Deaths have been recorded by civil registrars in Belgium since about 1796. The task of reporting the death to the authorities usually fell on two family members or neighbors of the deceased. Today the task is most commonly handled by an undertaker who submits the medical certificate, created by the physician, to the town clerk.
Until March 2019, each town created two copies of each death register. Keep in mind that in small towns, births, marriages, and deaths may have been recorded in one single register. The original copy was kept by the town, the duplicate sent to Court of First Appeal. As of 31 March 2019, all civil registration records are recorded electronically only in a national civil registration database (Databank Akten Burgerlijke Stand (DABS) or Banque de données centrale d’actes de l’état civil (BAEC).1
Most often each death record contains the following:
- complete name of the deceased
- residence of the deceased
- date and place of birth of the deceased
- place, date, and hour of death
- when applicable, complete names of the deceased’s spouse(s)
- when applicable, whether or not the deceased is widowed
- complete names and residence of the deceased’s parents
- whether or not the deceased’s parents are deceased
- complete names, age, and residence of the informants
- when applicable, the relationship of the informants to the deceased
Earlier acts may not give the exact date of birth but rather record the age. Sometimes the occupations of the deceased and the informants are also given.
What you will not find in Belgian death records is the cause of death. Even today the medical certificate of death is handed over to the registrar in a sealed envelope which is sent to the nation’s health department for statistical purposes only. The originals are subsequently destroyed.
Table of Contents
Special Cases
- Stillborn children are recorded in the death registers only (not in the birth registers). They were not given names until recently.
- If death occurs in a hospital – more common in cities – the law requires it to be reported by the hospital (not family members or neighbors) within 24 hours.
- When death occurs away from home, the registrar who records the death must send an extract of the record to his colleague in the deceased’s latest town of residence. As a result you will find the deceased’s name in the indexes of both registers.
- If the deceased is unknown, the registrar writes a deposition containing as much information as possible about the deceased.
- In the case of violent death (or suspicion thereof) the police must write a deposition before the deceased can be buried.
- If the deceased is a foreigner, an extract is sent to the Ministry of Justice so that it can be added to the deceased’s “alien file.” Quite often, the extract is also sent to his or her country of origin.
Access
A recent change in Belgian law has made death records accessible to the public after 50 years. One can request permission to access closed records of direct ancestors for genealogical purposes from the Courts of First Instance, but changes to this may be forthcoming.2
Microfilm and digital copies
Most of the nineteenth century and some early twentieth century registers have been microfilmed by the Church of Latter Day Saints and have since been digitized. The results are available online at FamilySearch (for a quick list go to https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Belgium_Civil_Registration#FamilySearch) and the Belgian State Archives (for a list go to https://search.arch.be/en/themas/tips/516-civil-status-registers-en). Don’t forget to register at both places. Look for Overlijdens or Decès. For more tips on how to navigate both sites, see my earlier posts Navigating Belgian Vital Records at the State Archives: A Walloon Example and Navigating Belgian Vital Records at FamilySearch: A Flemish Example. Access to the FamilySearch records is also possible via Genver.
Where are the original copies?
Many towns, though not all, have deposited their old original copies with a regional branch of the State Archives. For Flanders this is the branch in Beveren-Waas (East Flanders). For Brussels and Wallonia this is the branch in Brussels-Vorst.3Visitors are not allowed to consult the original registers but must rely on microfilm or digital copies. Some towns, e.g. Kalmthout and Kontich, have held on to their nineteenth century registers. If you are lucky, these communes will allow you to see the original copies.4
For more recent records you can email or write the town in English, French, German, or Dutch. Most will happily send or email you a copy of the record you are seeking. An easy way to find the mailing or email address is to google the name of the town followed by “burgerzaken,” “etat civil,” or “standesamt.” Check the FamilySearchWiki for help with writing your letter.
The duplicate copies that were made for the Courts of First Appeal were sent to the State Archives (Rijksarchief – Archives de l’État) after 100 years. Visitors are again not allowed to consult the original registers but must rely on microfilm or digital copies.
Indexes
At the end of each year, the clerk creates an index for the completed register. Usually this index is found at the end of the register.
