emigration france to mauritius

[cola123]

Hi everyone,
I am new to this forum, and was wondering if anyone could help me.
I am looking for possible passenger lists from France to Mauritius. Where in France would they have left from? and is there a site out there that has records for the years prior to 1763?
My family i am looking for is as follows:
Jean Martin born May 1735 in Lorient, Bretagne, France emigrated to Mauritius and married in 1763 to Margaret Plisson in Port Louis, Mauritius.
If anyone could assist me here, i would be most grateful.

Kind regards
Jackie

[pottoka]

I have found a very old thread (2004) on a French forum about the archives of Mauritius which has a quote from somewhere in it, as follows:

"- Les registres paroissiaux et d'état civil, pour la période française (jusqu'à 1810) se trouvent aux Archives Nationales à Petite Rivière (Coromandel). Ils sont communicables mais sont dans un piteux état.
- Le double de ces registres sont détenus par le CAOM d'Aix en Provence, mais ne sont pas communicables, le CAOM tient cependant à disposition des chercheurs, les microfilms de ces registres. Sur place: une douzaine de visionneuses-photocopieuses. Il est prévu que le CAOM met à disposition, à court terme, les numérisations de ces registres, consultables sur ordinateurs

- Concernant la période après 1810 à nos jours, l'état civil mauricien est détenu par le Civil Status à Port Louis.
Ces registres NE SONT PAS COMMUNICABLES au public.
Maurice est très probablement le SEUL pays au monde à interdire à ses propres ressortissants le droit de retracer leurs racines, sauf dérogation demandée préalablement par voie de justice.

- Heureusement les Mormons ont microfilmé cette période avec cependant quelques carences."

- The BMD records and Parish Registers for the French period (up to 1810) are kept at Petite Rivière (Coromandel). They can be communicated but are in very poor condition.
- Copies of these records are kept at the Centre des Archives d’Outre-Mer (Overseas Archives Centre) [COAM] in Aix-en-Provence. They cannot be communicated but can be consulted on microfilm at the centre and photocopied. The COAM intends to digitalise these records quickly and make them available on computer.

- The Mauritian BMD records for the period 1810 - present day are kept by the Civil Status in Port Louis. These records are NOT AVAILABLE to the public and are not communicated.
Mauritius is probably the ONLY country in the world which forbids its own inhabitants to trace their roots, without a waiver which has previously been obtained through legal channels.

- Fortunately, the Mormons have microfilmed the documents of this period, although some are missing.

I don't know if the phrase about the COAM digitalising the records to make them available on computer means on computers at the centre or on-line, (more the first, I think). I'll look into that a bit further for you.

[pottoka]

I realised that I didn't answer your original questions, but there don't seem to be any passenger lists for migrants from France to Mauritius available.

Given that Jean Martin was born in Lorient, it is highly likely that he left France from Lorient.

I found a biography of a French sailor called François Thoumelin on the Internet, and it says that "aged 16, in 1762, he embarked at Lorient on a store ship for Mauritius ... the ship left on 2nd February 1762 ... on 29th June 1762 François was hospitalised in Port Louis Hospital ... the outward journey lasted about three and a half months, without calling in at any ports on the way ... on the homeward journey, the ship always called in at Reunion Island, and the journey thence to Lorient took, on average, three months". François worked on merchant ships, which went out heavily laden and came back with bulky, but light, cargoes, but it will give you an idea of the time scale.

[pottoka]

From what I can find, only some of the records from Algeria, when it was a French colony, have been put on-line by the CAOM so far. This means using a different method of getting hold of a copy of Jean Martin's marriage certificate.

My method - which I am happy to do for you - is to put a request on a French forum where volunteers go to the central departmental archives (A.D.), such as Aix, where the CAOM is, and wait for it to be picked up and for someone to look up and, hopefully, find the record you want. It is then either photographed and emailed or photocopied and posted to the person making the request.

What is essential is to be sure of the town where the event (birth, marriage or death) took place as, under the French system, it is recorded at the Town Hall of that town/village, then a copy is kept at that Town Hall and another at the A.D. There is no centralised register for BMDs in France like there is in England and Wales.

If you will confirm the names of the bride and groom, the year when they were married (that can be within ten years as there are ten-year tables) and the town, then I will put in a request for you. If you know the names of the groom's parents or the bride's parents, or where and when the groom or bride were born, that can help, especially with your groom who unfortunately has a name which is the French equivalent of John Smith.

[cola123]

Phew! You have been amazing.
Jean Martin married on 13 September 1734 to Marie Jacquette Priol, minor daughter of Francois Priol in Lorient. His father was noted as being Jan Martin and born in Savignier in Anjou.
I will have to print out all your replies and go through it and absorb.

Kind regards
Jackie

[pottoka]

Do you already have the marriage certificate for Jean Martin and Margaret Plisson?

[welchie]

Hi pottoka,
A question along the similar lines as Coal123.
I am tracing a Louis Eugene, born "Port Louis", Mauritius.
His son born 7 September 1870 Australian birth certificate stated that his father Louis Eugene was a fireman aged 33 in the year 1870 born Mauritius.
I gather by what you have stated in your post #2 that I cannot trace his B/cert but can get or at least apply to the Mormons if they could look up the birth detail of Louis Eugene born approx 1837 Port Louis, Mauritius.
Is this correct
Kind Regards
Karen

[JAP1]

Hi Karen,

I believe that you can apply for the birth certificate of Louis.
And should be able to get it.

But don't hold your breath as it does not seem to be easy!

I have been involved in trying to get info from Mauritius on the following thread:
https://www.british-genealogy.com/for...ad.php?t=51888
An uphill battle!

But as you are a descendant and do have some facts, do try!

Have a look here:
afdevinfo.com/htmlreports/org/org_38158.html

And email here:
civstat (at)mail.gov.mu

It seems that the records do exist.
And can be accessed.
And are available to descendants.
There might be a fee.

Best of luck and please let us know how you go,

JAP
PS: English is supposed to be the official language of the Republic of Mauritius but .... French, Creole, several Asian languages are also spoken.
PPS: Have you looked for him in the 1841 census?

[welchie]

Thank you for the inofrmation. I wasnt really sure about how to go about it. I will try the information you have given me and see how I go.
I would rather pay a fee and get the results needed. And of course will let you know how I go.
I have found a French to Englash translation site to help out in the past, not always perfect but better than nothing. The link is below.

https://www.microsofttranslator.com/d...aspx?ref=TThis

Just cut and paste
Once again Thanks

Cheers
Karen

[JAP1]

Hi Karen,

It seems that I've fallen foul of some B-G house rules.

I thought that the link I gave was more informative than the direct link to the department.

However, here is the direct link to the relevant department of the Government of the Republic of Mauritius (which surely must be acceptable!):

https://www.gov.mu/portal/site/civilstatussite/

That page includes the email address for the Civil Status department.

Very best of luck,

JAP