Saxony-Anhalt (Sachsen-Anhalt), Germany Genealogy

Guide to Saxony-Anhalt (Sachsen-Anhalt), Germany  ancestry, family history, and genealogy after 1945: birth records, marriage records, death records,

Historical Background
On 9 July 1944, the Soviet SVAG ordered the merger of these regions: On 20 October 1946, the state was renamed Saxony-Anhalt (Sachsen-Anhalt), taking the prior merger into account. From 1952 to 1990 the East German states were dissolved and Saxony-Anhalt's territory was divided into the East German districts of Halle and Magdeburg. except territory around Torgau was in Leipzig. In 1990, in the course of German reunification, the districts were reintegrated as a state. But, territory around Torgau did not return to the state and joined Saxony. Wikipedia
 * the Province of Saxony (Provinz Sachsen),
 * the Free State of Anhalt,
 * Halle-Merseburg,
 * the governorate of Magdeburg,
 * Allstedt (before Thuringia) and
 * the Brunswick (Braunschweig) eastern exclaves of Calvörde and the eastern part of the former Blankenburg district

Research to Find the Town of Origin
If you do not yet know the name of the town of your ancestor's birth, there are well-known strategies for a thorough hunt for it.
 * Use Germany Finding Town of Origin as a guide in finding evidence in United States records proving your ancestors' town of origin. Also see Germany Emigration and Immigration, especially for immigration to countries other than the United States.

Maps
Germany was first unified as a nation in 1871. For German research prior to 1945, the Research Wiki, FamilySearch Catalog, and FamilySearch Historical Records are organized by the place names in use from 1871 to 1945. For research in that time period, use the Wiki links in the chart below:
 * To find the 1871 duchy or province for your town, use Meyer's 1871 Gazetteer Online.