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TV Sud Magazine: "Geneanet puts an end to preconceived ideas about genealogy!
Genealogy, the fascinating quest for our origins, is often surrounded by myths and preconceived ideas that can distort understanding of family history and discourage the curious. Do you think everything was lost during the French Revolution, or that your ancestors died young? Geneanet, proves the contrary and lifts the veil on these erroneous beliefs for a clear and authentic vision of our family histories.
1. No! not everything burned down during the Revolution
Contrary to popular belief, the archives of the Ancien Régime are well preserved. Parish registers, kept in duplicate since 1667 by royal ordinance (Code Louis), have survived for the most part. And even in the absence of parish registers, it is possible to consult notarial, judicial and military archives... A simple visit to Geneanet and its "registers" section reveals the wealth of available holdings.
So, in most cases, the branches of the family tree will extend back to the 17th century, or even further. So, where does this preconceived notion come from? Could it be due to the revolutionary determination to eradicate all traces of the Ancien Régime, literally and figuratively, which resulted in the burning of thousands of proofs of nobility?
2. No! No need to go to churches or town halls
It's true that the main sources for genealogical research are civil records, historically kept in town halls, and, before the Revolution, parish registers, which were kept in churches. This probably explains this misconception.
Today, however, there's no need to go anywhere, as almost all civil and parish registers are digitized and accessible online, notably on departmental archive websites.
Geneanet also offers a large indexed database, making it easy to search for an ancestor using basic information such as a surname, first name, place or approximate date, and then access the register!
3. No! Our ancestors didn't die at 30.
We often hear that, due to a lack of hygiene, medical knowledge, medicines and vaccines, people died at 30 and were old men at 40. This misconception stems from a misleading interpretation of life expectancy, which was indeed less than 30 under the Ancien Régime. However, this does not mean that all our ancestors died at this age.
This apparent contradiction can be explained by the very high infant mortality rate. Under the Ancien Régime, half of all children died before the age of 10, drastically reducing the average life expectancy of the entire population. As a result, a young adult could reasonably expect to reach middle age.
Geneanet provides its users with numerous statistics on their ancestors drawn from their family trees, such as life expectancy, age pyramid, age at marriage, longevity records and average number of children per union.
4. No! Particles are not a sign of nobility.
The particle "de" before a surname in no way indicates nobility. It is estimated that 3/4 of surnames preceded by a particle are of commoner origin, while some noble families have no particle at all. But where does this error come from? Under the Ancien Régime, it was common for the owner of an estate, whether noble or commoner, to be described as "sieur de ...", and for the name of the land to be attached to his or her surname with the particle "de". Nobles, in particular, owned fiefs of which they were lords, and added the name of their lands to their patronymic to differentiate themselves from other branches of the family. Hence the association between the particle and nobility, even though the particle was originally a mark of ownership.
5. No! modest families are not without interest.
Genealogical research often reveals surprises. Numerous sources, such as the old press, notarial archives and court records, enable us to discover unsuspected aspects of our ancestors' lives, because, contrary to popular belief, you didn't have to be notable or well-to-do to be quoted in the press or have recourse to a notary. Nowadays, many period newspapers have been digitized and indexed. All it takes is a few key words, for example in Geneanet's genealogical library, to find newspaper articles about your family!
Furthermore, just because our grandparents were simple farmers doesn't mean that their great-grandparents weren't from the bourgeoisie or the nobility. Only genealogical research can reveal this. Finally, by building your family tree on Geneanet, you're almost certain to discover famous cousins thanks to the Geneastar site, which traces the genealogy of over 18,000 celebrities!
Read the article on www.tvsudmagazine.fr
By Rémi Fagnon
