User:Amberannelarsen/sandbox90

Germany Wiki Topics
Beginning Research
Research Strategies Record Finder Finding Place of Origin Finding Aids For German Records
Reading the Records
German Word List Latin Word List French Word List	Handwriting Languages Feast Days Script Tutorial
Record Types
Cemeteries Census Church Records Civil Registration Court Records Emigration and Immigration Genealogies Jewish Records Land & Property Local Records Manumission	Military Records Naturalization & Citizenship Newspapers Obituaries Occupations Online Records Town Genealogies Periodicals Probate Records Religious Records School Records
Germany Background
Biography Church Directories Church History Cultural Areas Cultural Groups Former German Areas Funerary Customs French Influence Gazetteers German Genealogical Word List	Handwriting Historical Geography History Jurisdictions Languages Letter Writing Guide Maps Names Personal Nobility Websites
Local Research Resources
Archives & Libraries Societies Family History Centers
Moderator
The FamilySearch moderator for Germany is Baerbel

Europe

Germany

Guide to German ancestry, family history, and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Country Information

Germany is a vibrant country with a rich history and heritage. As with many countries of Europe, Germany has seen dramatic changes to its borders and even its internal regions. Over the centuries, Germany consisted of numerous independent kingdoms, duchies, principalities, and states. Then in 1871 all German-speaking states except the Austrian states were consolidated into the German Empire. This construct is still seen in Germany today.

Place-names and county, province, and state jurisdictions also changed, often more than once. Because of these changes, you may discover that it is difficult to find the name of your German ancestor's town on a modern map. You may also have trouble determining the jurisdiction where their records were kept. Various resources are available to help you find that information and will be included here.

Getting Started

Due to its complex history, the boundaries of Germany have changed extensively. If your ancestor lived in Germany before 1945, use this map to do your research.

Getting Started with Germany Research Links to articles on getting started with German research: Germany Genealogy Research Using the Wiki – Video Series: Fourteen five-minute instructional videos training you in how to use this Wiki to find civil registration and church records for Germany. "How to" Guides Germany Finding Town of Origin Germany Online Classes and Tutorials Family History Library Classes and Webinars German Research, BYU Independent Study, no cost. See More Research Strategies

Germany Research Tools Links to tools and websites that assist in German research: Meyers Gaz Online Gazetteer Kartenmeister German Genealogical Word List Reading German Handwritten Records Lesson 1: Kurrent Letters Reading German Handwritten Records Lesson 2: Making Words in Kurrent Reading German Handwritten Records Lesson 3: Reading Kurrent Documents Old German Script Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 (German Church and Civil Records) German Church and Civil Records German Script Tutorial German Letter Writing Guide See More Research Tools

German Empire (pre-1945)

To locate records for your ancestor, you need to know the town they came from. If you do not know the town, see these instructions to identify it.

English Alsace-Lorraine Anhalt Baden Bavaria Berlin Brandenburg Bremen Brunswick East Prussia Hamburg Hanover Hesse-Darmstadt Hesse-Nassau Hohenzollern Lippe Lübeck Mecklenburg-Schwerin Mecklenburg-Strelitz Oldenburg Pomerania Posen Province of Saxony Reuss-Greiz or Older Line Reuss-Gera or Younger Line Rhineland Saxony Saxe-Altenburg Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Saxe-Meiningen Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach Schaumburg-Lippe Schleswig-Holstein Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt Schwarzburg-Sondershausen Silesia Thuringia Waldeck and Pyrmont Westphalia West Prussia Württemberg

German Elsass-Lothringen Anhalt Baden Bayern Berlin Brandenburg Bremen Braunschweig Ostpreussen Hamburg Hannover Hessen-Darmstadt Hessen-Nassau Hohenzollern Lippe Lübeck Mecklenburg-Schwerin Mecklenburg-Strelitz Oldenburg Pommern Posen Provinz Sachsen Reuss ältere Linie Reuss jüngere Linie Rheinland Sachsen Sachsen-Altenburg Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha Sachsen-Meiningen Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach Schaumburg-Lippe Schleswig-Holstein Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt Schwarzburg-Sondershausen Schlesien Thüringen Waldeck und Pyrmont Westfalen Westpreussen Württemberg

Modern Germany (1945-Present)

To locate records for your ancestor, you need to know the town they came from. If you do not know the town, see these instructions to identify it.

