The
French
Documents

• RETURN TO MAIN SCREEN
• LANGUAGE OPTIONS

GEOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARIES

LIST OF GEOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARIES

The following is a list of geographical dictionaries and gazetteers to assist you in finding place names. Click on the country for which you wish to find available geographical resources. Most of these resources are found in the Family History Library Catalog. To consult this catalog, click HERE.

One very helpful online resource for verifying and finding place names is places in t​he world.com​. Here you can select a country of interest and search for place names or browse for place names alphabetically.

FRANCE

Archival Guides

Paroisses et communes de France. Dictionnaire d'histoire administrative et démographique. Paris, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 1974, 24 cm, 923 p., cartes, tabl., bibliogr. (Coll. coordonnée par le Laboratoire de Démographie Historique de l'Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes).​ For description of this valuable resource, including a list of volumes of this series, and how to use it click HERE

Internet Links

http://www.culture.fr/culture/doc/index.html

http://www.histo.com/

Genealogy handbooks

Jouniaux, Leo. Genealogie: pratique, methode, recherche. Paris: Editions Arthaud, 1991.

Pontet, Patrick. Ancestral Research in France. Andover, U.K.. 1998.

Valynseele, Joseph. La genealogie, histoire et pratique. Paris: References Larousse, 1992.

Gazetteers

Bottin des communes: dictionnaire général des communes, principaux hameaux, écarts et lieux-dits; France métropolitan, Union Française d'Outre-Mer.  Paris: Didot-Bottin, 1955, c1951.  FHL 6053519 and 1440771.

Dictionnaire des communes: France métropolitaine, Algérie, départements d'outre-mer, territoires de l'Union française. Paris: Berger-Levrault, 1950.

Dictionnaire des communes: France métropolitaine, Algérie, départements d'outre-mer, territoires de l'Union française. Paris: Berger-Levrault, 1950.

Doisy, M.  Le Royaume de France et les états de Lorraine.  Paris: N. Tilliard, 1753.  FHL 6312180.

Kintz, Jean-Pierre.  Bas-Rhin: dictionnaire d'histoire administrative et démographique.  Paris: CNRS, 1977.

Oizon, René.  Dictionnaire Géographique de la France.  Paris: Librairie Larousse.

Saugrain, l'ainé.  Nouveau denombrement du Royaume, par généralitéz [sic], elections, paroisses et feux.  Paris: [s.n.], 1720.  FHL 0590385.

United States.  Board of Geographic Names.  Gazetteer to maps of Central France 1:100,000.  Washington D.C.: Army Map Service, 1944.  FLH 0962236.

----------.  Gazetteer to Maps of Southern France 1:100,000.  Washington D.C.: Army Map Service, 1944.  FHL 0962236.

Historical Geographical Dictionaries, Atlases, Maps and Materials

Carte de France. Levee par ordre du Roy. (1750-1815), Cassini family; Cassini, Cesar-Francois, 1714-178, Paris,1750 - 1815

For description of this valuable resource and how to use it click here 

For direct access to the Composite of all 182 map sheets online go to http://www.davidrumsey.com/blog/2009/10/11/national-survey-of-france-1750-1815

Atlas Historique de la France. Paris: Plon, c1985.

Mirot, Léon. Manuel de Géographie Historique de la France. Paris: Picard, 1980.

Saugrain, l'ainé.  Nouveau denombrement du Royaume, par généralitéz [sic], elections, paroisses et feux.  Paris: [s.n.], 1720.  FHL 0590385.

Sinclair, Stéphane.  Atlas de Geographie Historique de la France et de la Gaule de la Conquete Cesarienne a nos jours. Paris: Sedes, 1985.

Modern Atlases and Maps

Barbier, Jean and Nicole Boubounelle, and René Oizon.  Atlas departemental / cartes concues et realisees par la Societé Française d'etudes et de realisations cartographiques.  Paris: Larousse, c1983.

Index Atlas de France.  Oberthur.

Michelin Tyre Company, ltd.  Michelin Road Atlas of France.  New York: Crown Publishers, c1987.

Ecclesiastical Directories

Almanach Ecclésiastique de France, pour l'an MDCCCXII [1812]. Paris: Adrien Le Clere, 1812.  FHL 0823897.

Annuaire Catholique de France.  Paris: Publicat, 1949-.

La France Protestant.  Valence, France: Imprimeries Réunies, 1970.

Mours, Samuel.  Les Eglises Réformées en France.  Paris: Librarie Protestant, 1958.  FHL 0765005.

Encyclopedias

Grand Larousse Encyclopédique.  Paris: Librarie Larousse, 1960-1964.

QUEBEC

A useful modern gazetteer is:

•      Répertoire toponymique duQuébec (Geographic Names of Québec). Saint-Cyrille, Québec, Canada: Éditeur officiel du Québec, 1978. (Family History Library book 971.4 E5r 1978<https://familysearch.org/search/catalog/results#count=20&query=%2Bcall_number%3A%22971.4+E5r*%22>.) Text in French. Localities are listed alphabetically. For each locality, this book lists the canton (township) if applicable and the division de recensement (the census division which in this book is the county). It also gives coordinates of latitude and longitude. Sources in the Locality Search of the FamilySearch Catalog are usually listed by the counties and provinces given in this gazetteer.
  
  The recent counties and provinces for many localities are listed in:
  ·       Schindler, Marc A. Administrative Atlas of Canada; Volume 2, Québec. Gloucester, Ontario, Canada: Schindler-Spring Family Organization, 1987. (FHL book 971 E7sm v. 2; film 1750799 item 7.) A gazetteer in this volume lists major towns and the counties and townships they are in. There are also maps showing boundaries of the counties and townships.
•  
• Gazetteers for Localities Before 1900
  
  An excellent source for localities and their counties in mid-19th century Québec is:
  ·       Lovell, John. Canadian Dominion Directory for 1871. Eight Volumes. Montreal, Canada: John Lovell, 1871. (Family History Library book 971.3 E4L; films 856124-25; fiche 6046766<https://familysearch.org/search/catalog/360258>.) Gives the township and county of each community. This is important information when you search census records, land and property records, local histories, and other records.
  
  An appendix in the following directory gives more old place-names and their counties:
  ·       Elliot, Noel Montgomery. The French Canadians 1600-1900: An Alphabetized Directory of the People, Places and Vital Dates. Three Volumes. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Genealogical Research Library, 1992. (Family History Library book 971D22f<https://familysearch.org/search/catalog/results#count=20&query=%2Bcall_number%3A%22971+D22f*%22>.)

BELGIUM

HAITI

SWITZERLAND

LUXEMBOURG

MONACO

LOUISIANA