Record Atlas
5 eras · 1344–2026 · 3 places

Orléanais and Beauce — Orléans, Chartres, Blois

Orléans, Chartres, Blois, Vendôme, Montargis, Gien. Which empire held this ground in which years — and, the part that matters, which archive that means.

Where researchers lose records here

1790–1815 — The province, dissolved in 1791, was split among Loiret, Loir-et-Cher, Eure-et-Loir, Seine-et-Oise and Yonne, with some communes going to other departments. Civil registration was taken over by the state in 1792.

Whose archive this ground was

YearsWho held itWhose archive that means
1344–1498 Duchy of Orléans — a royal apanage no registers survive

Philip VI created the duchy of Orléans in 1344 for his son. It was repeatedly merged into the crown and recreated.
1498–1661 Province of Orléans Archives départementales du Loiret · Archives départementales de Loir-et-Cher · Archives départementales d'Eure-et-Loir

The duchy was absorbed into the royal domain in 1498 when Louis XII became king. The province included the counties of Orléans, Blois, Vendôme, Chartres and Étampes, and it became a generality in 1558 with a permanent governor who held the real power while the Duke of Orléans remained the legal owner.
1661–1790 Province of Orléans — duchy recreated for the king's brother Archives départementales du Loiret · Archives départementales de Loir-et-Cher · Archives départementales d'Eure-et-Loir

The duchy was created for the last time in 1661 for Philippe, brother of Louis XIV.
1790–1815 Départements of Loiret, Loir-et-Cher and Eure-et-Loir Archives départementales du Loiret · Archives départementales de Loir-et-Cher · Archives départementales d'Eure-et-Loir

THE TRAP. The province, dissolved in 1791, was split among Loiret, Loir-et-Cher, Eure-et-Loir, Seine-et-Oise and Yonne, with some communes going to other departments. Civil registration was taken over by the state in 1792.
1815–2026 France — Loiret, Loir-et-Cher and Eure-et-Loir Archives départementales du Loiret · Archives départementales de Loir-et-Cher · Archives départementales d'Eure-et-Loir

The rings are approximate — deliberately. They exist to shade which filing system a place fell under, not to adjudicate a border. A place near a ring's edge should be checked against both neighbours.

See the whole span, 1344–2026, on the map →

The map takes a range, and a range that crosses one of the rows above is where records get lost: the family never moved, and the archive on the far side of the handover will tell you it holds nothing.

3 places on this ground

118 FamilySearch collections reach this ground

Ranked with the regional ones first — a collection for a province is usually a better lead than a national index, though the national index is often where a name is actually written down. A free account opens the images.

…and 58 more.

All record regions · The map