Every ten years, a decennial index is created. Pre-1807 registers may not have an annual index, as clerks were not yet required to make one. Most older decennial indexes have also been digitized and can therefore be browsed online.
Alas, the searchable indexes at Ancestry, FamilySearch, and the Belgian State Archives are far from complete. Local or regional genealogical societies in Belgium have in a few cases created their own indexes. Links to some of them can be found at Digitale Bronbewerkingen Nederland and België.
Reading Belgian Death Records
Reading death records is not that hard, even when you are unfamiliar with the language, as they were written according to a set formula. A handy glossary of Dutch and French terms can be found in Jozef Goethals’ guide Searching for Flemish (Belgian) Ancestors.5. Or check out the lengthy vocabulary list of Rob van Drie.6Online, the Belgian, French, and Netherlands research tools at FamilySearch Research Wiki have helpful lists of words and common phrases.
The following six examples, each one a little different, demonstrate how to dissect both French- and Dutch-language death records from Belgium. My translations are quite literal, which does not always result into fluent English.
1. François Joseph Lambeau, died in 1866 in Hamme-Mille, Walloon Brabant
François Joseph Lambeau, the great-great-grandfather of Earl Louis “Curly” Lambeau (1898–1965), founder, player, and the first coach of the Green Bay Packers, died in Hamme-Mille (Walloon Brabant) on 26 January 1866. His death record is a good example of a typical Walloon record from the mid-nineteenth century.7
Introductory lines:
Acte de décès, no 3.
Death record no. 3.
L’an mil huit cent soixante-six, le vingt sept du mois de Janvier à neuf heures du matin par-devant nous Jean François Deliège, Bourgmestre, Officier de l’État civil de la commune de Hamme Mille, Arrondissement de Niveles, Province de Brabant, sont comparus
In the year eighteen hundred and sixty-six, on the twenty-seventh of the month of January, at nine o’clock in the morning, before us, Jean François Deliège, mayor, officer of civil registration of the town of Hamme Mille, arrondissement of Niveles, province of Brabant, appeared
Nicolas Joseph Decock, âgé de cinquante trois ans, profession de Journalier, domicilié à Hamme Mille, beau fils du défunt et Charles Joseph Degrève, âgé de trente ans, profession d’Instituteur domicilié à Hamme Mille, non parent au défunt
Nicolas Joseph Decock, fifty-three years old, daylaborer, residing in Hamme Mille, son-in-law of the deceased, and Charles Joseph Degrève, thirty years old, teacher, residing in Hamme Mille, not related to the deceased
lesquels nous ont déclaré que
Who declared to us that
Hier vingt six du présent mois de janvier à neuf heures du matin,
Yesterday twenty six of the current month of January at nine o’clock in the morning
Lambeau François Joseph, âgé de quatre vingts ans, sept mois, journalier, né et domicilié en cette commune,
Lambeau François Joseph, eighty years and seven months old, daylaborer, born and residing in this town,
Fils de François Joseph Lambeau et d’Elisabeth Hémelers, conjoints, décédés,
Son of François Joseph Lambeau and Elisabeth Hémelers, married, deceased,
Veuf de Claire Deboute,
Widower of Claire Deboute,
Est décédé en sa demeure située sous la dite commune de Hamme Mille
Died in his home situated in the forementioned town of Hamme Mille
Et après qu’il leur à été donné lecture du présent acte,
And after they were read the current record,
Les comparants ont signé avec nous.
The informants signed with me.
2. Jean François Lambeau, died in 1905 in Antwerp.
Curly’s great-grandfather, Jean François Lambeau, passed away on 25 February 1905 in Antwerp.8 As you will see, civil registration records in large cities such as Antwerp have a slightly different format than their rural counterparts.
