User:Hardybe/Sandbox

Record Description
This collection spans 1840-2012 and contains images of civilly registered births, marriages, and deaths. It also includes cemetery registers, colonial correspondence, and court registers. These records come from the Benin National Archive. Benin is a country located in Western Africa and was a French colony from about 1900 to 1958.

Record Content
This collection may contain the following records:
 * Birth
 * Marriage
 * Death
 * Cemetery
 * Colonial Correspondence
 * Court Registers

Birth Records usually include:
 * Child’s Name and Gender
 * Date and Place of Birth
 * Parents’ Names

Marriage Records usually include:
 * Names of the Bride and Groom
 * Date of the Marriage
 * Date and Places of Birth for Bride and Groom
 * Names of the Parents of the Bride and Groom
 * Birth Place of the Parents of the Bride and Groom

Death Records usually include:
 * Name of Deceased
 * Birth and Death Dates
 * Names of Spouse and Parents
 * Cause of Death

Cemetery Registers usually include:
 * Name of the Deceased
 * Birth and Death Dates
 * Names of Spouse and Parents

Colonial Correspondence: Official Actions and Communication Between Benin and France

Court Registers
 * Names of Court Officials
 * Record of Issues Presented
 * Vital Records Registered With the Government

How to Use the Record
To search this collection, it would be helpful to know the following information:
 * Names of parents
 * Variations in spelling
 * Year of birth

Keep in mind:
 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

Search the Collection
To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒ Select the 'Department' category ⇒ Select the 'Commune' category  ⇒ Select the 'Record Type and Years' category which takes you to the images.

Search the collection by image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

For Help Reading These Records
These records are in French. For help with reading the records see the following wiki articles: *France Language and Languages
 * French Word List

Using the Information

 * Use the estimated age to calculate a birth date.
 * Use listings of parents, spouses, or siblings to help make more connections.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * You may need to search for both their nickname and their given name.
 * Be aware that errors may have occurred.

Related Websites
International Mission Photography Archive: Benin

Related Wiki Articles

 * Benin, Census, 2002 (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Benin

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
Citations for individual image records are available for this collection. Browse through images in this collection and click on the “Show Citation” box: [link to first waypoint of collection]

When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found it. This will help you or others to find the same record again.

Keep track of records where you did not find information about your ancestor so you and others will not waste time looking through these records in the future.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the wiki article Help:How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Record collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher, and archive for the original records.