Help please!

[Carlak76]

Hi,
I've some information about my ancestors in Belgium, birth dates and names, I know they were from Belgium but not exactly the place, but I think my great great grand mother spoke french. Does anybody know how to start the research? where to go?, are there belgian records of marriages or births?, I cannot find any. Some of them emmigrated to south america, do u know any site with belgian ship emmigration records from 1870 to 1920?
I've been on the net for ages but I couln't find anything up to now:(
Thanks.

[jorose]

There is very little online for Belgium, normally you need to know the exact place. If the surname is rare you may be able to work out which areas approximately to look for. Belgian researchers also often post their trees at http://www.geneanet.org/

A good source of emigration records if they came in the period 1901-1908:
http://belgium.rootsweb.ancestry.com/migr/emig/antwerp/lib_venesoen_vvf.html

Most emigration records from Antwerp have not survived. Since you don't know very accurately at all (1870 to 1920 is a long time!) when the family came to South America I suggest you start with records in the place where they emigrated and narrow the time down. You may find the name of a town or area in Belgium in those records as well.