A gazetteer is a dictionary of place-names. Gazetteers describe towns and villages, parishes and counties, states and provinces, rivers and mountains, and other geographical features. They usually include only the names of places that existed at the time the gazetteer was published. The place-names are usually listed in alphabetical order, similar to a dictionary.

Gazetteers may also provide additional information about towns, such as:

• The population size.
• The different religious denominations.
• The schools, colleges, and universities.
• Major manufacturing works, canals, docks, and railroad stations.
  

Gazetteers can help you find the places where your family lived and determine the civil and church jurisdictions over those places. For example, Falkenberg, Germany, was a small village in the state of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. It had its own civil registration office, but the Protestants attended the Evangelical parish at Dömitz. If your ancestor was a Protestant from Falkenberg, a gazetteer can tell you where to look for your ancestor's civil and church records.

Some places in Germany have the same or similar names. You will need to use a gazetteer to identify the specific town where your ancestor lived, the government district it was in, and the jurisdictions where records about him or her were kept.

Gazetteers can also help you determine county jurisdictions used in the Family History Library Catalog.

Finding Place-Names in the Family History Library Catalog

German place-names used in the Locality Search of the Family History Library Catalog are based on the German Empire as it existed in 1871. To find the state or province that a town is filed under in the catalog, use the “see” references on the first few microfiche of the catalog for Germany. If you are using the catalog on compact disc, use the “Locality Browse” search. The computer will find a place with the name you select if the library has records from that place.

The Family History Library uses one gazetteer as the standard guide for listing German places in the catalog. Regardless of the various jurisdictions a place may have been under at different times, all German places are listed by the jurisdictions used in the following reference:

Uetrecht, E. Meyers Orts- und Verkehrs-Lexikon des Deutschen Reichs (Meyers commercial gazetteer of the German Empire). 5th ed. Leipzig: Bibliographisches Institute, 1912-3. (FHL book Ref 943 E5mo; films 496640-1; fiche 6000001-29; computer number 282809.) This book lists the names of places as they existed in Germany from 1871 to 1918. It gives the name of the state or province where each town was located at that time. The gazetteer is written in gothic print, which can be hard to read.

The first volume of this gazetteer contains an explanation of the many abbreviations the gazetteer uses. For example, Meyers indicates where to find the civil registration office [Standesamt]. If a comma or semicolon follows the abbreviation StdA (Standesamt), the town had its own civil registration office. If it does not have a comma or semicolon, the town name that follows the abbreviation and has a comma or semicolon after it is the town where the civil registration office is found.

The gazetteer also indicates if the town had its own parish by using the abbreviation ev. Pfk. for a Lutheran parish [evangelische Pfarrkirche]; reform. Pfk. for a Calvinist parish [reformierte Pfarrkirche]; or kath. Pfk. for a Roman Catholic parish [katholische Pfarrkirche]. A Jewish synagogue [Synagoge] is indicated by the abbreviation Syn. If no parish is indicated, you must check a state (or provincial) gazetteer or parish register inventory to find the parish.

Occasionally Meyers only gives a “see” reference, indicated by the abbreviation S (see the example below). For example, if you look for the village of Filge, county Lübbecke, the gazetteer refers you to the larger village of Levern Westfalen for more information.

German States and Provinces in Meyers Gazetteer and the Family History Library Catalog

