Cheat sheetsTips and toolsAncestors' storiesChallenge AZNews
Genealogy Cheat Sheet - The complete guide with many historical and archival resources to help you trace your family tree.
©️Wikimedia - Claude Villetaneuse
Updated: April 15, 2024
Maine-et-Loire is a French department located in the Pays de la Loire region. Its prefecture is the city of Angers. It is bordering the departments of
The department was created during the French Revolution, in 1790. It was formed from a large part of the former province of Anjou, as well as small parts of the provinces of Poitou and Brittany.
The department of Maine-et-Loire is known for its castles (such as the Château d'Angers, Château de Saumur, or Château de Brissac) and its vineyards that produce renowned wines (Saumur, Savennières, Coteaux-du-Layon...).
Various services can help you go further, such as workshops, exhibitions, guided tours, or publications on local history.
The Departmental Archives also call on the knowledge of internet users to find information (era, people...) about mystery photos.
Visiting the Departmental Archives of Maine-et-Loire:
🏛️ 106 rue de Frémur, 49007 Angers
Contacting the Departmental Archives of Maine-et-Loire:
📞 02 41 80 80 00
📋 As of now, the civil status and the decennial tables posterior to 1902 have not been transferred to the Departmental Archives. You need to contact the municipalities to find them.
Additionally, the departmental collection of population censuses has not been preserved in the departmental archives of Maine-et-Loire before 1936.
The municipal archives of the city of Angers provide online access to a small part of their documents:
The municipal archives of Saumur are accessible online, where you can find many resources:
The municipal archives of the city of Cholet have digitized a large number of documents, accessible online:
📌 Use the global search tool in the genealogical collections to go faster
The department of Maine-et-Loire is not known for being an immigration land. As early as the 18th century, more than 200 Angevins left in search of a better life in Canada.
It was not until the second half of the 19th century that the department saw some immigrants arrive. They were first Bretons, recruited in Ille-et-Vilaine, in the Côtes-du-Nord or in the Finistère to work in the slate quarries of Trélazé. This massive internal economic exodus explains that in 1860, nearly 25% of the population of Trélazé was Breton.
During this century, the population of the department lived from agriculture (vineyards and fruit trees), cereal production, and sheep farming. The department was also known for its Cholettes (fabrics, handkerchiefs, and calico) and its slate quarries.
At the end of the 19th century, a few Italian political refugees arrived in Saumur – there would be 54 Romagnols.
Later, after both World Wars, the cities of Nantes, Angers and Cholet set up parish welcome committees to welcome refugees from Southeast Asia. There were also many migrants from the Maghreb, from Turkey and from the Portugal who came to the department to work. This predominantly male population mainly worked in agriculture, in the mines of Trélazé, or in industry.
For more information:
On Gallica: the books, the press and the manuscripts to learn everything about the Maine-et-Loire department
Happy researching !
🤝 Your ancestors are waiting for you on Geneafinder, start or import your genealogy tree now
🌳 Quick and free registration - learn more