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  • Alsace genealogy
    • Main contributor: Craig Kanalley
    Alsace on a map of France
    Modern-day location of Alsace in France

    Alsace genealogy relates to the research of family history in the cultural region and historical territory known as Alsace (also Elsass) in eastern France along the border with Germany. People from Alsace are typically referred to as Alsatians.

    Alsace is part of a larger historical territory known as Alsace-Lorraine. The region has alternated between French and German control over the centuries and as a result it is a mix of those cultures. Modern-day residents frequently speak both French and German.

    Today Alsace is made up of the modern-day departments of Bas-Rhin (Lower Rhine) and Haut-Rhin (Upper Rhine) in France. These names refer to the river Rhine, one of Europe's longest waterways which flows in the region. Alsace is part of the French région Grand Est as of 2016.

    People from Alsace can be found in French collections on MyHeritage, including France Church Baptisms & Civil Births, France Church Marriages & Civil Marriages, France Church Burials & Civil Deaths, the 1872 France Census and the 1906 France Census.

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    Historical context

    Strasbourg Alsace
    View of Strasbourg including its famous cathedral

    The name Alsace itself comes from the Old High German Ali-saz, meaning "foreign domain." The early people in this region were nomadic in nature and the territory became part of the Roman Empire. The Thirty Years War (1618-1648) had a dramatic impact on the region with parts of Alsace annexed by France.

    As a result of the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871), Alsace was annexed as part of the German Empire. It returned to France after World War II. The back-and-forth history of the region led to the birth of a German dialect known as Alsatian (Elsässisch) or Alsatian German. The language is influenced by French with some words introduced from Yiddish as well.

    The marching song "La Marseillaise", which later became the national anthem of France, was composed in 1792 in Strasbourg, a city in Alsace.[1] The Council of Europe, European Parliament and European Court of Human Rights are all based in Strasbourg today.

    The population of Alsace has steadily increased from approximately 750,000 in 1806 to 1 million in 1846 and 1.9 million in 2021, according to census records.[2][3] Catholicism is the primary religion practiced in Alsace with Protestant and Jewish minorities.

    Geography in Alsace

    Riquewihr Alsace
    Riquewihr, a wine village in Haut-Rhin, southern Alsace

    Alsace is an extremely fertile territory, driven by agriculture, and it is well known for its vineyards. It is one of the major wine-producing regions of France.[4] The region is made up of many towns and villages and small farms, as well as the major city of Strasbourg.

    There are countless hills and wooded regions throughout the region. Alsace's natural boundaries include the Vosges Mountains to the west and the river Rhine to the east; there are also the Jura Mountains toward the south.[4]

    Waterways that flow through Alsace include the Rhine, which connects France with Germany, the Ill, the Saar, the Zorn, and the Thur, as well as the Colmar Canal and Sarre Canal. Several of these routes are ideal for cruising and useful for trade.

    Administrative districts of Alsace

    Since the French Revolution (1789), Alsace has been divided into two departments: Haut-Rhin (Upper Rhine) and Bas-Rhin (Lower Rhine). These divide into 10 arrondissements (administrative districts):

    Arrondissements of Alsace
    Bas-Rhin Haut-Rhin
    Haguenau-Wissebourg Altkirch
    Molsheim Colmar-Ribeauvillé
    Saverne Guebwiller
    Sélestat-Erstein Mulhouse
    Strasbourg Thann-Guebwiller

    Knowing the administrative district can be useful for genealogy, as you can find sets of records that are specific to that particular area. For example, keep in mind that families in rural communities may appear under "rural circuit" records from larger parishes or cities. In addition, there were often connections of people between parishes or towns within an administrative district, whether it be blood relationships or social links such as occupational.

    Alsatian surnames

    Both Germanic and French surnames are common in Alsace. Some surnames were influenced by Swiss German due to the proximity of Switzerland to the south. Common surnames include Müller, Schmidt, Meier, Martin, Michel and Henry.

    Learn more here: Alsatian surnames.

    Notable people from Alsace

    Frederic Auguste Bartholdi
    Frederic Auguste Bartholdi (1834-1904), a sculptor, was from Colmar, Alsace.

    Well-known people from Alsace include:

    Types of records

    Reformed Church in Cleebourg
    Reformed Church in Cleebourg, Alsace

    The most valuable records for Alsatian genealogy are civil registration records, which began in 1793, and church records. Civil records and parish records for Alsace are searchable and available online through digitized images at the following links:

    Records at the above links are sorted by location – you'll need the name of the town or parish. To search for a person's name, you can try the following indexed collections:

    Additional records for the Alsace region or pertaining to people from Alsace can be found with the following collections:

    See also

    Explore more about Alsace genealogy

    References

    1. ↑ "La Marseillaise | History, Lyrics, & Translation | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
    2. ↑ "Des villages Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui". cassini.ehess.fr. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
    3. ↑ "Insee - Statistiques locales". statistiques-locales.insee.fr. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
    4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Alsace. Britannica Encyclopedia. https://www.britannica.com/place/Alsace
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