One of my favorite online resources for French records is Archives de la Moselle.

Many of my Schmitt ancestors hail from the village of Hellimer in Moselle, Lorraine, France. Records for Hellimer are free (!) and available online from 1737 to 1791. When I want to see records from the period after 1791, I visit my local Family History Center.

Which is where I found this:

Transcription:

“Mariage de François Schmitt et de Elisabeth Grosse

Du vingt cinq Nivôse an Douze de la République, acte de mariage de François Schmitt cultivateur domicilié à Hellimer, né audit lieu le cinq février mil sept cent soixante et quatorze, fils de Claude Schmitt cultivateur et de feue Anne Marie Schmitt dudit Hellimer et de Elisabeth Grosse domiciliée à Virming, département de la Meurthe née audit le sept du mois d’ août mil sept cent quatre vingt un, fille de défunt Christophe Grosse cultivateur et de Marie Elisabeth Houpert dudit Virming.

Les actes préliminaires sont extraits du registre de publications qui ont été faites sans opposition à Hellimer les dix et dix-sept courant et à Virming les mêmes jours et les actes de naissance des époux des registres de Hellimer et Virming, de tous lesquels actes ainsi que du chapitre su de la loi du vingt six ventôse an onze il a été donné lecture par moi officier public aux termes de la loi.

Les époux ont déclaré prendre en mariage l’un Elisabeth Grosse, l’autre François Schmitt en présence de Marie Elisabeth Houpert mère de l’épouse, de Michel Vix cultivateur âgé de quarante six ans tous deux domiciliés à Virming département de la Meurthe, de Henry Grosse cultivateur à Léning, même département oncle paternel de l’épouse âgé de soixante quatre ans, de Claude Schmitt père de l’époux et de Michel Clavet cultivateur âgé de trente neuf ans, tous deux domiciliés à Hellimer, département de la Moselle.

Après quoi moi Jean Clavet maire faisant les fonctions d’officier public de Hellimer, ai prononcé qu’au nom de la loi lesdits époux sont unis en mariage et ont les époux et témoins signé avec moi, après lecture faite. l’épouse a déclaré n’avoir l’usage d’écrire.”

Translation:

“Marriage of Francis Schmitt and Elizabeth Grosse

[Prepared] on the 25th [day] of the month of Nivôse, year Twelve of the [French] Republic [Calendar], the marriage certificate of François Schmitt, a farmer living in Hellimer, born in that same town on February 5, 1774, son of Claude Schmitt farmer and the late Anne Marie Schmitt of Hellimer; and Elisabeth Grosse who lives in Virming, department of Meurthe born the seventh of August 1781, daughter of the late Christopher Grosse, farmer and Mary Elizabeth Houpert from Virming.

The preliminary acts are extracts from the publications [which] were made without opposition in Hellimer on the 10 and 17th of this current (month) and in Virming the same days and the birth certificates from Hellimer and Virming of the bride and groom (were shown to the official), all of which acts as Chapter xxx (?) of the Act on the 26th day year 11 (month) Ventose it was read by me, notary public under the law.

Spouses reported taking marriage vows are one Elizabeth Grosse, the other François Schmitt. Also present are Mary Elizabeth Houpert mother of the bride, and Michel Vix, farmer aged forty six years, both who live in Virming, Department Meurthe; Henry Grosse farmer from [the town of] Lening, same department, who is paternal uncle of the bride [and] sixty four years old; [the] father of the groom, Claude Schmitt and Michel Clavet farmer, aged thirty nine years, both living in Hellimer, [in the] department of Moselle.

After that I John Clavet, acting mayor functioning as a public officer of Hellimer, have pronounced the name of the law said bride and groom are united in marriage and the bride and groom and witnesses signed with me, having been read. The wife testified that she cannot write.

The actual marriage date was 16 January 1804.”

Isn’t it amazing how much genealogical information is contained in just one record? And the signatures; such treasures. I love French civil documents!

For cousins trying to place Francis Schmitt, Elizabeth Grosse and me in our family tree:

• my paternal grandfather was Harold Clarke MUELLER (1908-1985); one of two children born to
• Ellen Gertrude CLARKE (1883-1948) and Alfred Jacob MUELLER (1879-1941); one of two children born to
• Jacob Koebe MUELLER (1844-1910) and Elizabeth SCHMITT (1847-1910); one of eleven children born to
• Marie Anne GURY (1818-1870?) and Nicolas SCHMITT (1813-1876); one of eight children born to
• Elizabeth GROSSE (1781-1826) and François SCHMITT (1774-1854).

Interested in collaborating on Grosse or Schmitt family history? I can be reached at where2look4ancestors [at] gmail [dot] com.

My 2015 goal for François and Elizabeth is to determine their causes of death.

My 2015 organizational goal for both is to bring all of their documentation from out-of-date to up-to-date on Ancestry, Dropbox, Family Tree Maker, and in their paper files.