Channel Islands Family History: Reading the Records
Introduction
Many of the indices prepared by Family Historians make frequent use of abbreviations as often do the original records. Anyone who has no French at all could well be confused when consulting them or receiving a copy through the mail without explanation.
Examples from Trinity, Jersey (Guernsey follows much the same pattern)
(1) 9.10.1625 (2) Tho. fs Tho. Blampied (3) (Jean Bisson (4) fs Jean fs Barth.)
(1) The first thing to remember that this is not a date of BIRTH but BAPTISM. Often researchers are thrown when the date doesn't match up with family records (Bibles, Journals or Letters). By the 19th Century many Rectors began to record both. Baptism could take place immediately upon birth - à l'eglise (at the Church) or, if the child was sickly and not expected to survive, à maison (at home) or en particular. Sometimes you will find an entry for both. Other, more modest, families did not expect the Rector to call at their homes and would wait until the child was strong enough to be taken to the Church. Another reason for delayed baptism would be if the father was absent when the child was born. If he fished the Newfoundland Banks for example, the baptism could be between three to six months late.
(2) Thomas Blampied fils (son of) Thomas.
(3) Godparent(s) appear last in brackets - the men were always named but women were often missed out altogether or referred to by their husband's, son's or father's names.
(4) Until relatively recently in the Channel Islands the pool of Christian Names remained small and two of them were almost unheard of until Victorians times. Rectors were often faced with a number of men who shared the same name and were careful to differentiate between them. In this example there were a number of Jean Bissons alive in 1625, this one was son of (fils) Jean who, in turn, was fils Bartholomew.
10.9.1628 Pauline (5) fle Tho. Blampied (Noé Noël)
(5) fle = fille (daughter)
18.11.1629 Jeanne fle Jean fs Jean (Thomas Blampied , (6) son frere)
(6) frere = brother, son frere is 'his brother' as in the father's brother, uncle (oncle) to the child - p.s. tante = aunt.
15.1.1631/32 Colette fle Richard fs Michel (Nicolas Blampied & Marie (see 3 and 7) sa mere)
(7) sa mère = his mother, Marie was Nicolas' mother.
28.6.1652 Marie fle Michiel (Ph. Blampied & Eliz. (see 3 and 8) fem Richard du Feu)
(8) fem = femme (wife of) also abbreviated as s.f. - sa femme
25.10.1674 Ester fle Aaron (Thomas Cabot & Ester le Boutillier (9) sa pretendue)
(9) pretendue = intended/fiancé
13.3.1666/7 Marie fle Jean (Michel Blampied, (10) père dudit Jean & Marie du Feu (11) vve de Jean Grandin)
(10) pere dudit = father of the said Jean - so here we have the grandfather's name
(11) vve de = veuve (widow of)
Other common words and abbreviations in the registers are ...
t.d. = tous de (both of)
Cônnetable = Constable of the Parish - the most senior of the (unpaid) honorary postions, also known as the Father of the Parish.
Centenier = the next most senior of the honorary postions, theoretically responsible for 100 households.
Vingtenier = an honorary position, theoretically responsible for 20 households.
Lecteur = Lay reader.
Surveilliant = Churchwarden.