Meyers Listing	Locality Section Listing for a Sample Town	English Spelling
Anh.	GERMANY, ANHALT, HOYM	Anhalt
Baden	GERMAMY, BADEN, ADELSHEIM	Baden
Bay.	GERMANY, BAYERN, DAHN	Bavaria
Braunschw.	GERMANY, BRAUNSCHWEIG, UFINGEN	Brunswick
Bremen	GERMANY, BREMEN BORGFELD	Bremen
Els.-Loth.	GERMANY, ELSAß-LOTHRINGEN, SURBURG	Alsace-Lorraine
Hamburg	GERMANY, HAMBURG, GRODEN	Hamburg
Hessen	GERMANY, HESSEN, DARMSTADT	Hesse-Darmstadt
Lippe	GERMANY, LIPPE, ELBRIN	Lippe
Lübeck	GERMANY, LÜBECK, NUSSE	Luebeck
Meckl.-Schw.	GERMANY,MECKLENBURG-SCHWERIN, FEDEROW	Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Meckl.-Str.	GERMANY, MECKLENBURG-STRELITZ, KUBLANK	Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Oldenb.	GERMANY, OLDENBURG, GIMBWEILER	Oldenburg
Pr. Pr., Brandbg.	GERMANY, PREUßEN GERMANY, PREUßEN, BRANDENGURG, LENTZKE	Prussia Brandenburg
Pr., Hann.	GERMANY, PREUßEN, HANNOVER, MOLZEN	Hanover
Pr., Hessen-N.	GERMANY, PREUßEN, HESSEN-NASSAU, NORDECK	Hesse-Nassau
Pr., Hohenzollern	GERMANY, PREUßEN, HOHENSOLLERN, OSTRACH	Hohenzollern
Pr., Ostpr.	GERMANY, PREUßEN, OSTPREUßEN, PÜLZ	East Prussia
Pr., Pomm.	GERMANY, PREUßEN, POMMERN, RUMBSKE	Pomerania
Pr., Posen	GERMANY, PREUßEN, POSEN, SADKE	Posen
Pr., Rheinl.	GERMANY, PREUßEN, RHEINLAND, THÜR	Rhineland
Pr., Sa.	GERMANY, PREUßEN, SACHSEN, URBICH	Saxony (Province)
Pr., Schles.	GERMANY, PREUßEN, SCHLESIEN, VIEHAU	Silesia
Pr., Schlesw.-Holst.	GERMANY, PREUßEN, SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN, WELT	Schleswig-Holstein
Pr., Westf.	GERMANY, PREUßEN, WESTFALEN, ZÜSCHEN	Westphalia
Pr., Westpr.	GERMANY, PREUßEN, WESTPREUßEN, WROTZK	West Prussia
Reuß ä. L.	GERMANY, REUß ÄLTERE LINIE, GREIZ	Reuss elder line
Reuß j. L.	GERMANY, REUß JÜNGERE LINIE, OßLA	Reuss younger line
Sa.	GERMANY, SACHSEN, BORSDORF	Saxony (Kingdom)
Sa.-A.	GERMANY, SACHSEN-ALTENBURG, SULZA	Saxe-Altenburg
Sa.-C.-G.	GERMANY, SACHSEN-COBURG-GOTHA, COBURG	Saxe-Coburg-Gotha
Sa.-M.	GERMANY, SACHEN-MEININGEN, RIETH	Saxe-Meiningen
Sa.-W.-E.	GERMANY, SACHSEN-WEIMAR-EISENACH, HERDA	Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
Schaumb.-L.	GERMANY, SCHAUMBURG-LIPPE, LUHDEN	Schaumburg-Lippe
Schwarzb.-Rud.	GERMANY, SCHWARZBURG-RUDOLSTADT, LICHTE	Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
Schwarzb.-Sond.	GERMANY, SCHWARZBURG-SONDERSHAUSEN, ÖLZE	Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
Waldeck	GERMANY, WALDECK, TWISTE	Waldeck
Württ.	GERMANY, WÜRTTEMBERG, PINACHE	Wuerttemberg

This table shows the state or province abbreviations used in Meyers Orts- und Verkehrs-Lexikon des Deutschen Reichs, a sample entry from the Locality Search of the Family History Library Catalog, and the English spelling of the state or province.

The table above shows the abbreviations used in Meyers for each German state or province. It also provides a sample entry from the Locality Search of the catalog for that province, and lists the English spelling of the state or province.

