Genealogy in Aisne (02): Archives and Historical Resources

Genealogy Cheat Sheet - All our useful links to guide you in searching for your origins in Aisne: archives, old maps, History and more...

Genealogy in Aisne (02): Archives and Historical Resources

©️Wikimedia - Claude Villetaneuse

  • Updated: May 6, 2024


The department of theAisne is located in the Hauts-de-France region, in northern France. It gets its name from the Aisne river that flows through it. This department is at the center of the departments of Nord, of the Somme, of the Oise, of the Seine-et-Marne, of the Marne, of the Ardennes and not far from the Pas-de-Calais.


The Aisne department was created during the French Revolution, in 1790. It groups together former provinces of Île-de-France, Champagne, and ancient Picardy. 


This department was the theater of many battles during World War I, which gives it a particular interest for genealogy enthusiasts. 



📄 Archives in Aisne



Departmental Archives of Aisne: Resources to Find Your Ancestors 


The Departmental Archives of Aisne hold nearly 25 kilometers of documents from the 9th century to the present day. Part of this collection is available online. 


Visit the Departmental Archives of Aisne:

📍 Parc Foch - avenue du Maréchal Foch, 02000 Laon


Contact the Departmental Archives of Aisne:

📞  03 23 24 61 47

💌  Send a message



Digitized Archives of the Departmental Archives of Aisne


Browse the digitized collection of the Archives from home: 


 

Online Records


 


Unusual Records





🧳 Migrations in Aisne: An Overview of Population Movements



  • Gallo-Roman period : at this time, the region was inhabited by the Suessions, a Gaulish people who left traces of their presence in cities like Soissons and Château-Thierry. 


  • In the Middle Ages : the region experienced significant migrations, particularly during the Barbarian invasions. The Franks, the Burgundians, and the Alamans settled there. 


  • From the 9th century : the Vikings began to sail up the Seine and plunder the region's cities. The Frankish kings then encouraged people to gather in fortified cities like Laon and Soissons for protection.


  • From the 12th century : the economy in the Aisne department developed. The city of Saint-Quentin and its textile industry thrived, attracting many. The textile and embroidery industry would be a real source of work for many workers and merchants for several centuries. Agricultural workers also left the countryside to work in coal mines and railways.


  • At the beginning of the 19th century : agriculture lost importance and struggled to modernize. Only the beet crop managed to stand out and spread throughout the 19th century, until the First World War.


  • During the World Wars : the Aisne department was one of the hardest hit by the First World War, with, among other things, the Battle of the Chemin des Dames, in 1917. At the end of the war, the department had to be rebuilt. During the interwar period, many Polish, Belgian, and Ukrainian immigrants came to work in agriculture, and specifically in beet farming. By the time of the Second World War, as the department was split in two, resistance activities flourished in the areas of Tergnier, Saint-Quentin, Château-Thierry, Laon and Hirson.


 


For more information: History of Immigration in Amiens and Picardy




📜 The Aisne in Images


Videos


 


Old Images and Postcards


 


Old Maps of the Department


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

 


📄 The history of Aisne


 

On Gallica: the books, the press and the manuscripts to learn everything about the Aisne Department



💬 The 50 Most Common Surnames in Aisne


Top 10 Surnames in Aisne: 

  • LEFEVRE
  • LEGRAND
  • LEMAIRE
  • MARTIN
  • LEROY
  • CARLIER
  • DUPONT
  • DUBOIS
  • DUFOUR
  • LEFEBVRE


The other 40 most popular surnames in the department (according to the INSEE File) : 

  • PETIT
  • CARPENTIER
  • FONTAINE
  • CHARPENTIER
  • MERCIER
  • BOURGEOIS
  • LAMBERT
  • RICHARD
  • CARON
  • LECLERE
  • VASSEUR
  • GOSSET
  • CAMUS
  • MOREAU
  • DUMONT
  • MEUNIER
  • FRANCOIS
  • LEROUX
  • BERNARD
  • LAURENT
  • DUVAL
  • MICHEL
  • POULAIN
  • FLAMANT
  • LECOMTE
  • ROBERT
  • VIEVILLE
  • ROGER
  • VENET
  • LEVEQUE
  • BERTRAND
  • LECLERCQ
  • THOMAS
  • LEMOINE
  • RICHET
  • SIMON
  • LEJEUNE
  • BOULANGER
  • LANGLET
  • MARCHAND


🗃️ Genealogy sites in Aisne


Genealogy circles and associations in Aisne and surrounding areas


 


LGenealogy blogs that talk about Aisne


 

Accounts to follow on social media 


 

Happy researching !



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