Akte nr 811, Kielschevest nr 154, Se 8, Overleden 25 Februari, Geboren 15 Januari 1825
Record no. 811, 154 Kielsevest, Ward 8, Died 25 February, Born 15 January 1825
Den zevenentwintigste der maand Februari van het jaar duizend negen honderd vijf ten elf ure des voormiddags
The twenty-seventh of the month of February in the year one thousand nine hundred five at eleven o’clock in the morning
Overlijdensakte van Jean François Lambeau, zonder beroep, oud tachtig jaar, een maand en tien dagen
Death record of Jean François Lambeau, without occupation, eighty years, one month, and ten days old
Geboortig van Hamme Mille provincie Brabant
Born in Hamme Mille, province of Brabant
Alhier gehuisvest
Residing here
In zijne woning overleden op vijf en twintig Februari dezes jaars ten een ure des namiddags
Died in his home on twenty-five February of this year at one o’clock in the afternoon
Echtgenoot van Marie Thérèse Vanderstraeten
Husband of Marie Thérèse Vanderstraeten
Zoon van wijlen François Joseph Lambeau en van wijlen Claire Debotte
Son of the late François Joseph Lambeau and the late Claire Debotte
Volgens de aangifte aan mij gedaan door
According to the notification given to me by
Arthur Lambeau, klerk, oud zeven en dertig jaar, zoon des overledenen
Arthur Lambeau, clerk, thirty seven years old, son of the deceased
En door Josephus Soffers, klerk, oud veertig jaar, gebuur des overledenen
And by Josephus Soffers, clerk, forty years old, neighbor of the deceased
Beiden alhier gehuisvest
Both residing here
Aldus ten Stadhuize in dubbel opgemaakt door mij ondergeteekende Frans Van Kuyck, Schepen der stad Antwerpen, behoorlijk gedelegeerden Ambtenaar van den burgerlijken stand
Thus recorded at city hall by me the undersigned Frans Van Kuyck, alderman of the city of Antwerp, respectable officer of the civil registration
En zulks wel na mij van het voorschreven overlijden te hebben verzekerd
And after having assured myself of such death
En na voorlezing dezer hebben de comparanten benevens mij geteekend
And after the reading of this the informants have, besides me, signed
3. Stillborn child in Liège, 1890.
On 2 January 1890, Julien Edouard Joseph Dallemagne had the sad task to inform the authorities in Liège that his wife, Anne Marie Jeanne Dervandre, had given birth to a stillborn child.9
No 17
No. 17
Du deuxième jour du mois de janvier l’an mil huit cent nonente à deux heures de releveé.
On the second day of the month of January in the year eight hundred and ninety at two o’clock in the afternoon
Acte de décès de
Death record of
Le deux de ce mois, à une heure trois quarts de relevée, il nous a été présenté à Liège
On the second day of this month, at one o’clock and three quarters in the afternoon was presented to us in Liège
Un enfant sans vie du sexe féminine, sortie du sein da sa mère en cette ville, le premier de ce mois à quatre heures de releveé
A female child, sprung from the womb of his mother in this city, on the first of this month at four o’clock in the afternoon
Fille de Julien Edouard Joseph Dallemagne, armurier
Daughter of Julien Edouard Joseph Dallemagne, gunsmith
Et de Anne Marie Jeanne Dervandre, sans profession
And of Anne Marie Jeanne Dervandre, no occupation
Domiciliés à Liège, rue Sainte Walburge no 45.
Residing in Liège, 45 rue Sainte Walburge.
Sur la déclaration de Joseph Chefnay, âgé de quarante ans, Sacristain, et de Pierre Govaerts, âgé de trente-cinq ans, Négociant, domiciliés a Liège qui ont signé.
Upon the declaration of Joseph Chefnay, forty years old, sacristan, and of Pierre Gobaerts, merchant, residing in Liège, who have signed.
Constaté suivant la Loi par Nous, Officier de l’État-Civil de la ville de Liège, soussigné, duquel Acte il a été donné lecture.
Verified according to the Law by us, Officer of the Civil Registration of the City of Liège, undersigned, of which record a reading has been given.