Civil Registration Offices

The following source lists the 1930 German civil registration offices:

Höpker, H. Deutsches Ortsverzeichnis: unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der zuständigen Standesämter (German gazetteer of civil registration offices). Frankfurt/Main: Verlag für Standesamtswesen, 1978 reprint of a 1930 edition. (FHL book 943 E5h; computer number 637890.) In part one (pp. 1-310), any locality with an asterisk (*) has a civil registration office. The civil registration office for towns without the asterisk is shown immediately following the double ring (). In part two (pp. 313-66) the civil registration offices for areas Germany lost after World War I are shown.

Modern Place-Names

For some research purposes, such as correspondence, you need to know the modern jurisdictions for the place where your ancestor lived. This may also help you find the ancestral town on modern maps. The following modern gazetteer is available through Family History Centers and may also be found at some large public libraries:

Müller, Friedrich. Müllers Großes Deutsches Ortsbuch (Müllers German gazetteer). 12th ed. Wuppertal-Barmen: Post und Ortsbuchverlag Postmeister A.D. Friedrich Muller, 1958. (FHL book 943 E5m 1958; film 1045448; fiche 6000343-54; computer number 282525.) This work alphabetically lists modern German place-names as they existed before Germany was reunited in 1990. The last part of each entry is the abbreviation for the German state. In cases where more than one town has the same name, each is listed separately. The district [Kreis] name usually follows the town name and is printed in bold type to distinguish the towns with the same name. Müller's gazetteer is printed with modern type, making it easy to use.

Postal Code Book. The German postal code book lists in alphabetical order all towns with post offices. Part two of the book lists a postal code for each street address in cities with more than one post office. You can use the book's maps to find post office towns and the approximate location of city streets.

On 1 July 1993 Germany significantly revised its postal codes. To update addresses published before July 1993, use the following book:

Das Postleitzahlenbuch (The postal code book). Bonn: Postdienst, 1993. (FHL book 943 E8p 1993; computer number 695930.) This book is available for purchase in the United States from Genealogy Unlimited (see the "Maps" section for ordering information).

German Places in Foreign Countries

A supplement to Müller's gazetteer (described above) lists localities that were formerly in German territory but that were placed under the administration of another country after 1945. The place-names are listed both in German and in the language of the other country:

Müllers Verzeichnis der jenseits der Oder-Neiße gelegenen, unter fremder Verwaltung stehenden Ortschaften (Müllers gazetteer of foreign localities beyond the Oder-Neiße). Wuppertal-Barmen: Post und Ortsbuchverlag Postmeister A.D. Friedrich Muller, 1958. (FHL book 943 E5m 1958 Supp.; fiche 6000340-42; computer number 359851.)

The following source lists German localities that were placed under foreign control in 1918, at the end of World War I, with their name changes (German to foreign and foreign to German):

Kredel, Otto, and Franz Thierfelden. Deutsch- fremdsprachiges (Fremdsprachig-deutsches) Ortsnamenverzeichnis (German-foreign [foreign- German] gazetteer). Berlin: Deutsche Verlagsgesellschaft, 1931. (FHL book Q 940 E5kt; film 583457; computer number 260956.)

Another place to find foreign names of former German localities is listed below:

Bundesanstalt für Landeskunde. Amtliches Gemeinde- und Ortsnamenverzeichnis der deutschen Ostgebiete unter fremder Verwaltung (Gazetteer of Eastern German areas under foreign administration). 3 vols. Remagen: Bundesanstalt für Landeskunde, 1955. (FHL book 943.8 E5b; film 824243 and 1045449 item 5; fiche 6053256; computer number 359819.)

For an explanation of how to use the above gazetteers, see pages 57 to 84 of Jensen's A Genealogical Handbook of German Research (see the “For Further Reading” section of this outline).

Historical Place-Names

Many German place-names and boundaries have changed or no longer exist. Historical gazetteers that describe places as they were known earlier may help you. Use gazetteers that were published during the time period you are researching to find the names and boundaries that existed during that time.

Some places that used to be part of Germany are now part of another nation, such as France, Denmark, or Poland. These are described in the “Historical Geography” section of this outline.

Additional gazetteers and similar guides to German place-names are listed in the Locality Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:

GERMANY - GAZETTEERSGERMANY, [STATE] - GAZETTEERS