Genealogy in Indre-et-Loire (37): Online Resources and Archives
Genealogy Cheat Sheet - Trace your ancestors with many resources: archives, records, old maps, histories, association sites...
©️Wikimedia - Claude Villetaneuse
updated: September 2, 2025
Indre-et-Loire, a French department located in the Centre-Val de Loire region, was born from the French Revolution in 1790. Its territory mostly corresponds to the ancient historical province of Touraine, land of the Turones, a Gaulish tribe that populated the region even before the Roman conquest. The city of Tours, capital of the department and former Gallo-Roman city called Caesarodunum, was long a major religious, administrative, and cultural center of the Kingdom of France.
Over the centuries, Indre-et-Loire has been marked by a rich medieval past with its many castles and abbeys, feudal rivalries, as well as historical events like the Battle of Poitiers which slowed Muslim expansion in Europe in the 8th century.
The department is today bordered by the departments of Loir-et-Cher, the Indre, the Vienne, the Maine-et-Loire and the Sarthe.
📜 Archives of Indre-et-Loire
Departmental archives of Indre-et-Loire: all digitized resources
Visit the Departmental Archives of Indre-et-Loire:
📍 6 rue des Ursulines, 37100 Tours
Contact the Departmental Archives of Indre-et-Loire:
📞 02 47 60 88 88
📧 Send an email
Browse the departmental archives of Indre-et-Loire to search for your ancestors - you are looking for:
Online records
Unusual records
🌍 Migrations in Indre-et-Loire
- 19th Century - Political Immigration and First Labor Immigration : From the beginning of the 19th century, Indre-et-Loire welcomed political refugees, notably Spanish Carlists in the 1830s, as well as Italian refugees following the insurrection of Modena. At the same time, immigration gradually became linked to work, with a modest but steady influx of workers and seasonal laborers from Belgium, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Poland. These populations worked in agriculture, construction, and early railway projects.
- Interwar Period and World War II - Growing Diversity: Between the two wars, Indre-et-Loire became a hub for refugees from European conflicts (White Russians, Poles, Armenians, Spaniards fleeing Francoism). These migrants mainly integrated into local agricultural and industrial sectors, where the demand for foreign labor was high. Bilateral agreements, particularly with Italy and Poland, regulated this immigration.
- Second Half of the 20th Century - Post-Colonial Labor Migrations:
After 1945, the region saw increased diversification of migrations with the arrival of Algerians, Moroccans, Portuguese, and Turks, attracted by the growing need for labor in reconstruction and agricultural, industrial, and tertiary activities. Indre-et-Loire notably had a significant Portuguese community from the 1960s onwards, as well as Maghrebi populations that settled permanently.
Learn more:
🏠 Indre-et-Loire in images
Videos
Images and old postcards
Ancient maps of the department
📖 The history of Indre-et-Loire
On Gallica: the books, the press and the manuscripts to learn everything about the department of Indre-et-Loire
🖥️ Genealogy sites in Indre-et-Loire
Genealogy circles and associations in Indre-et-Loire or nearby
Genealogy blogs about Indre-et-Loire
Accounts to follow on social media
Happy researching!
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