Westphalia (Westfalen), German Empire Church Records

Church records (parish registers, church books) are an important source for genealogical research in Germany before civil registration began. They recorded details of baptisms, marriages, deaths and burials. The vast majority of the population was mentioned. To learn more about the types of information you will find in church records, click on these links: For a comprehensive understanding of church records, study the article Germany Church Records.
 * Baptisms (Taufen)
 * Marriages (Heiraten)
 * Burials (Begräbnisse)
 * Confirmations (Konfirmationen)
 * Family Registers (Familienbücher)

1. Online Records

 * Online Search: Land Archive of the Evangelical Church of Westphalia
 * Matricula, Catholic Records of the Diocese of Münster Online

2. Microfilm Copies of Church Records in the FamilySearch Catalog
Try to find records in the collection of the FamilySearch Library. Many microfilms have been digitized for online viewing. Gradually, everything will be digitized, so check back occasionally. Some have viewing restrictions, and can only be viewed at the Family History Centers near you. To find records:
 * a. For church records of parishes that were in Lippe click here. Open the link Places within Germany, Lippe.
 * For church records of parishes that were in North Rhine click here. Open the link Places within Germany, Preussen, Rheinland.
 * For church records of parishes that were in the Westphalia click here. Open the link Places within Germany, Preussen, Westfalen.
 * b. Click on your town or parish.
 * c. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * d. Choose the correct record type and time period for your ancestor. "Geburten" are births. "Taufen" are baptisms/christenings. "Heiraten" are marriages.  "Tote" are deaths. '''Familienregister" is the family register.
 * e. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the microfilm listed for the record. FHL icons.png. The magnifying glass indicates that the microfilm is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the microfilm.

3. Writing to Local Parishes
Most church registers are still maintained by the parish. You might obtain information by writing to the parish. Parish employees will usually answer correspondence written in German. Your request may be forwarded if the records have been sent to a central repository.

Evangelical-Lutheran Parish Addresses

 * District of Lippe parish addresses
 * Parish finder search engine for Rhineland District
 * Parish finder search engine for Westphalia District

Catholic Parish Addresses

 * '''Parish addresses for the Diocese of Aachen
 * '''Parish finder for Diocese of Essen
 * Münster Diocese clickable map to parish addresses
 * '''Communities in the Archdiocese of Cologne (Köln)
 * Parish finder for the Diocese of Paderborn

Writing the Letter
Write a brief request in German to the proper church using this address as a guide, replacing the information in parentheses: For a Protestant Parish:


 * An das evangelische Pfarramt
 * (Insert street address, if known.)
 * (Postal Code) (Name of Locality)
 * GERMANY

For a Catholic Parish:


 * An das katholische Pfarramt
 * (Insert street address, if known.)
 * (Postal Code) (Name of Locality)
 * GERMANY


 * Click herefor postal code help for Germany.

How to write a letter: Detailed instruction for what to include in the letter, plus German translations of the questions and sentences most frequently used are in the German Letter Writing Guide.'''

Writing a Letter
How to write a letter: Detailed instruction for what to include in the letter, plus German translations of the questions and sentences most frequently used are in the German Letter Writing Guide.'''

Lutheran Archives
ARCHIVE OF THE LIPPISCHE LANDESKIRCHE Leopoldstraße 27 32756 Detmold Germany Tel .: 05231-976-803 Fax: 05231-976-850 E-Mail: archiv@lippische-landeskirche.de ARCHIVES OF THE EVANGELICAL CHURCH OF WESTPHALIA (BIELEFELD) Bethelplatz 2 33617 Bielefeld Germany Tel .: 0521-594-164 Fax: 0521-594-267 E-Mail: archiv@lka.ekvw.de Evangelical Church in the Rhineland  Landeskirchliches Archive Hans-Böckler-Strasse 7 40476 Düsseldorf Germany Tel .: 0211-4562-225 E-Mail: archiv@ekir-lka.de Archive of the Evangelical Church in the Rhineland, St. Martin / Boppard  Mainzerstrasse 8 D-56154 Boppard Germany Tel. (06742) 8 61 94
 * Website
 * '''Online Search:Archive of the Lippische Landeskirche
 * Website
 * Online Search: Land Archive of the Evangelical Church of Westphalia
 * Website
 * List of holdings in the Duisberger archives
 * List of holdings of garrison parishes
 * List of holdings in the Boppard archives

