Genealogy in Meurthe-et-Moselle (54): find your ancestors online
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updated: June 3, 2025
The Meurthe-et-Moselle department, located in the Grand Est region in northeastern France, was created on September 7, 1871 following the Treaty of Frankfurt.
This territory of over 5000 km² comes from the grouping of the parts not annexed by Germany from the former departments of Meurthe and Moselle.
Meurthe-et-Moselle is bordered by the departments of the Meuse, the Vosges, the Bas-Rhin and the Moselle. It also shares a border with the Luxembourg and the Belgium. The department has a characteristic elongated shape, stretching 130 kilometers from north to south and between 7 and 103 kilometers from east to west.
The history of Meurthe-et-Moselle is marked by Franco-German conflicts and the territorial changes that resulted. For you, genealogists, this complex history offers a rich context to understand population movements and administrative changes that affected your ancestors.
The main historical milestones include:
- The creation of the department in 1871 following the annexation of Alsace-Lorraine by Germany
- The return to France of annexed territories in 1918
- A new period of annexation by Nazi Germany from 1940 to 1944
📜 Archives in Meurthe-et-Moselle
Departmental archives of Meurthe-et-Moselle
Visit the Departmental archives of Meurthe-et-Moselle:
📍 2 rue Jean-Baptiste Thiéry Solet, 54052, Nancy
Contact the Departmental archives of Meurthe-et-Moselle:
📞 03 83 30 90 90
📧 Contact form
Discover the history of your ancestors in the online archives of the Meurthe-et-Moselle department:
Municipal archives of Nancy
The city of Nancy has its own website where you can consult the digitized archives:
Online records
Unusual records
Migrations in Meurthe-et-Moselle
Before 1871, the territory that would become Meurthe-et-Moselle already experienced significant migratory movements, primarily linked to the economic and demographic dynamics of the region:
- Early 19th century - Rural emigration: In the early 19th century, the Moselle countryside experienced strong demographic growth, leading to overpopulation, particularly in the German-speaking regions. This situation caused a wave of emigration from rural areas to the first developing industrial regions, Paris, America, and Algeria.
- 1830-1862 - Emigration to Algeria: A significant wave of emigration from Alsace-Lorraine to Algeria occurred between 1830 and 1862, involving around 22,000 people. This emigration was driven by high demographic pressure, an economic crisis affecting parts of Europe, and the famine of 1847 in Meurthe. The year 1843 marked a peak, with 2,006 departures recorded for the Haut-Rhin department alone.
- 1871-1914 - German annexation and industrialization: Between 1891 and 1913, the Italian population grew from 2,000 to 53,000, concentrated in the industrial basin of Briey (iron mines and steel industry). In 1913, 46,700 Italians lived in the arrondissement of Briey.
After the annexation of Alsace-Lorraine by Germany in 1871, thousands of "optants" (people refusing German nationality) settled in Meurthe-et-Moselle, particularly in Nancy. Industrialists like the Daum brothers and the Wendels moved their factories there with their workers.
The annexed Moselle attracted Germans, while Meurthe-et-Moselle welcomed Belgian and Luxembourgish cross-border workers for agriculture and industry.
- 1914-1945 - World Wars and changes: Soldiers and workers from North Africa and Indochina contributed to the war effort, particularly in arms factories.
In the 1920s-1930s, Poles (miners and workers) settled in the Pays Haut. Associations like the Association of Polish Catholic Women in Trieux (1938) attest to their gradual integration.
In 1940, 25,000 prisoners of war were held in the department. The Jewish population and resistors were deported, while civilians fled the fighting.
- 1945-1970 - Reconstruction and decolonization: Portuguese, Spanish, and Algerian immigrants arrived to rebuild infrastructure and restart industry. The department had 161,956 immigrants in 2006, from this wave.
In 1956, Hungarians fleeing Soviet repression were welcomed, followed by Pieds-Noirs after 1962.
Finally, Meurthe-et-Moselle's economy was long tied to mining (limestone, iron, and salt). It was only from the 1960s that the steel crisis changed the department's economic landscape by developing cross-border jobs in Belgium or Luxembourg.
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