Genealogy in Yvelines (78): Find Your Ancestors

Genealogy Cheat Sheet - Many useful links to guide you on the trail of your ancestors: departmental archives, histories, old maps, and more

Genealogy in Yvelines (78): Find Your Ancestors

©️Wikimedia - Claude Villetaneuse

updated: February 25, 2025



The Yvelines department, located in the Île-de-France region southwest of Paris, was created on January 1, 1968, following the dismemberment of the former Seine-et-Oise department. Along with the departments of Val-d'Oise, Essonne, and a few communes from the departments of Hauts-de-Seine, Val-de-Marne and Seine-Saint-Denis, it formerly constituted the Seine-et-Oise department, created in 1790. It is also bordering the Eure-et-Loir and Eure departments.


This territory of nearly 2300 km2 takes its name from the ancient forest of Yveline, which once covered much of the region. 


The history of Yvelines dates back to prehistory, with traces of human habitation dating back approximately 400,000 years. The territory has seen various civilizations, from the Gallic era to the Gallo-Roman period, then the Middle Ages and the modern era.



📜 The archives of Yvelines

The departmental archives of Yvelines


Go to the departmental archives:

📍 2 avenue de Lunca, 78180 Montigny-le-Bretonneux


Contact the departmental archives:

📞 01 61 37 36 30

📧 archives@yvelines.fr


Consult the departmental archives website:

🗃️ Link to the AD website


Consult the digitized records to search for your ancestors: 


Online records


Unusual records

  • Birth of Louis XIV, looting after the storm, death in the wine vat and many more on J. Marchal's website.



🏃 Migrations in Yvelines


Migrations to and from Yvelines have played an important role in the demographic and socio-economic evolution of the department. Here is an overview of the main migratory movements, classified by historical periods:


  • Middle Ages: In the 9th century, the Vikings sailed up the Seine and temporarily settled in the region, particularly in a winter camp at Jeufosse around 855.


  • 19th century: The landscape of the Seine-et-Oise department was rural, with many trying to live off agriculture and industrialization was very weak. Vineyards in Sartrouville, Houilles, and Carrières-sur-Seine were heavily affected by phylloxera. Residents then began leaving the department in search of a better future.

    The arrival of the train in Seine-et-Oise in 1837 with the Paris-Le Pecq line, and then in 1839 with the Paris-Versailles line, transformed the rural face of the department and greatly energized it.

    Clerical workers commute to  Paris, leaving their agricultural villages, and Versailles attracts many Parisian tourists. This period marks the beginnings of the urbanization of Yvelines. 


  • 20th century: At the beginning of the 20th century and until 1930, the department saw a significant increase in the Italian population, the highest rate in the Paris region. These Italians arrived directly from Italy, from French provinces, or were just in transit before heading to Le Havre, bound for America. Those who remained in the department were attracted by urban and industrial expansion. They represented an unskilled and inexpensive workforce and worked in factories, construction sites, or quarries.

    During the interwar period, many immigrants from Europe and Algeria settled in the Parisian suburbs, some in shantytowns before the creation of dedicated housing for foreign workers and their families.

    In 1939, it was the first French highway, between  Saint-Cloud and Orgeval, that positively benefited the department. However, World War II caught up with Seine-et-Oise, and most of its inhabitants fled the arrival of the German army. The cities emptied, and Versailles was occupied. After numerous deadly bombings in Mantes-la-Jolie and Versailles, the department was liberated in August 1944.




🎞️ Yvelines in images

Videos


Images and old postcards


Old maps of the department

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



📆 The History of Yvelines



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


🗺️ Genealogy Sites in Yvelines


Genealogy Circles and Associations in Yvelines or Nearby

Genealogy Blogs About Yvelines


Facebook Accounts to Follow



Happy researching! 


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