Godfather, a useful mention in the archives

"A man who does not take care of his family will never become a man" The Godfather, Part 1

You have certainly seen in baptismal records the mention of the godfather or godmother. Often, this is overlooked, to your detriment, because the figure of the godfather can help you in your genealogical research, especially when you find yourself in a dead end. 

But first, what is a godfather? 

The origins of godparenthood date back to the 2nd century, and since the Council of Trent (1545-1563), the baptized child is given only one godfather and one godmother, not several. 

In the 18th century, godfathers were designated in a strict manner: for the first child, it was the maternal grandfather, and for the second, the paternal grandfather. It was also common for the child to take the first name of his godfather, with the baptism taking place on the day of birth or the following day. 

The godfather commits to supporting the godchild in their Christian life and helping them grow spiritually; this is why one must be Catholic to have this status and be over 14 years old. They have a "spiritual kinship" that in fact prohibits them from marrying their godchild. However, contrary to what many people think (after watching too many American movies), in case of the parents' death, the godfather and godmother do not become the child's legal guardians; they have no legal status in civil law and only have a moral role.

A very useful mention

In the records, godfathers and godmothers are considered witnesses. They can be very useful when the parents' names are not mentioned, as they allow you to search for records where these names might appear. For example, to find a marriage record, they prove to be tools not to be neglected when you don't know which commune to search in. Indeed, they were often chosen from the family circle, and it is not uncommon to see in the records a mention of their parish of origin. Since the marriage often took place in the wife's commune of origin, if she is related to the godfather or godmother, it is possible that this is also her commune of origin, and thus to find her marriage record there. 

It can be interesting to find a baptismal record where your ancestor appears as a godfather; indeed, this record contains the name, first name, residence, profession, and often the place of residence of the godparents.

This is why, even though we tend to overlook it, the godfather is not useless in a family tree, and it can even be important to note him, if by chance we were to get stuck in family exploration. And let's be honest, this has happened to all of us!