-) and apostrophes (’) when they were written on the document as part of the name.
• If given names were not recorded or were written as a variation of the word “unknown,” press Ctrl+B to mark this field as blank.
4
Sex* (sexe)
M for the individual on line 1 (as seen in column 10)
• Type M for masculin (male) if a mark is in columns 9 to 11 or F for féminin (female) if a mark is in columns 12 to 14.
• The sex was indicated in the “État civil des habitants” (marital status of the inhabitants) column, by a mark in the
appropriate column.
• You may also be able to determine the sex from other indications in the language, such as sex-specific titles or terms.
• Do not assume the sex of a person based on given names.
• If the sex was not recorded or was written as a variation of the word “unknown,” press Ctrl+B to mark this field as blank.
5
Marital Status* (situation de famille, or état civil des habitants)
M
• Type G for garçons (boys), F for filles (girls), M for hommes mariés (married men) or femmes mariées (married
women), or V for veufs (widowers) or veuves (widows).
• If the marital status was not recorded or was written as a variation of the word “unknown,” press Ctrl+B to mark this field as blank.
6
Age (âge)
42
• Index only full years. If fractions of years were recorded, round down to the nearest full year.
• If less than one year was recorded, index the age as 0 (zero).
• If the age was not recorded or was written as a variation of the word “unknown,” press Tab to skip this field.
Key Words and Expressions
French
English
Age
Age
Dénombrement de la population Census
Désignation des quartiers,
villages ou hameaux
Designation of neighborhood,
villages or hamlets
État civil des habitants
Marital status of the inhabitants
Filles
Girls, women, daughters
Femmes mariées
Married women
Garçons
Boys
Hommes marriés
Married men
Maisons
Houses
Ménages
Households
Noms de Famille
Surnames
Núméros par Quartier, Village,
hameau, ou rue
Prénoms
Designation by neighborhood,
village, hamlet, or street
Given games
Recensement
Census
Sexe feminine
Female
Sexe masculine
Male
Veufs
Widowers
Veuves
Widows
Listes nominatives
Nominative lists
Population
Population
Janvier ( jan)
Months
January
Février (fev)
February
Mars (mar)
March
Avril (avr)
April
Mai (mai)
May
Juin ( juin)
June
Juillet ( juil)
July
Août (aout)
August
Septembre (sep)
September
Octobre (oct)
October
Novembre (nov)
November
Décembre (dec)
December
Phrases Indicating Time
An or année
Year
Aujourd’hui
Today
Hier
Yesterday
Jour
Day
L’an que dessus
The year above
Le mesme jour
The same day
Mois
Month
Help and Training
FamilySearch Indexing Support and Training:
https://familysearch.org/indexing/help/
For a more comprehensive genealogical
French word list, go to:
https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/
French_Wordlist
Other Resources
• For full project instructions:
https://indexing.familysearch.org/
projects/France_Dordogne1856_
Census/ProjectHelp3.html
• For help with handwritten records:
https://familysearch.org/indexing/help/
handwriting#?l=fr
• For French surnames websites:
http://genealogy.familyeducation.com/
browse/origin/french?page=1
• For a list of French departments:
https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/
France
• For the French records extraction guide:
http://fh.familysearch.org/system/
files/team/ait/indexing/France_
LDSExtractionGuide.pdf
Lundi
Days of the Week
Monday
Mardi
Tuesday
Mercredi
Wednesday
Jeudi
Thursday
Vendredi
Friday
Samedi
Saturday
Dimanche
Sunday
un
Numbers
1
deux
2
trois
3
quatre
4
cinq
5
six
6
sept
7
huit
8
neuf
9
dix
10
onze
11
douze
12
treize
13
quatorze
14
quinze
15
seize
16
dix-sept
17
dix-huit
18
dix-neuf
19
vingt
20
vingt-et-un
21
vingt-deux
22
vingt-trois
23
vingt-quatre
24
vingt-cinq
25
vingt-six
26
vingt-sept
27
vingt-huit
28
vingt-neuf
29
trente
30
quarante
40
cinquante
50
soixante
60
soixante-dix or septante
70
quatre-vingt(s) or octante or
huitante
80
quatre-vingt-dix or nonante
90
cent
100
© 2015 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.
English approval: 10/15. PD60000830