Can anyone tell me how to search for French Naturalization records
Aubrey Jacobus

===== It depends of the date of naturalisation.
For 1814-1853 go to:
http://www.archivesnationales.culture.gouv.fr/arn/
and ask for "naturalisations".
Then ask for the name you want. It gives you all the informations
(decree ref., date etc.) so that you can ask for the file to the
National Archives Library (CARAN).

For 1900-1950 there is a CDRom wich gives references for the file (but
public access to the file only untill 1940, after this date you must
ask for a derogation). The CGJ has this CDRom.

from 1853 to 1900, it is more difficult and you must come to France

(or find someone in France to help you) and search for the decree
in "Bulletin des Lois" or you can try a minitel site (3617 Archivis).
It is quite expensive, but it gives you all the informations in order
to ask the file.

When you have all the informations, If you can come to France to see
the file directly, you must ask for it to CARAN, (11 rue des 4 fils,
75004 Paris) either directly, either by a letter. It will take 2 or 3
weeks to obtain it and they will write to inform you when it will be
waiting for you.

If you cannot come to France, then write to :
Service de Reprographie, 60 rue des Francs Bourgeois, 75141 Paris
Cedex 03
give them the references of the file and ask if it is possible to
obtain a copy, what kind of copy (probably microfilm), and how much
it will cost. It will take some days before they answer, but usually
they do it.

Also, for the period 1814-1900, there is a possibility I can give
you informations (I have notes concerning 1200 naturalization files
for this period)

Anne Lifshitz-Krams
CGJ (Paris, France)
www.genealoj.org

To explain how to search the French Naturalization Records is a very
difficult matter. I recently wrote a full article about this subject
published in the last issue of the American magazine Heritage Quest.

If you are searching for a Naturalization File between 1900 and 1950,
the research can be done easily thanks to a CD Rom. For the other
periods, the research is more complicated.

If you write me privatly about the naturalized persons you are searching
for, I could tell you more about this subject.

Sincerely,
Laurence Abensur-Hazan (Mrs), Paris, France

The "Centre des Archives Contemporaines", based in Fontainebleau,
France (77) hold all the records of French naturalization between
1900 and 1950. With the name, the birthdate, the town where the
people bornt and the naturalization date, you can get all the
informations about people.
Here is the adress:
Centre des Archives Contemporaines
2 rue des Archives
77300 Fontainebleau
France
Tel : 0164317300

An other possibility:
"Les Chercheurs d'Ancêtres"
6 rue de l'Oratoire
75001, Paris
France

Daniel Lebovici
Machault
France