What are Notarial records?
Notarial records (also called notarial acts or notarial archives) are legal documents drafted and certified by a notary. In civil law countries (such as France, Spain, Italy, and parts of Latin America), notaries are legal professionals who record contracts, agreements, and other non-contentious matters. These records are preserved in archives and often span centuries.
Common types of notarial acts include:
- Marriage contracts – outlining dowries, property settlements, and family alliances.
- Wills and testaments – listing heirs, property, and sometimes detailed family structures.
- Property transactions – sales, leases, mortgages, and transfers of land or houses.
- Apprenticeship contracts – agreements between families and tradesmen, useful for tracing occupations.
- Business agreements – partnerships, loans, and commercial dealings.
- Inventories and estate settlements – itemized lists of possessions, debts, and heirs.
| Language | Marriage contract | Will and testament | Property transaction | Apprenticeship contract | Business agreement | Inventory and estate settlement |
| French | Contrat de mariage | Testament | Transaction immobilière | Contrat d'apprentissage | Accord commercial | Inventaire et règlement de succession |
| German | Ehevertrag | Testament | Grundstücksgeschäft | Ausbildungsvertrag | Geschäftsvereinbarung | Inventar und Nachlassregelung |
| Dutch | Huwelijkscontract | Testament | Vastgoedtransactie | Leercontract | Zakelijke overeenkomst | Inventaris en boedelregeling |
| Spanish | Contrato matrimonial | Testamento | Transacción de propiedad | Contrato de aprendizaje | Acuerdo comercial | Inventario y liquidación de bienes |
| Italian | Contratto di matrimonio | Testamento | Transazione immobiliare | Contratto di apprendistato | Accordo commerciale | Inventario e successione |
| Korean | 혼인 계약서 | 유언장 | 부동산 거래 | 견습 계약서 | 사업 계약서 | 재산 목록 및 상속 정리 |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 婚姻合同 | 遗嘱 | 房产交易 | 学徒合同 | 商业协议 | 财产清单与遗产清算 |
Information that can be found in Notarial Records
- Names of multiple family members (spouses, children, parents, siblings).
- Exact dates of contracts, wills, or property transfers.
- Residences and addresses of the parties involved.
- Occupations and social status (merchant, farmer, noble, craftsman).
- Descriptions of property and possessions, sometimes with valuations.
- Witnesses and associates, which can help reconstruct social networks.
Descriptive Metadata
- Date: Enter the date or range when the records were created.
- Locality: Enter the city, town, parish, or district associated with the records.
- Creator: Enter the name of the authority, court, or civil registration entity that created the records.
- Volume: Enter the volume designation used by the archive or custodian.
- Title: In the language of the records, enter the title designated by the archive. Otherwise, enter the title as it appears on the cover, spine, or title page of the natural group.
- Custodian Reference ID: If the archive has applied a reference ID to each volume, enter the ID in the format relevant to the archive. Enter a single hyphen (-) to indicate if no such ID exists.