Genealogy in Tarn (81): The guide to finding your ancestors
Genealogy Cheat Sheet - Archives of Tarn, online records, images and videos, articles on migrations, stories, and useful sites
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Updated: September 2, 2025
The Tarn, a department in the Occitanie region, traces its roots back to a long human and political history predating its creation during the French Revolution in 1790. Crossed by the eponymous river, it then groups together the former Albigeois and the dioceses of Albi, Castres, and Lavaur, territories marked since Antiquity by the Rutène tribe, the Romans, the Visigoths, and then the Franks.
A region of contrasts between plains and reliefs, Tarn stands out for its Cathar fortresses, the viscounts of Albi, and religious struggles that shaped its population and landscapes.
The department is bordered by the Aveyron, the Hérault, the Aude, the Haute-Garonne, and the Tarn-et-Garonne, making it a historical crossroads of southwestern France. With a strong industrial tradition—from the mines of Carmaux to the hydraulic energy of Castres—Tarn is rich in archives, imprinted with its social struggles and religious diversity, offering genealogists a fertile and fascinating field for exploration.
📜 Archives of Tarn
Departmental archives in Tarn: resources to find your ancestors
Visiting the Departmental Archives of Tarn:
📍 1 avenue de la Verrerie, 81013 Albi
Contacting the Departmental Archives of Tarn:
📞 05 63 36 21 00
📧 archives.tarn@tarn.fr
Browse the site and digitized documents of the departmental archives of Tarn for your genealogy research:
Online records
Unusual records
- Ceremony of the holy oils, prohibition of bathing without clothing, and baptism of Protestant children on the site of J. Marchal.
🌍 Migrations in Tarn
Migrations to and from the department of Tarn, in the Occitanie region, reflect profound social and economic changes, which can be classified by major historical periods:
- 19th century - rural exodus and early foreign migrations: the second half of the 19th century marks Tarn's entry into the rural exodus: many farmers left the Tarn countryside to work in the industrial centers of Mazamet or Castres, or migrate to Toulouse, Paris, and sometimes abroad. At the same time, Tarn welcomed seasonal workers from neighboring departments (Aveyron, Ardèche, Lozère) for agricultural harvests and began to attract foreigners, although their numbers remained modest until 1914 (1,072 recorded in 1906).
- First half of the 20th century - immigration of laborers and refugees: with the rise of extractive and textile industries, Tarn increasingly attracts Spaniards, Italians, and Poles, recruited for agriculture, coal mining, and mining, as well as refugees arriving after World War I and during World War II. The Italians, especially in the Grésigne area, settled permanently, establishing visible communities by the interwar period. After 1945, Tarn also welcomed repatriates from North Africa, Bretons, and Picardians from other French regions.
- Second half of the 20th century - diversification of migratory waves: over the decades, Tarn saw its foreign population grow: Portuguese starting in the 1970s, Moroccans for agriculture and construction. The immigrant population is feminizing and aging, with a significant proportion of retirees. Repatriates from North Africa and seasonal workers continue to arrive, often for precarious or rural jobs.
Learn more:
🎥 Tarn in images
Videos
Old images and postcards
Old maps of the department
- From Cassini villages to today's communes: the department of Tarn
- On Old Maps Online: old maps of the department
- On Gallica: old maps of Tarn
📜 History of Tarn
On Gallica: the books, the press and the manuscripts to learn everything about the department of Tarn
📜 Genealogy sites in Tarn
Genealogy circles and associations in Tarn or nearby
Happy research!
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