Papiers privés tombés dans le domaine public
Item
Country
FR
Name of institution (English)
The National Archives (Paris site)
Name of institution (official language of the state)
Language of name of institution
fra
Contact information: postal address
11 rue des Quatre-Fils, 75003 Paris
Contact information: phone number
0033 (0)1 40 27 64 20
Contact information: web address
Contact information: email
contact.archives-nationales@culture.gouv.fr
Reference number
T
Type of reference number
Archival reference number
Title (English)
Private papers in the public domain
Title (official language of the state)
Papiers privés tombés dans le domaine public
Language of title
fra
Creator / accumulator
Archives nationales
Date(s)
1201/1800
Language(s)
fra
Extent
1694 storage units
Type of material
Textual Material
Scope and content
The Papiers privés tombés dans le domaine public (Private papers in the public domain) collection is mainly composed of private archives. It includes documents of nearly 4,000 individuals on very different matters and produced in diverse contexts. It is a substantial source of information for the social, local, and ecclesiastical history, as well as for the history of Paris. It also contains information on military affairs and art and science history.
The collection contains a few records regarding Sephardim, such as the following:
T//325, Papiers Brandon: Papers of Joseph Brandon, a merchant of Jewish origin, and Marie Anne Fouquet, his wife. Brandon was originally from Bordeaux, where he was born around 1756. On the eve of the French Revolution (1789), he was established as a merchant in Paris, Rue des Fossés-Saint-Germain. In 1788, he was the syndic of the Portuguese Jewish community in the French capital.
T//1005, Papiers d’Aron Moline, 1730: Letters and other documents from members of the Moline family. The Molines were Sephardim of Portuguese origin and merchants in Bordeaux. These papers also contain a passport of Gabriel Coste and Israël Bonbarinne dating from 1730.
The collection contains a few records regarding Sephardim, such as the following:
T//325, Papiers Brandon: Papers of Joseph Brandon, a merchant of Jewish origin, and Marie Anne Fouquet, his wife. Brandon was originally from Bordeaux, where he was born around 1756. On the eve of the French Revolution (1789), he was established as a merchant in Paris, Rue des Fossés-Saint-Germain. In 1788, he was the syndic of the Portuguese Jewish community in the French capital.
T//1005, Papiers d’Aron Moline, 1730: Letters and other documents from members of the Moline family. The Molines were Sephardim of Portuguese origin and merchants in Bordeaux. These papers also contain a passport of Gabriel Coste and Israël Bonbarinne dating from 1730.
Archival history
This collection can be divided into three main groups according to the reasons for the incorporation of the documents into the National Archives:
1. Documents confiscated or accumulated during the Revolution in the Département de la Sein (Department of the Seine) from emigrated or condemned individuals or persecuted communities.
It is the main group, and although initially more numerous, it was gradually reduced after the restitution of documents to families. Besides, some documents were separated from this collection as they became autonomous collections (R and S) or were deemed of particular interest to be arranged in separate groups (K, M, U, Z/2, and others).
2. "Papiers trouvés dans les voitures publiques": papers found and transferred to the National Archives on several occasions in the early 19th century.
3. Papers which fell into the public domain due to escheated estates and which were transferred to the Archives at the end of the 18th century and during the first third of the 19th century.
1. Documents confiscated or accumulated during the Revolution in the Département de la Sein (Department of the Seine) from emigrated or condemned individuals or persecuted communities.
It is the main group, and although initially more numerous, it was gradually reduced after the restitution of documents to families. Besides, some documents were separated from this collection as they became autonomous collections (R and S) or were deemed of particular interest to be arranged in separate groups (K, M, U, Z/2, and others).
2. "Papiers trouvés dans les voitures publiques": papers found and transferred to the National Archives on several occasions in the early 19th century.
3. Papers which fell into the public domain due to escheated estates and which were transferred to the Archives at the end of the 18th century and during the first third of the 19th century.
Administrative / Biographical history
The Archives Nationales was created following the French Revolution, receiving that designation from the Constituent Assembly on September 12, 1790. Four years later, the National Convention passed a law on June 25, 1794, establishing their role and creating a "central depository for the national archives".
Thus, the Archives Nationales gradually received several archives, including those of central institutions suppressed by the French Revolution, the archives of ecclesiastical institutions (bishoprics, parishes, and religious houses), and archives belonging to migrants and convicts in court.
In 1808, Napoléon I allocated the Hôtel de Soubise to the Archives Nationales, pending the construction of a specific building on the Champ-de-Mars, which was never actually built. Therefore, during the 19th century, the Archives Nationales started expanding around the Hôtel de Soubise with the building of the "grands dépôts" (great depositories) under Louis-Philippe (1830–1848) and Napoléon III (1852–1870).
In 1927, the Hôtel de Rohan, previously home to the Imprimerie nationale, was allocated to the Archives Nationales. It was used to hold the original deeds produced by Paris notaries, which it started collecting immediately (under French law of March 14, 1928). Soon after, there was no longer any room in the Paris site.
In 1972, the former NATO buildings in Fontainebleau were allocated to the Archives Nationales to house the archival deposits from the ministries.
An ambitious project was drawn up, but only two units were built. In 1988, a large building for the public opened in Paris, the CARAN (Centre d'accueil et de recherche des Archives Nationales), housing various reading rooms.
Confronted with the lack of room at the sites in Paris and Fontainebleau and the remoteness of the Fontainebleau site, plans were drawn up for a third site. In 2004, the site of Pierrefitte-sur-Seine was chosen. The new building, the largest archive depository in Europe, was designed by the architect Massimiliano Fuksas and inaugurated on February 11, 2013.
Thus, the Archives Nationales gradually received several archives, including those of central institutions suppressed by the French Revolution, the archives of ecclesiastical institutions (bishoprics, parishes, and religious houses), and archives belonging to migrants and convicts in court.
In 1808, Napoléon I allocated the Hôtel de Soubise to the Archives Nationales, pending the construction of a specific building on the Champ-de-Mars, which was never actually built. Therefore, during the 19th century, the Archives Nationales started expanding around the Hôtel de Soubise with the building of the "grands dépôts" (great depositories) under Louis-Philippe (1830–1848) and Napoléon III (1852–1870).
In 1927, the Hôtel de Rohan, previously home to the Imprimerie nationale, was allocated to the Archives Nationales. It was used to hold the original deeds produced by Paris notaries, which it started collecting immediately (under French law of March 14, 1928). Soon after, there was no longer any room in the Paris site.
In 1972, the former NATO buildings in Fontainebleau were allocated to the Archives Nationales to house the archival deposits from the ministries.
An ambitious project was drawn up, but only two units were built. In 1988, a large building for the public opened in Paris, the CARAN (Centre d'accueil et de recherche des Archives Nationales), housing various reading rooms.
Confronted with the lack of room at the sites in Paris and Fontainebleau and the remoteness of the Fontainebleau site, plans were drawn up for a third site. In 2004, the site of Pierrefitte-sur-Seine was chosen. The new building, the largest archive depository in Europe, was designed by the architect Massimiliano Fuksas and inaugurated on February 11, 2013.
Access points: locations
Access points: persons, families
Access points: corporate bodies
Access points: subject terms
Access points: document types
System of arrangement
Archival units are described individually, with no particular order, usually divided according to their creator.
Links to finding aids
Author of the description
Kevin Soares, 2023
Published primary sources
Linked resources
Filter by property
| Title | Alternate label | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Archives nationales - site de Paris | Collections (official language of the state) |