Genealogy in Eure (27): Archives, Resources for Your Research
Genealogy Cheat Sheet - Find Your Ancestors in Eure with Our Complete Guide: Online Archives, Images, Videos, History, and Association Websites...
updated: January 8, 2026
Eure is a department of Normandy created in 1790 from part of the former province, between the Seine Valley, agricultural plateaus, and old merchant towns like Évreux, Louviers, or Pont-Audemer. For genealogists, it is a transit territory between Île-de-France and the Normandy coast, marked by rural exodus in the 19th century and, more recently, by strong residential attractiveness to its rural and suburban communities.
Created during the French Revolution as the "department of Évreux," Eure includes part of the former Normandy, organized into districts and then arrondissements around Évreux, Bernay, Les Andelys, Louviers, and Pont-Audemer. Today, it borders the Seine-Maritime, the Oise, the Val-d'Oise, the Yvelines, Eure-et-Loir, the Orne, and the Calvados.
Its history is rooted in the Duchy of Normandy, from the grants made to Rollo in the 10th century to feudal conflicts and the rise of medieval abbeys and merchant cities.
The territory alternates between industrial valleys (Seine, Eure, Risle), cereal plateaus, and small trading towns, which explains the coexistence of peasant ancestors, town craftsmen, and factory workers or artisans.
📄 The Eure archives
Departmental archives of Eure: online resources for your genealogy
Visiting the Departmental Archives of Eure:
📍 2 rue de Verdun, 27025 Evreux
Contact the Departmental Archives of Eure:
📞 02 32 31 50 84
📧 archives@eure.fr
Start the search for your Eure ancestors on the departmental archives website:
Online records
Unusual records
🗺️ Migrations in Eure
- Before 1800: before the Revolution, the area of present-day Eure was fully part of the Duchy and then the province of Normandy, structured by Roman roads (Évreux–Lillebonne, Lillebonne–Lisieux, Évreux–Dreux) and ancient towns like Vieux-Évreux. Mobility was primarily regional: peasants, artisans, merchants, and religious people moved between towns and abbeys (Le Bec-Hellouin, Brionne, Pont-Audemer), following fairs, coastal trade on the Seine, and ecclesiastical careers. Major crises (Hundred Years' War, Wars of Religion) caused temporary population movements or regroupings, without leading to lasting long-distance emigration. For research before 1790, you should broaden the investigation to neighboring parishes and former lordly and ecclesiastical jurisdictions, rather than looking too soon outside Normandy.
Les grandes crises (guerre de Cent Ans, guerres de Religion) provoquent des déplacements ou des regroupements ponctuels de population, sans entraîner de vaste émigration lointaine durable. Pour les recherches avant 1790, il faut donc élargir l’enquête aux paroisses voisines et aux anciens ressorts seigneuriaux et ecclésiastiques, plutôt que de chercher trop tôt hors de Normandie.
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19th century: as elsewhere in France, Eure experienced rural exodus in the 19th century linked to agricultural modernization and industrial revolution: productivity gains and farm consolidation reduced labor needs, pushing small farmers and day laborers to leave the countryside. Part of this population moved to Normandy cities (Rouen, Le Havre) and Paris, where factories, the port, and services offered industrial and domestic jobs.
Les plateaux agricoles et les petites villes de l’Eure perdent ainsi des habitants, phénomène que l’on retrouve dans l’évolution démographique rurale française au XIXᵉ siècle. Pour le généalogiste, il est fréquent de voir une génération née dans un village eurélien ou eurois se marier à Rouen, au Havre ou à Paris, ce qui impose de consulter les registres d’autres départements pour suivre la continuité familiale.
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1900–1945: at the turn of the 20th century, industry became more established in former monastic sites and valleys (cotton mills, ribbon factories, textiles set up in former religious buildings), attracting local workers and sometimes those from neighboring countryside. This movement contributed to the economy's transformation, even though Eure remained less industrialized than the region's major port basins.
Les deux guerres mondiales marquent fortement la Normandie, par les combats, les occupations et les destructions, entraînant pertes humaines, réfugiés et déplacements temporaires. Certains habitants de l’Eure sont évacués, d’autres accueillent des réfugiés venus d’autres régions, ce qui crée des trajectoires familiales éparpillées entre départements normands, parisiens et parfois plus au sud. Pour vos arbres, cette période peut expliquer des mariages ou décès enregistrés loin de la commune d’origine, notamment dans les zones de refuge ou de repli.
- 1945–1980: after 1945, French agriculture transformed deeply: mechanization, farm expansion, and consolidation accelerated the disappearance of small farms, intensifying the rural exodus that began in the previous century. Eure, a predominantly rural department, was directly affected by this movement, with departures to major Normandy cities and the Paris region.
Dans le même temps, les axes routiers et autoroutiers, ainsi que la proximité de la région parisienne, font émerger des mobilités pendulaires : certains habitants continuent de vivre dans l’Eure tout en travaillant dans les départements voisins. Pour les chercheurs en généalogie, les générations nées après 1950 présentent souvent des lieux de naissance restés ruraux, mais des lieux de travail ou de mariage situés en Seine‑Maritime, dans les Yvelines ou à Paris.
For more information:
🎞️ Eure in images
Videos
Old images and postcards
Old maps of the department
- On Old Maps Online: old maps of the department
- On Gallica: old maps of Eure
The history of Eure
On Gallica: the books, the press and the manuscripts to learn everything about the department of Eure
📅 The 50 most common surnames in Eure
Top 10 of surnames in Eure:
- LEFEBVRE
- DUVAL
- LEROY
- MARTIN
- PETIT
- LANGLOIS
- PREVOST
- MORIN
- ROUSSEL
- LETELLIER
The other 40 most popular surnames in the department (according to the INSEE file):
- DELAMARE
- HEBERT
- LEFEVRE
- DUBOIS
- LEROUX
- SIMON
- MARIE
- AUBERT
- LEFRANCOIS
- LECLERC
- DESCHAMPS
- BENARD
- LAMBERT
- LEGENDRE
- MOREL
- CARON
- VALLEE
- PICARD
- RENARD
- FONTAINE
- GUERIN
- LUCAS
- PHILIPPE
- RICHARD
- LESUEUR
- LEGRAND
- CHEVALIER
- FLEURY
- CHERON
- LEMOINE
- HUE
- CARPENTIER
- DURAND
- THOMAS
- DUMONT
- MASSON
- DUPONT
- NOEL
- MARAIS
- MERCIER
🗺️ Genealogy sites in Eure
Genealogy circles and associations in Eure or nearby
Genealogy blogs that talk about Eure
Accounts to follow on social media
Happy researching!
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