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Europe / Help Finding William Brooks – Possibly Died in France Before 1887
« on: Saturday 31 May 25 11:56 BST (UK) »
Hello everyone,
I’m researching my ancestor William Brooks, a British man who lived in France during the 1800s, and I’m having a hard time locating any death or civil records for him.
What I Know:
• Name: William Brooks
• Spouse: Eliza Wilson (born approx. 1830, possibly in the UK)
• Known Children:
• Harry Brooks, born in London around 1864 (we believe his mother Eliza would’ve been ~34 at the time)
• Alice Brooks, born in Rocquencourt, France in 1889 (we’ve found her record already in the Yvelines Departmental Archives)
• William does not appear in the Rocquencourt or Versailles arrondissement death registers — we believe he may have died in Paris, possibly around the time of the Siege (1870), or sometime between 1864 and 1887.
Where I’ve Searched:
• Yvelines Archives: All relevant Rocquencourt & Versailles records from 1827–1912
• Naissance, Mariage, Décès collections (4E 2352, 2353, etc.)
• 10-year Tables Décennales for Rocquencourt and Le Chesnay
• No success finding William in these — only possible children
My Theories:
• He may have died in Paris proper, not in Rocquencourt
• His name may have been mistranscribed as “Brook,” “Broques,” “Broks,” or even “Guillaume” instead of William
• Possibly died during the Franco-Prussian War period (1870s)
• May have never been properly registered in French civil records
I don’t speak French well and I’m hitting a wall. If anyone could:
• Help search the Paris Archives for his death
• Advise on name variations to search in 10-year indexes
• Offer tips for English families in France during this period
• Help me interpret any scanned handwritten documents
…I’d be incredibly grateful. This man is a big missing piece in our family tree.
Thank you so much in advance!
Warm regards,
April
(Researching Brooks Family – England → France)
I’m researching my ancestor William Brooks, a British man who lived in France during the 1800s, and I’m having a hard time locating any death or civil records for him.
What I Know:
• Name: William Brooks
• Spouse: Eliza Wilson (born approx. 1830, possibly in the UK)
• Known Children:
• Harry Brooks, born in London around 1864 (we believe his mother Eliza would’ve been ~34 at the time)
• Alice Brooks, born in Rocquencourt, France in 1889 (we’ve found her record already in the Yvelines Departmental Archives)
• William does not appear in the Rocquencourt or Versailles arrondissement death registers — we believe he may have died in Paris, possibly around the time of the Siege (1870), or sometime between 1864 and 1887.
Where I’ve Searched:
• Yvelines Archives: All relevant Rocquencourt & Versailles records from 1827–1912
• Naissance, Mariage, Décès collections (4E 2352, 2353, etc.)
• 10-year Tables Décennales for Rocquencourt and Le Chesnay
• No success finding William in these — only possible children
My Theories:
• He may have died in Paris proper, not in Rocquencourt
• His name may have been mistranscribed as “Brook,” “Broques,” “Broks,” or even “Guillaume” instead of William
• Possibly died during the Franco-Prussian War period (1870s)
• May have never been properly registered in French civil records
I don’t speak French well and I’m hitting a wall. If anyone could:
• Help search the Paris Archives for his death
• Advise on name variations to search in 10-year indexes
• Offer tips for English families in France during this period
• Help me interpret any scanned handwritten documents
…I’d be incredibly grateful. This man is a big missing piece in our family tree.
Thank you so much in advance!
Warm regards,
April
(Researching Brooks Family – England → France)