West Prussia (Westpreußen) 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)

In this region, part of Germany which was lost to other countries after World War II, many records, both church/parish registers and civil registration records, were damaged, destroyed, or misplaced.

Parish Register Inventories
Church record inventories are essential tools for finding German records. They identify what records should be available for a specified parish and where to write for information on these records. They list the church records, their location, and the years they cover. Sometimes inventories explain which parishes served which towns at different periods of time.

Online

 * Gemeindelexikon für das Königreich Preußen: Westpreussen
 * Tutorial
 * Family Research in West Prussia, Inventory of Church Records, these are listed by county (kreis), find the kreis for your town in Meyers 1871 Gazetteer.
 * Die Kirchenbücher der evangelischen Kirchen Ost- und West- Preußen Inventory of parish registers of West Prussia, Germany, now in Poland.
 * Findbuch for church books in Westpreussen Select a county, then select a parish. The parish entry will tell you where you can find the records, what year the parish was formed, and the parish from which it was formed. You may also need to check the civil records as well, as the church book duplicates are filed as civil registration.

Books

 * Marianne Stanke, "Katholische Kirchenbücher in Ost- und Westpreußen" (Bonn : M. Stanke, 2000) Inventory of the church records of East and West Prussia, including the dioceses of Danzig, Ermland, and Kulm. Includes an index by Polish locality name. Entries are arranged alphabetically by the German town name. Gives some indication of books that have been microfilmed in Poland. (FHL Location 1: FHL INTL Ref) (FHL Location 2: FHL INTL book 943 K23s 2000)  WorldCat

Online Class on Locating West Prussia Parish Registers

 * German Research: Strategies and Sources for Eastern Provinces. Be sure to download the class syllabus.
 * 1) Watch the General Resources portion, beginning at 13:47 minutes, to learn how to check for parish registers using:
 * 2) The PRADZIAD Database
 * 3) Szukaj w ArchiwachTutorial
 * 4) Archion, Cooperative of protestant archives ($)
 * 5) Archives Portal Europe
 * 6) Watch the West Prussia portion, which begins at 45:35 minutes.

1. Online Records
Online records for West Prussia are found in Archion in the Evangelical Central Archives in Berlin. Among its collections there are about 6,000 church records of Protestant church communities in the former Eastern Church provinces of Prussia. They come from the provinces of East and West Prussia, Pomerania, Posen, Silesia, Brandenburg (east of the Oder and Neisse). Some of the provinces are represented by numerous, others because of the loss of war, with only a few church books.
 * Archion: Evangelical Central Archives in Berlin ($)

Ancestry.com ($) and MyHeritage.com ($)
Ancestry.com and MyHeritage collections can be viewed free-of-charge at a Family History Center near you.
 * Germany, selected Protestant church books 1518-1921 - at Ancestry.com ($), index and images. There are two categories found under "Browse this collection" (in the right sidebar). Under the (mistakenly labelled) "Schuldistrikt" drop-down menu, search through West Prussia (Westpreussen)  and Not stated.
 * Under West Prussia (Westpreussen) this collection covers: Baldenburg, Dakau, Deutsch Eylau (Ilawa), Deutsch Krone, Finckenstein, Freystadt, Gross Bellschwitz, Gross Krebs (Rakowiec), Gross Plauth, Gross Rohdau (Rodovo), Gross Tromnau (Trumieje), Hertzogswalde (Laseczno), Hohenstein, Klein Niederzehren (Czarne Dolne), Klein Tromnau (Trumiejki), Langenau (Legowo), Löblau, Marienwerder (Kwidzyn), Groß Nebrau (Nebrowo Wielkie), Neudörfchen, Pröbbernau, Raudnitz (Rudzienice), Rehhof, Riesenburg, Riesenkirch (Ilawa), Riesenwalde (Stankowo), Rosenberg (Susz), Stuhm, and Thorn.
 * Under Not stated this collection covers: Altmark (Nowe u Swiecie), Hela (Hel u puck), Laatzig (Klosovo), Neu Paleschken (Koscierzyna u Nowe Polaszki), Neumark (Nowe u Swiecie), Puck (Hel u Puck), Sierakowitz (Koscierzyna u Nowe Polaszki), Stuhm Mennonite (Sztum), Thorn (Torun), and Wotzlaff (Pruszcz Gdanski).
 * Mistakenly under Pommern you will also find: Gross Peterkau (Miasko)