4. Stillborn child, Antwerp, 1865.
A similar Flemish example is found in the Antwerp 1866 death register. On 31 December 1865 in Antwerp, Anna Maria Dielis gave birth to a stillborn child. The child’s death was recorded after the New Year on 2 January 1866.10
Akte nr 7, Zwanengang nr 4, Se 2, Overleden 31 December, Geboren
Record no. 7, 4 Zwanengang, Ward 2, Died 31 December, Born
Den tweeden der maand Januari van het jaar duizend achthonderd zes en zestig, ten twaalf ure des middags
The second of the month of January in the year one thousand eight hundred sixty-six at twelve noon
Overlijdensakte van een kind van het mannelijk geslacht
Death record of a male child
Alhier op een en dertig December laatsleden ten vier ure des namiddags uit den schoot van zijner moeder voortsgekomen
Born here on 31 December last from the womb of his mother at four o’clock in the afternoon
Zoon van Carolus Ludovicus Andoor, arbeider, oud een en dertig jaar
Son of Carolus Ludovicus Andoor, laborer, thirty-one years old
en Anna Maria Dielis, oud vier en twintig jaar
And Anna Maria Dielis, twenty-four years old
Beide alhier gehuisvest
Both residing here
Volgens de aangifte aan mij gedaan door gemelden vader
According to the notification done by the aforementioned father
En door Joannes Baptiste Christiaens, pompier, oud zeven en veertig jaar, bekende, alhier gehuisvest
And by Joannes Baptiste Christiaens, firefighter, forty-seven years old, acquaintance, residing here
Aldus ten Stadhuize in dubbel opgemaakt door mij ondergeteekende Gemeenteraadslid, dienstdoende Schepen der stad Antwerpen, behoorlijk gedelegeerden Ambtenaar van den burgerlijken stand
Thus recorded at city hall by me undersigned city council member, acting alderman of the city of Antwerp, respectable officer of the civil registration
En zulks wel na mij van het voorschreven overlijden te hebben verzekerd
And after having assured myself of such death
En na voorlezing dezer hebben de comparanten benevens mij geteekend
And after the reading of this the informants have, besides me, signed
5. Clara Peeters, died in a hospital in 1866.
Fifteen month-old Clara Peeters died at the St. Elisabeth Hospital on Monday 23 July 1866. Her death was reported two days later by the Joannes Petrus Josephus Van Laer, the conciërge [huisbezorger] of the clinic. He and the servant Philippus Verdickt, filed twenty-two deaths with at city hall that day, albeit a day too late for some of them than was required.11
Akte nr 3834, Austruweel, Overleden 23 juli, Geboren [blank]
Record no. 3834, Austruweel, Died 23 July, Born [blank]
Den vijfentwintigsten der maand Juli van het jaar duizend achthonderd zes en zestig, ten acht ure des avonds;
The twenty-fifth of the month of July in the year one thousand eight hundred sixty-six, at eight o’clock in the evening
Overlijdensakte van Clara Peeters, oud vijftien maanden, geboortig van Austruweel, Provincie Antwerpen, aldaar gehuisvest
Death record of Clara Peeters, fifteen months old, born in Austruweel, Province of Antwerp, and residing there
Alhier in’t Burgerlijk gasthuis overleden op drij en twintig Juli dezes jaars ten vier ure des namiddags
Died here in the Civil hospital on 23 July of this year at four o’clock in the afternoon
Dochter van Guilielmus Benedictus Peeters, arbeider, oud vijftig jaar, te Austruweel gehuisvest;
Daughter of Guilielmus Peeters, laborer, fifty years old, residing in Austruweel;
En van Wilhelmina Welten, overleden;
And of Wilhelmina Welten, deceased;
Volgens de aangifte aan mij gedaan door Joannes Petrus Josephus Van Laer, huisbezorger, oud een en zestig jaar
According to the notification done by Joannes Petrus Josephus Van Laer, concierge, sixty-one years old
En door Philippus Verdickt, dienstbode, oud zeven en veertig jaar, beide alhier gehuisvest
And by Philippus Verdickt, servant, forty-seven years old, both residing here
Aldus ten Stadhuize in dubbel opgemaakt door mij ondergeteekende Gemeenteraadslid, dienstdoende Schepen der stad Antwerpen, behoorlijk gedelegeerden Ambtenaar van den burgerlijken stand
Thus recorded at city hall by me undersigned city council member, acting alderman of the city of Antwerp, respectable officer of the civil registration
