The key to finding a record in the Family History Library's collection is the Family History Library Catalog. The catalog describes each of the library's records and provides the call numbers. The catalog is available on microfiche and on compact disc as part of FamilySearch™. It is available at the Family History Library and at each family history center.

The Family History Library Catalog on microfiche is divided into four major sections:

• Locality
• Surname
• Subject
• Author/Title

The Family History Library Catalog on compact disc has four types of searches:

• Locality Search
• Surname Search
• Film Number Search
• Computer Number Search

To find the call numbers of the records described in this outline, you will most often search the Locality section on microfiche or the Locality search on compact disc. When you know the record type you want (such as “church records” or “civil registration”), then you can look for it in the Locality section.

The catalog's description of a record is written in the same language as the record itself. A brief English summary of the content is included.

The Locality section or Locality Search lists records according to the area they cover. Records relating to the entire nation, such as nobility lists, are listed under “France.” Most records (including records from old provinces) are listed under a specific department [département] or city.

For example, in the Locality section, look for—

• The place where an ancestor lived, such as—

EUROPE (continent)FRANCE (nation)FRANCE, RHONE (nation, department)FRANCE, RHONE, LYON (nation, department, city)

• Then the record type you want, such as—

Europe - NOBILITYFrance - HISTORYFrance, Rhone - GENEALOGYFrance, Rhone, Lyon - CHURCH RECORDS

The catalog is organized by the department structure that existed before 1965. When the pre-1789 provinces are listed in the Family History Library Catalog, they are labeled regions, for example, france, alsace (region) - minorities. For additional information, see the “Gazetteers,” “Historical Geography,” “History,” and “Map” sections of this outline.

This outline also provides some of the library's call numbers. These are preceded by FHL, the abbreviation for Family History Library.

If you need more information on using the Family History Library Catalog, a short video program, written instructions, and librarians are available to help you.

Italian Records Listed under France

Genoa (now part of Italy) sold the island of Corse to France in 1768. France controlled the Duchy of Savoie and County of Nice from 1792 to 1814 and permanently after 1860. The Locality section of the Family History Library Catalog lists all records from Corse, Savoie, and Nice under their respective departments in France, for example, FRANCE, ALPES-MARITIMES, NICE.

French Records Listed under Other Nations

Alsace-Lorraine. The Family History Library Catalog lists records of Alsace-Lorraine (Bas-Rhin, Haut-Rhin, and Moselle) under both France and Germany for localities that were formerly claimed by Germany. For example, records from the town of Oudrenne (Udern) appear under both—

FRANCE, MOSELLE, OUDRENNEandGERMANY, ELSAß-LOTHRINGEN, UDERN