 * Prussian provinces, selected Protestant church records 1661-1944 - at Ancestry.com ($), index.
 * Eastern Prussian Provinces, Poland, Civil Registry 1874-1945 - at Ancestry.com ($), index and images.
 * Germany, West Prussia Church Books. 1500's to 1945. Index. In German. Incomplete.(MyHeritage)
 * Genealogy in West Prussia
 * 1) At the left sidebar, click on ”Ortsverzeichnis” under ”Forschungshilfen”.
 * 2) Select a result; click on ”[Details]”.
 * 3) Click on link for jurisdiction of interest (Evangelische Kirche, Katholische Kirche, or Standesamt)
 * 4) It will show you which years of records are available and in which repositories.
 * 5) Study all “Remarks”, especially watching for “digitized. Click on "digitized" to be taken to record scans.
 * PRADZIAD Database'''
 * Szukaj w ArchiwachTutorial The Polish Archives
 * The Lost Shoe Box
 * Geneteka Instructions
 * GENBAZA Instructions

2. Digital 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 a Family History Center near you, and/or by members of supporting organizations. To find records:
 * a. Click on the Places within Germany, Preussen, Westpreussen (West Prussia) drop-down menu and select your town.
 * b. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * c. Choose the correct record type and time period for your ancestor. "Taufen" are baptisms/christenings. Heiraten are marriages.  "Tote" are deaths.
 * d. 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.

EZA Berlin (Lutheran)
Evangelical Central Archives Berlin ( EZA ) Bethaniendamm 29 10997 Berlin Germany Family Research: 030 / 22504-536 E-mail:kirchenbuchstelle@ezab.de Space reservation: Fax. 030 / 22504-540 or Email to reservierung@ezab.de
 * List of holdings

BZ Regensburg (Catholic)
Bishops' Central Archives Regensburg St. Petersweg 11-13 93047 Regensburg Germany Telephone: 0941 / 597-2520 Fax. 0941 / 597-2521 E-Mail: archiv@bistum-regensburg.de
 * Website
 * List of holdings

Mennonite Research Center
Mennonite Research Center Am Hollerbrunnen 2a 67295 Bolanden-Weierhof Germany

Tel .: 06352/700 519 E-Mail: mennoforsch@t-online.de
 * Website

DZfG Leipzig
German Central Office for Genealogy Saxon State Archives State Archives Leipzig Schongauerstraße 1 04328 Leipzig Germany Email: poststelle-l@sta.smi.sachsen.de Telephone: 0341 / 255-5500
 * Website
 * List of holdings

Poland

 * Szukaj w ArchiwachTutorial The Polish Archives

Catholic

 * Parish Addresses for the Diocese of Gdansk
 * Parish Addresses for the Diocese of Torun
 * Parish Addresses for the Diocese of Elblag
 * Parish Addresses for the Diocese of Pelplin

Protestant
In Poland approximately 134 protestant parishes exist. Some records formerly found in such parishes may now be archived in local Catholic parishes. For a list of the Protestant parishes in Poland, and their addresses, you can visit the Lutheran Church in Poland for a listing of Lutheran parishes which are in existence today.

Addressing the Letter
Using these addresses as guides, replacing the information in parentheses. If you do not know the street address of a church, you can omit it. For State Archive Urząd Stanu Cywilnego (street name and number) (postal code) (name of locality) POLAND

For a Roman Catholic Parish Parafia Rzymsko-Katolicka (street name and number) (postal code) (name of locality) POLAND

For a Protestant Parish Parafia Ewangelicka (street name and number) (postal code) (name of locality) POLAND

For an Orthodox Parish  Parafia Prawoslawna (street name and number) (postal code) (name of locality) POLAND

Letter Writing Guides
How to write a letter: Detailed instruction for what to include in the letter, plus Polish translations of the questions and sentences most frequently used are in the Poland Letter Writing Guide.''' In some cases, the records are held in archives in Germany. For letters in German, including addressing the letter, plus German translations of the questions and sentences most frequently needed, use the the German Letter Writing Guide.'''

Other Religious Groups

 * 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.

Town Genealogies (Ortssippenbuch or Ortsfamilienbuch)
See the class,, and Wiki article, Germany Town Genealogies and Parish Register Inventories on the Internet. Published town genealogies, Ortssippenbuch (town lineage book) or Ortsfamilienbuch (town family book), generally include birth, marriage, and death data for all persons found in the local records during a specified time period, compiled into families based on the opinion of the author. 'If one is available, it should only be used as an index or guide'' to finding the original records. They usually contain errors. Always verify their information in original records.

Finding an OFB

 * Click here to see OFBs at GenWiki. These are indexed and searchable. OFB Instructions.
 * A bibliography of OFBs held by the Central Office for Person and Family History, and available in their archive in Frankfurt am Main-Höchst, is listed here. You can arrange for copied pages to be sent to you for a fee or donation. Use the "Find" function on your keyboard to search the bibliographies, as they are not alphabetical.

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."

Polish
Because West Prussia is now in Poland, these articles will help:
 * Poland Letter Writing Guide
 * Polish Word List
 * Poland Language and Languages

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.