| Project description | Analysis of personnel files. The services of Congo Free State (1885-1908) and later of the African Personnel Service created within the Ministry of Colonies (1908-1960/1962) documented the career of any Belgian or foreign representative or official with a colonial career. Initially, they noted key biographical data (date and place of birth, parents' names, address in Belgium), the course of the colonial career and, if applicable, the career that preceded it, as well as etiological and disciplinary notes. From the 1920s, the files were expanded to include a photograph of the representative and his spouse if she accompanied him, information on his education and language skills, correspondence with the administration on his career and private life, and the legal provisions that applied to him. Besides colonial representatives stricto sensu, these series also cover representatives employed by companies that were closely linked to the colonial administration, such as the Association Internationale Africaine (1876), the Comité Spécial du Katanga (1900-1960), the Compagnie du Chemin de Fer du Congo Supérieur aux Grands Lacs Africaines (1902-1960) and the Comité National du Kivu (1928-1960). These approximately 100,000 files are an invaluable source for prosopographies of colonial representatives and, more generally, for studies on the colonial administration and genealogical research. |
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| Status | Ongoing projet |
| Number of records | 109716 |
| Number of people referenced | 109716 |
| Period | 1885-1962 |
| Geographical description | État indépendant du Congo, Congo belge et Ruanda-Urundi |
| Data introduced by | Ces inventaires sont réalisés par une équipe mixte composée de membres du personnel des AGR2 et du SPF Affaires étrangères, de bénévoles et d’étudiants en Histoire. |
| Last updated | 03/08/2025 |
| URL | Inventaire des archives du ministère des Colonies et des successeurs en droit. Administration métropolitaine. Personnel d Afrique. Dossiers généraux (1877-1960).(https://agatha.arch.be/data/ead/BE-A0545_721466_807136_DUT) |