En zulks wel na mij van het voorschreven overlijden te hebben verzekerd
And after having assured myself of such death
En na voorlezing dezer hebben de comparanten benevens mij geteekend
And after the reading of this the informants have, besides me, signed
6. Clemence Edelborgh from Roeselare, died in Ronse in 1900.
On 22 october 1900, Clemence Edelborgh, a 26-year-old street vendor from Roeselare, died in the inn of Pierre Boone in Ronse. As prescribed by law, the city of Ronse created an extract of her death record and sent it to Roeselare, where it was entered in the death register on 1 December 1900. The Roeselare death record was numbered within the regular sequence, but recorded, along with seventy-three other out-of-town death records, at the end of the register.12
636
Extrait du registre aux actes de décès de la ville de Renaix, arrondissement judiciaire d’Audenarde, province de la Flandre-Orientale, où entr’autres se trouve comme suit:
Extract from the death register of the city of Ronse, judicial arrondissement of Oudenaarde, province of East Flanders, where, among other things, is found the following:
L’an mil neuf cent, le vingt deux Octobre, à trois heures de relevée
On 22 October 1900, at 3 pm
par devant nous Oswald Ponette, Bourghmestre, officier de l’Etat-Civil de la ville de Renaix, ont comparu:
before us, Oswald Ponette, mayor, officer of Civil Registration for the city of Ronse, appeared:
Gustave Kiepe, âgé de trente deux ans, menuisier, et Auguste Hautson, âgé de trente un ans, employé, domicilié à Renaix, le premier à Roulers,
Gustave Kiepe, thirty-two years old, cabinetmaker, and Auguste Hautson, thirty-one years old, employee, residing in Ronse, the first one in Roeselare,
Lesquels nous ont déclaré que: Clemence Edelborgh, ageé de vingt six ans un mois, colporteuse, née et domiciliée à Roulers,
Who have declared to us that: Clemence Edelborgh, twenty-six years and one month old, street vendor, born and residing in Roeselare,
fille de Pierre Edelborgh, âgé de cinquante neuf ans et de Flore Natalie Kimpe, ageé de cinquante sept ans, colporteurs, domiciliés à Roulers,
daughter of Pierre Edelborgh, fifty-nine years old, and Flore Natalie Kimpe, fifty-seven years old, street vendors, residing in Roeselare,
épouse de Gustave Kiepe sus nommé,
wife of the abovenamed Gustave Kiepe,
est décedée ce jourd’hui à deux heures du matin, en la demeure de Pierre Boone, cabaretier à Renaix, rue du pélérin cinquième section
died this morning at 2 am, in the home of Pierre Boone, inn-keeper in Ronse, Pelgrimstraat, ward 5
tout les comparants signé avec nous le présent acte de décès après lecture
all informants signed the present death record with us after the reading,
(signés) Kiepe Gustave, A. Hautson, Oswald Ponette
(signed) Kiepe Gustave, A. Hautson, Oswald Ponette
Pour extrait conforme, Renaix de 30 novembre mil neuf cent Sur papier libre en vertu de l’art. 80 du code civil. L’officer de l’Etat-Civil de la ville de Renais (signé) Oswald Ponette, et scellé.
Identical extract, Ronse, 30 November 1900, on separate paper according to Article 80 of the civil code. The Officer of Civil Registration of the city of Ronse (signed) Oswald Ponette, and sealed.
Voor gelijkvormige overschrijving: Rousselare den eersten December negentien honderd. De schepen, bemachtigde Ambtenaar van de burgerstand. Cattebert.
Identical transcription. Roeselare, 1 December 1900. Alderman, acting officer of Civil Registration. Cattebert.
Cite this post
Kristine Smets. “Anatomy of a Death Record: Examples from both sides of the language border” The Belgian American, posted 14 August 2019 (https://www.thebelgianamerican.com : accessed (date)).
- See “Burgerlijke stand gaat digitaal vanaf 31 maart,” De Standaard online, 14 February 2019 (https://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20190214_04175948 : accessed 9 August 2019).
- New legislation is being prepared but until then the old law still applies. See “Wijziging archiefwet – 2019,” Forum Histories vzw, discussion list, 10 January-23 July 2019 (https://forumfamiliekundeheemkunde.be/thread-562.html : accessed 9 August 2019).
