Researching Ancestors in Germany
Questions and Answers
by Gayla Gray
Originally published in the
June
2008 Germans from Russia Heritage Society Heritage Review
How does one go about researching their ancestor in Germany?
What type of records are available in Germany and how far back do they go?
Is there a website that lists online heritage books for Germany?
1. How does one go about researching their ancestor in Germany?
First, you need to know where in Germany your ancestor came from. There are many sources available that will help you find this information. For example, The Emigration From Germany to Russia in the Years 1763-1862 by Karl Stumpp and The German Colonies in South Russia 1804-1904, Volumes I and II by Conrad Keller are the two best resource books to check out. You will also want to review early Russian census records, church family books, emigration records, death records, and sometimes the Koblenz films will provide the name of the village or the area in Germany that your ancestor came from. Many of these resources are available at GRHS headquarters in Bismarck, ND, and some are indexed and available on the GRHS and Regional Interest Group (RIG) chapter websites.
There is a wonderful website (the site is in German) where you can type in the name of the Ort you are looking for, and it will provide you important information about that Ort, as well as a map showing where it is or was located. The website is located at http://gov.genealogy.net/index.jsp. Another good website is www.expedia.com. First select the “Maps” tab, then select “Find a Map” and finally, type in the name of the Ort you are looking for. This will often help if your Ort has become part of a larger town.
3. What type of records are available in Germany and how far back do they go?
Parish registers include records of births, baptisms, marriages, deaths, and burials recorded by German churches. Protestant records date back to about 1524, but Lutheran churches, in general, began requiring baptism, marriage and burial records in 1540; Catholics began in 1563, and by 1650 most Reformed parishes began keeping these records. Unfortunately, many parish records were destroyed during the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648). Some parish records in Pfalz and Rhineland were stopped from about 1792 to 1815 when the French took control (some civil records may be found in French during this time). Civil registration of births, marriages and deaths in Germany began following the French Revolution in 1792. Beware—some Orts had both “Reform” and “Lutheran” churches in one town with separate records so make sure you look at both.
Germans had to apply for permission to emigrate from most areas. The Family History Library has these application records for several states and cities, including Baden, Rhineland, the Pfalz, and Zwickau. These records begin in the mid-1700s, with most from the 1800s. Most districts also have handwritten indexes for the mid-1800s.
Dozens of card indexes exist for German emigrants. The Family History Library (http://www.familysearch.org/) has microfilmed card indexes for emigrants from Hessen, Baden (1660s-1900s), Pfalz (1500s-1900s), the Austro-Hungarian Empire (1750-1943), and Russia (1750-1943).
4. In what language will these parish records be?
Catholic records were usually kept in Latin and Protestant/Lutheran records were in German (often in the old German script). The later records in western Germany were often in French.
5. What can I expect to find on these parish records?
These parish records usually contain the following information:
· Baptisms (Taufen)
· Marriages (Heiraten)
· Deaths (Gestorben)
· Burial services (Begrabnisse)
· Confirmations (Konfirmationen)
· Family registers (Familienbucher)
To obtain church vital records (Kirchenbucher), you will have to write to the town church, or local parish, that your ancestor came from if they are not already microfilmed and available through the Family History Library. Your letter must be written in German or it may not be read. It is also worthwhile in your letter to ask to be put in touch with someone there who is interested and knowledgeable about the local history.
There are 27 Catholic Church archives in Germany. You should write the Catholic archive in the largest city near the town where your ancestor lived. You can find a map of the German dioceses at http://www.dbk.de/katholische_kirche/deutschland/bistuemer/index_en.html. Click on the area you are interested in to find contact information such as physical address, e-mail address, phone number, and contact name.
The Evangelical Church (Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland) is the prominent religion in Germany. It is made from a federation of 26 territories including the Lutheran, Reformed (Calvinist) and United (Calvinist and Lutheran) churches. Their website is located at http://www.ekd.de/english/2169.html. To see a map of the Evangelical churches in Germany go to http://www.ekd.de/english/churchmap.html.
6. Is there a website that lists online heritage books for Germany?
The site http://www.ortsfamilienbuecher.de/ is a fantastic site for finding online heritage information for not only Germany, but also areas outside the present-day Federal Republic of Germany. The site is in German, but there is an option for English. The information is presented using a genealogy database program and can be listed by surname or Ort.
7. Are there websites that offer the purchase of family books?
http://www.genealogie-in-pirmasens.de/links2.htm is a website that offers genealogy information in the following areas: Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Alsace, and Lorraine. At http://www.genealogie-in-pirmasens.de/edition2.htm, you will find a list of parish registers (family books) available for sale.
Make sure you check out the Ort Projects coordinated by GRHS Ort coordinators on the GRHS Clearing House webpage at http://grhs.com/vr/ch.htm. Another good website for genealogy in German-speaking areas of the world is http://wiki-en.genealogy.net/wiki/Main_Page. Also, Google at http://www.google.com can provide hyperlinks based on your keywords such as German Genealogy and the name of your Ort. Happy Hunting!