What can a post-mortem inventory teach us about our ancestors?

Discover how a post-mortem inventory can reveal the daily life of your ancestors: goods, debts, professions, heirs. Where to find them and how to use them?

In genealogy,  post-mortem inventories are true hidden treasures. More than just lists of objects, these documents dive into the daily life of your ancestors: their home, their furniture, their debts, their books, sometimes even their clothes…

By going through an inventory, you discover not only material goods, but also  a moment in life.It’s an open door to the social, cultural, and economic reality of your ancestors.

What is a post-mortem inventory?

Under the Ancien Régime and until the end of the 19th century, heirs could request that a notary or a bailiff establish an inventory of the deceased’s belongings.

• This inventory wasn’t always mandatory (except in cases of minor heirs).

• The notary went room by room, opening each cabinet, noting each object.

• He also established a list of important papers : contracts, debts, property titles…

  
  

We often speak of  “taken items” to design the financial assessment of objects. These details allow us today to reconstruct the living environment of our ancestors, whether they were nobles, artisans, or simple peasants. Contrary to popular belief, inventories were not only for wealthy families.

📋 Genealogy tip: you can get an idea of what your ancestors’ belongings and furniture looked like by researching on regional museum websites – as Sophie Boudarel did on her blog La Gazette des Ancêtres.

Where and how to find a post-mortem inventory?

Most of these documents are kept in  departmental archives. Here’s where to look:

• In notarial archives (series E): the notaries’ minutes contain most post-mortem inventories.
• In the jurisdictions of the Ancien Régime (series B): especially when it involved disputed property or complex succession.

Step-by-step search method:

1. Consult the  registers of deed records from the competent territorial office.

2. Note the  date of the inventory and the jurisdiction of deposit.

3. Search the jurisdiction in the archive directories and locate the  reference of the document.

4. In some regions, you can directly consult the  alphabetical index of post-mortem inventories.

   
   

What you can learn about your ancestors thanks to inventories

• Their living conditions : furniture, dishes, bedding, decorations.

• Their level of wealth : presence of jewelry, silverware, books, musical instruments.

• Their profession or passions : craftsmen’s tools, religious books, objects related to a specific activity.

• Their family relationships : debts, heirs, complex successions.

  
  

Each inventory is a little investigation: it allows you to shed light on the daily life of an ancestor otherwise invisible in parish registers.

Trace the daily life of your ancestors

A post-mortem inventory is not just a legal document: it’s a  window into the real life of your ancestors. It complements parish registers and traditional notarial deeds to enrich your research.

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