ABOUT PHILIPPE CHAPELIN
Association of Professional Genealogists (APG)
About Philippe Chapelin
After completing advanced postgraduate studies in History (DEA), specializing in 18th-century French society and political behavior in Saint-Étienne during the Revolution (1989), I have spent more than thirty years immersed in professional genealogy and deep archival research.
As a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG), I founded and have directed “Genealogy and History in France” since 1995. My work relies on direct consultation of original records in French national, departmental and municipal archives, as well as those of former French colonies and Switzerland. Having lived for several years in Colombia and Mexico, I bring a genuine international perspective to cross-border family histories.
Specialist in the Revolutionary era, I have published articles on the subject, including detailed studies on the revolutionary municipalities of Saint-Étienne and the federalist movement in Lyon. I also served as editor-in-chief of the historical review Saint-Étienne, histoire et mémoire (1989-1995) and have contributed to numerous industrial and family business histories.
Academic Recognition
Member of the Société des Études robespierristes since 1993, my analyses have been cited by the anthropologist and historian Emmanuel Todd in La Défaite de l’Occident (2024) and who quotes my article “La France vers le modèle latino-américain” in Les Luttes de classes en France au XXIe siècle (2020).
In 1995 I launched one of the very first professional genealogy websites (gefrance.com). I continue to share my research through historical and genealogical chronicles on the major French history site herodote.net in the series « Aux sources de l’Histoire ».
“What I love most is blending uncompromising archival rigor with truly human, concrete solutions for each client.”