Rhineland (Rheinland) Gazetteers

For a more comprehensive understanding of gazetteers, study the article Germany Gazetteers.

Gazetteers for Rhineland (Rheinprovinz)
Uetrecht, E., Meyers Orts und Verkehrs-Lexikon des Deutschen Reichs (Meyer’s gazetteer and directory of the German Empire). Leipzig: Bibliographisches Institut, 1912–. (FHL book 943.E5mo; film 496640–41; fiche 6000001– 29.) This gazetteer lists places alphabetically, gives their former German province, and states whether a place has its own parish or synagogue. It also indicates the location of the vital records office. Gemeindelexikon für das Königreich Preussen (Gazetteer for the Kingdom of Prussia). 13 vols. Berlin: Verlag des Königlichen Statistischen Landesamts, 1907–09. (FHL book 943.E5kp; film 1186701, 0806633–35.) Volumes for each Prussian province are arranged by district with an index at the end. The gazetteer is in German Gothic print. Information is given in columns and includes population figures as well as civil and ecclesiastical jurisdictions. The Gemeindelexikon für das Königreich Preussen is now also available online at Ancestry.com. You can find it by clicking on the Search Tab and choosing the Card Catalog option. Type in the title/or part of the title, and it will appear on the right sidebar. Choose the volume for the area of interest.
 * Meyer's gazetteer is available in digital form.
 * Gemeindelexikon für das Königreich Preussen

The Gemeindelexikon für Rheinland will identify the Lutheran and Catholic parishes for your locality of interest in the former Prussian province of Rheinland. It will also show the civil registration office. The 1885 Gemeindelexikon for Rheinland is online. It can be accessed at the following website: Gemeindelexikon für das Königreich Preussen

To access the Gemeindelexikon für Rheinland (and all other Prussian provinces) in the Family History Library in Salt Lake City use the following call number: FHL book  943 E5kp or FHL film number 491042. Here is an illustration showing the column headings in German and their English translations:



Germany Nationwide Gazetteers
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. Meyer  s Orts- und Verkehrs-Lexikon des Deutschen Reichs(Meyers Place- and Traffic directory of the German Empire). Fifth Edition. Leipzig, Germany: Bibliographisches Institute, 1912-3. (FHL book Ref 943 E5mo; films 496,640-1; fiche 6,000,001-29.)

Meyer's gazetteer (often referred to as Meyers Orts) lists the names of places as they existed in Germany from 1871 to 1912. 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.