Belgium Military Records of Hainaut

Belgium’s Nineteenth century and even some mid 1700s military & enlistment records for genealogical purposes seems to be an egg-hunt of national secrecy. Everyone say they exist, yet no one seems to know where they are and how to get them. Are they online? There are World War One indexes and online searchable databases to find information in that War exist available.

Belgium is a bit of a mystery. Maybe, the problem exists because each of their provinces seems to operate individually in what it provides. The good news is, you can find records of military importance at FamilySearch.org for the Province of Hainaut, Belgium. These images are called “Listes alphabétiques de la Milice nationale, and you can only find them by searching through each town in Hainaut Province. They are goldmine of genealogical information. BUT, going through each town to find those records of military value , is a time-consuming and frustrating nightmare .

To understand what the Belgium’s ‘Milice Nationale” is all about, I’m quoting Eric Gathy’s (google translated) explanation of it found on Geneanet forums.

The “Belgian national militia” is the army = its executives and professional soldiers, as well as the conscripts

As part of “Making French Genealogy Easier” (and Wallonia, Belgium) philosophy, I’ve created this page to help you by arranging each town alphabetically with links to that’s town’s military records at FamilySearch. I do this so you don’t have to. Unfortunately, not all towns have military records available.

Information you might find in the index:

  • First and Last Name
  • date of birth
  • place of birth
  • profession
  • past residences
  • spouse’s names
  • parent’s names
  • parent’s place of residence
  • description of physical appearance
  • additional information
  • If you find mistakes, please contact me

When visiting the town’s military pages, you will see the camera icon to the right. That tells you the online images are available for viewing. If you see a “key” over the camera image, it means you need to either login, or open a free account at FamilySearch. Then click on the image and you’re there

National Militia Alphabetical Lists
(Listes alphabétiques de la Milice nationale)

Available towns and years:

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

  • Hyon – Domiciles, 1815-1833,

K

  • Kain (Hollain)- 1797-1870

J

L

M

  • Mons military member’s marriages & burials – 1685-1733

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

V

W