Personnel files at the ANOM
Colonial personnel files
The colonial personnel files kept by the Archives Nationales d'Outre-Mer are separated into several large sets:
- former colonial personnel, XVIIth – XVIIIth centuries (Series E)
Notice on Series E
- modern colonial personnel, XVIIIth – XIXth centuries (Series EE)
Notice on Series EE
- contemporary colonial personnel, XIXth and XXth centuries (Series EE II and EE III)
Notice on Series EE II and EE III
- colonial personnel files from Governors General and local administration collections
- Algeria
- A.E.F. (French Equatorial Africa)
- Cameroon
- Madagascar
- Indochina
- India
- New Hebrides
- Comoros Islands
- the files of penal colony personnel, Series H, EE and EE II
List of collections where personnel file are found
How to carry out a search
Search in the detailed inventories on-line
- For Series E, former colonial personnel: the inventory includes digital images of the files which are therefore directly accessible on-line
Series E Inventory
- For Series EE, modern colonial personnel: only the inventory is accessible on-line (not the files themselves) for the letter A. Work on this inventory continues and the following letters will be put on line as the work progresses.
Series EE Inventory
- For Series H (files of penal colony personnel): only the inventory is accessible on-line (not the files themselves).
Series H Inventory
In all other cases...
When the reader cannot obtain the items sought on-line, and particularly as far as the files in other series are concerned, in the first instance the ANOM should be contacted by letter giving:
- Name
- First names
- Date and place of birth
- Position, date and place this position was exercised.
The department will perform the search and inform the reader: existence of a file (or not), file number, communicability. Armed with this information, the person can then travel to consult the file in the reading room.
Warning: files can only be consulted in the reading room. In no circumstances can the department send copies of the file by letter or e-mail.