- Marij Preneel, Overzicht van de archieven in het Rijksarchief te Beveren. Archiefvormers van het ressort Vlaanderen .Algemeen Rijksarchief en Rijksarchief in de Provinciën, Archievenoverzichten, 7 (Brussel, 2006), p. 664-665; digital copy (http://www.arch.be/docs/depots/antwerpen-beveren/archievenoverzicht-rijksarchief-beveren.pdf). Also, Ann Bylé, Rijksarchief Antwerpen-Beveren, to the author, “RE: I.v.m. Ressort Vlaanderen en Wallonië,” e-mail, 13 August 2019.
- If you plan to visit the town and request the record in person, check their website for opening hours. Contact the town beforehand to make sure older registers are still in their possession. You may also need to make an appointment to see some of the older registers.
- Jozef J. Goethals and Karel Denys, Searching for Flemish (Belgian) Ancestors (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Pub. Co., 2007).
- Rob van Drie, Dutch Roots: Finding Your Ancestors in the Netherlands (The Hague, Netherlands: Centraal Bureau voor Genealogie, 2012).
- Hamme-Mille, Walloon Brabant, Belgium, Actes de décès 1866, no. 3, François Joseph Lambeau; digital image, “Belgique, Brabant, registres d’état civil, 1582-1914,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-68F9-ZLM?cc=1482191&wc=STLH-DPD%3A966682001%2C966739001), Hamme-Mille > Geboorten, huwelijksafkondigingen, huwelijken 1861-1892 Overlijden 1861-1871 > image 598 of 638; België Nationaal Archief, Brussels (Belgium National Archives, Brussels).
- Antwerpen, Provincie Antwerpen, Belgium, Overlijdensregister 1905, no. 811, Jean François Lambeau; digital image, “Belgique, Anvers, registres d’état civil, 1588-1913,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GPDF-44D?cc=2138481&wc=Q82R-GZ8%3A1007785401%2C1008028201), Antwerpen > Overlijden 1905 > image 84 of 584; België Staatsarchief (Belgium State Archives), Brussels.
- Liège, Province de Liège, Belgium, Actes de décès 1890, no. 17, Un enfant sans vie du sexe féminine; digital image, “Etat civil, Province de Liège, Arrondissements de Liège et de Verviers,” Les archives de l’État en Belgique (https://search.arch.be/ead/BE-A0523_712733_713060_FRE), Liège > Etat civil: actes > > Etat civil: actes de décès > 1890> image 5 of 670; België Staatsarchief (Belgium State Archives), Brussels.
- Antwerpen, Provincie Antwerpen, Belgium, Overlijdensregister 1866, no. 7, een kind van het mannelijk geslacht; digital copy “Belgique, Anvers, registres d’état civil, 1588-1913,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6GV9-LDF?cc=2138481&wc=Q82R-YMB%3A1007785401%2C1007814401), Antwerpen > Overlijden 1866 > image 56 of 620; België Staatsarchief (Belgium State Archives), Brussels.
- Antwerpen, Provincie Antwerpen, Belgium, Overlijdensregister 1866, no. 3834, Clara Peeters, “Belgique, Anvers, registres d’état civil, 1588-1913,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6GV9-V3W?cc=2138481&wc=Q82R-YMB%3A1007785401%2C1007814401), Antwerpen > Overlijden 1866 > image 385 of 620; België Staatsarchief (Belgium State Archives), Brussels. St. Elisabeth Hospital was the Civil Hospital [Burgerlijk gasthuis] of Antwerp during the nineteenth century.
- Roeselare, West-Flanders, Belgium, Overlijdensregister 1900, no. 636, Clemence Edelborgh; digital image, “Belgique, Flandre-Occidentale, registres d’état civil, 1582-1910,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9P6Q-6VS?cc=2139860&wc=QZ9J-5GR%3A1009438001%2C1009508001), Roeselare > Overlijden 1897-1900 Tienjarige tafels 1881-1890 geboorten 1871 > image 501 of 987; België Nationaal Archief, Brussels (Belgium National Archives, Brussels).