Catholic (Katholische) Archives
Episcopal Diocesan Archive Aachen Postal address:Postfach 10 03 11 D-52003 Aachen, Germany Visitor's address: Klappergasse 1 D-52062 Aachen, Germany Phone:	0241 452-268 Fax:	0241 452 - 828 E-mail:Archiv@bistum-aachen.de Archival Archives Essen Address: Green Aue 2 45307 Essen, Germany Phone:	0201 - 2204 316 Fax:	0201 - 2204 570 E-mail:	Archiv@bistum-essen.de Historical Archive of the Archbishopric of Cologne Address:Gereonstr. 2-4 50670 Cologne, Germany Phone:	0221 - 1642 5800 Fax:	0221 - 1642 5803 E-mail:	Archiv@erzbistum-koeln.de The Diocese of Münster Archives Georgskommende 19 D 48143 Münster, Germany Phone:0251 / 495-518 Fax: 0251 / 495-491 E-mail: Bistumsarchiv@bistum-muenster.de
 * Website
 * Holdings
 * Website
 * Holdings
 * Website
 * List of holdings
 * List of holdings
 * Matricula, Catholic Records of the Diocese of Münster Online

Archbishopric Archives Paderborn Postal Address: Domplatz 3 33098 Paderborn, Germany Visitor's address : Archbishopric Archives Paderborn Konrad-Martin-Haus Domplatz 15 33098 Paderborn, Germany Phone:	05251-125 1252 Fax:	05251-125 1470 E-mail:	Archiv@erzbistum-paderborn.de

Other Religious Groups
Local heritage book to North Rhine-Westphalia
 * To learn how to determine the location of other religious records, namely Jewish, French Reformed, German Reformed, etc., watch Hansen’s Map Guides: Finding Records with Parish Maps beginning at 48:00 minutes, to learn how to locate these congregations. Then go back and watch from the beginning to understand how to use the reference book. This course teaches you how to use a set of reference books found at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. If you are not in Salt Lake City, use the Contact Us feature to request information from the books.

Reading the Records

 * It's easier than you think! You do not have to be fluent in French and German to use these records, as there is only a limited vocabulary used in them. By learning a few key phrases, you will be able to read them adequately.  Here are some resources for learning to read German records.
 * German Genealogical Word List
 * French Genealogical Word List
 * Latin Genealogical Word List


 * These video webinars will teach you to read German handwriting:
 * Old German Script Part 1
 * Old German Script Part 2
 * Old German Script (German Church and Civil Records) Part 3
 * Reading German Handwritten Records  (Three parts) Practice exercises to build your skills and confidence.
 * German Script Tutorial


 * List of Names in Old German Script A comprehensive list of German given names,  written in old script, with possible variations.
 * Old German Script Transcriber (alte deutsche Handschriften): See your family names in the script of the era. Type your name or other word into the font generator tool. Click on the 8 different fonts. Save the image to your computer and use it as you work with old Germanic records.

Downloadable Handouts

 * Print these handouts for ready reference when reading German Handwriting:
 * Kurrent Letters Handout
 * Numbers Handout
 * Birth Records Handout
 * Marriage Records Handout
 * Death Records Handout
 * Days and Months Handout
 * Common Symbols Handout
 * Common Abbreviations Handout
 * Fraktur Font--Many forms and books are printed in this font.

Latin Records
Records of the Catholic church will usually be written in Latin:
 * Latin Genealogical Word List

Feast Dates

 * Calendar Changes in France, Germany, Switzerland, and the Low Countries--class
 * Each day of the year had several patron saints and was a feast day to honor those saints. Some vital events are recorded in church records only by the holy day (feast day) on the church calendar. For example, the feast day called “All Saints Day” (Allerheiligentag) is “1 November.” An online feast date calculator may be found at the Albion College website. Simply enter the year and click "Calculate."

Search Strategy

 * Search for the relative or ancestor you selected. When you find their birth record, search for the births of their brothers and sisters.
 * Next, search for the marriage of their parents. The marriage record will have information that will often help you find the birth records of the parents.
 * Search the death registers for all known family members.
 * Calculate the birth date of the parents, using age at death and/or marriage to search for their birth records.
 * Repeat this process for both the father and the mother, starting with their birth records, then their siblings' births, then their parents' marriages, and so on.
 * If earlier generations (parents, grandparents, etc.) do not appear in the records, search neighboring parishes.