Hello Giliane, Thank you so much for this explanation and for taking the time to translate it for me. It certainly sounds complicated, the way it was designed to work with the equinox. I should think it caused confusion with the people as well. Further, it could possibly be the explanation when we find a conflict in dates for our ancestors who had an event during the period of years that the calendar was in use. I appreciate your help and am glad to know my confusion had some merit! Linda in Costa Rica Monroe County, NY Records and Family Genealogy http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~monroenys/ Monroe County, NY History http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~monroenys/ ----- Original Message ----- From: Giliane Bader-Wechseler To: alsace-lorraine@rootsweb.com Sent: 19 February, 2008 7:34 AM Subject: Re: [A-L] French Republican Calendar and how to understand the textat the beginning of the records Linda, Your confusion is in fact a good observation. The new republican calendar was approved on October 5, 1793, but see below the extract from the "Décret de la Convention nationale, concernant l'ère des Français" of October 5, 1793 where Year one of the calendar began in fall of 1792) ARTICLE ONE. IV. La première année de la République française a commencé à minuit le 22 septembre 1792, et a fini à minuit, séparant le 21 du 22 septembre 1793. (The first year of the French Republique started at midnight on Septembre22 1792, and finished at midnight, between the 21 and 22nd Septembre 1793.) V. La deuxième année a commencé le 22 septembre 1793 à minuit, l'équinoxe vrai d'automne étant arrivé, pour l'observatoire de Paris, à 3 heures 7 minutes 19 secondes du soir. (The second year began on September 22 1793 at midnight, as the real autumn equinox started, from the Paris observatory, at 7 minutes and 19 secondes after 3 pm.) The actual calendar itself was approved on 24 October 1793, and after some revisions on the names the calendar got its final form on 24 November 1793. In other words, whenever they used the republican calendar in civil records, they started with year II. - Giliane -----Original Message----- From: alsace-lorraine-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:alsace-lorraine-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Linda H. Gutierrez Sent: Monday, February 18, 2008 6:58 PM To: ALSACE-LORRAINE-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [A-L] French Republican Calendar and how to understand the text atthe beginning of the records Hi everyone, LONG subject! OK. I have some records that were recorded during the years of the French Republic. I have now figured out what words were for the months and how they corresponded basically to our Calendar. But I am still having confusion on when this darn calendar started! The LDS website states that the calendar began on 24 October 1793 and ended 31 December 1805, but then on two other websites (Wkipedia among them) it states that year one was 1792-1793. So question one is: HOW do I count the years - from October 1792 or 1793 or ???? And what was year one? Question 2 has to do with the text that appears to have been preprinted on the first page of the records for that one of the years I am trying to determine: "Le présent régistre, contenant _____ (unreadable handwritten word) feuillets, celui-ci et le dernier non compris, a été, par nous Président du Tribunal de première instance de l'arrondissement de Belfort coté par premier et dernier, et paraphé à chaque feuillet, polir servir àl'enrégistrement des actes de ______ (unreadable handwritten words) qui auront lieu dans la commune de Gildwiller pendant l'as XII de la Republique. Fait au Prêtoire à Belfort le _____ (unreadable handwritten words) an XI de la République française." My question: Why does it talk about the 12th year in the first part and the 11th year after that? Immediately after the part about the 11th year the first record begins. And lastly, if I have a record for year 10, what year was it? Thank you and sorry for probably asking something that has been covered previously. Linda in Costa Rica Monroe County, NY Records and Family Genealogy http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~monroenys/ Monroe County, NY History http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~monroenys/ -- Resources for Alsace-Lorraine list members: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~valorie/Alsace-Lorraine-L.htm ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to ALSACE-LORRAINE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.20.7/1285 - Release Date: 2/18/2008 5:50 AM No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.20.8/1287 - Release Date: 2/19/2008 10:55 AM -- Resources for Alsace-Lorraine list members: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~valorie/Alsace-Lorraine-L.htm ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to ALSACE-LORRAINE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message