Genealogy in Indre (36): On the trail of your ancestors

Genealogy cheat sheet - Some research tips to find your roots in Indre: archives, records, old maps and more...

Genealogy in Indre (36): On the trail of your ancestors

©️Wikimedia - Benoît Prieur


Updated: February 20, 2026


The Indre department was created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It takes its name from the river that flows through it, and its prefecture is Châteauroux. Its territory was mainly formed from the western part of the former province of Berry, augmented by some fringes of Marche, Poitou, and Touraine. It is bordered by the departments of Loir-et-Cher, the Cher, the Creuse, the Haute-Vienne, the Vienne and the Indre-et-Loire.


Historically, Indre is marked by the domination of great feudal families and a strong monastic presence (like the abbey of Déols). In the 19th century, the department was known for its textile industry in Châteauroux and its inseparable link with the writer George Sand, who immortalized local customs in her rural novels.



📜 Archives of Indre


Departmental Archives of Indre

Visit the Departmental Archives of Indre:

📍 1 rue Jeanne d'Arc, 36000 Châteauroux


Contact the Departmental Archives of Indre :

📞  +33 2 54 27 30 42

📧  Send an email


Browse the digitized archives to search for your ancestors:


    Online records

    Unusual records



    🌍 Migration in Indre


    Indre has long remained a deeply rural department. Its migration flows reflect agricultural crises and the growing appeal of industrial centers or the capital.


    • From the 18th century to 1850: during this period, the population was essentially sedentary, living off mixed farming and sheep raising.Like many departments in the Center, Indre saw its first "exiles" leave for Paris to become servants, coachmen or workers.

      Day laborers moved to neighboring departments for large agricultural works (harvests).


    • 1850 - 1914: this is the great turning point. The phylloxera crisis and agricultural mechanization pushed young Berrichons towards cities. Châteauroux attracted local labor thanks to its textile mills (Manufacture des Parcs) and its clothing factories. The arrival of the railway facilitated the definitive departure to Île-de-France.

      There was also the occasional arrival of specialized workers from neighboring Haute-Vienne for porcelain and leather work (especially in Issoudun).


    • From 1914 to present: during World War I, Indre welcomed many refugees from the North and East of France as well as Belgium. To make up for the lack of labor on farms after 1918, Polish and Italian families settled in the department.

      A unique migratory episode marked Indre: the installation of the NATO base in Châteauroux-Déols. Thousands of Americans stayed there, creating mixed unions and an unprecedented cultural blend in Berry.

      Starting in the 1960s, like everywhere in France, the need for labor in construction and industry brought populations from North Africa and Portugal, mainly in the agglomerations of Châteauroux and Issoudun.



    For more information: 



    🍇 Indre in images


    Videos


    Old images and postcards


    Old maps of the department

    • From Cassini's villages to today's communes: the department of Indre
    • On Old Maps Online: the old maps of the department
    • On Gallica: the old maps of the Indre



    📚 History of Indre


    On Gallica: the books, the press and the manuscripts to learn everything about the Indre department


    🗝️ Genealogy sites in Indre


    Genealogy circles and associations in Indre


    Useful social networks


    Happy researching! 


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