English Baden-Württemberg Bavaria Berlin Brandenburg Bremen Hamburg Hesse Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Lower Saxony North Rhine-Westphalia Rhineland-Palatinate Saarland Saxony Saxony-Anhalt Schleswig-Holstein Thüringia German Baden-Württemberg Bayern Berlin Brandenburg Bremen Hamburg Hessen Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Niedersachsen Nordrhein-Westfalen Rheinland-Pfalz Saarland Sachsen Sachsen-Anhalt Schleswig-Holstein Thüringen Jurisdiction Chart This table will help you coordinate information from the two geographic systems, enabling you to find your desired records within each system. 1871 Region Geo-Political Differences Today FamilySearch Catalog (organized by 1871 Meyer's Gazetteer) Wiki Page Alsace-Lorraine (Elsass-Lothringen) 1919: ceded to France (Map) Elsass-Lothringen Alsace-Lorraine, France Genealogy Anhalt  1945: Merged into current state of Saxony-Anhalt with the Province of Saxony, Magdeburg, Halle, and the Brunswick enclaves of Calvorde and eastern Blankenburg. (Map) Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt, Germany Genealogy Baden 1952: Merged into current state of Baden-Württemburg (Map) Baden Baden-Württemberg, Germany Genealogy Bavaria (Bayern) 1920: current state of Bavaria, merged with Coburg 1945: Lost the Pfalz (Palatinate) to Hessen 1957: The Saar-Pfalz became part of the current state of Saarland (Map) Bavaria: Bayern Coburg: Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha Bavaria, Germany Genealogy Hamburg, Germany Genealogy Berlin 1990: City-state of Berlin (Map of subdivisions) Germany, Preußen, Brandenburg, Berlin Berlin, Brandenburg, Prussia, German Empire Genealogy Brandenburg 1945: Established as a state. A large section of Brandenburg, the Neumark, was ceded to Poland. 1952: Dissolved as a state 1990: Re-established as a current state (Map) Preussen, Brandenburg Brandenburg, Germany Genealogy Neumark (region), Brandenburg, Germany Genealogy Bremen, officially (Free Hanseatic City of Bremen) 1949: Current state of Bremen (Map) Bremen Bremen, Germany Genealogy Brunswick (Braunschweig) 1919: Enclaves of Calvorde and Blankenburg became part of the current state of Saxony-Anhalt. 1946: The rest became part of the current state of Lower Saxony. (Map) Braunschweig Brunswick (Braunschweig), German Empire Genealogy East Prussia (Ostpreussen) 1945 partition: (Map) Southern East Prussia, (Warmia, (Masuria), and Soldau:to Poland Northern East Prussia was divided between: the Kaliningrad Oblast (formerly Königsberg): to Russia the Klaipėda Region and Memel Territory : to Lithuania Preussen, Ostpreussen East Prussia, Germany Genealogy Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland Genealogy Lithuania Genealogy Russia Genealogy Elsass-Lothringen (Alsace-Lorraine) 1919: ceded to France (Map) Elsass-Lothringen Alsace-Lorraine, France Genealogy Hamburg, officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg 1949: Current state of Hamburg (Map) 1987-8: the city Geesthacht, and the municipalities of Großhansdorf and Schmalenbeck merged to Schleswig-Holstein Hamburg Hamburg, Germany Genealogy Schleswig-Holstein, Germany Genealogy Hannover  1946: Merged into Lower Saxony (Map) Preussen, Hannover Hanover (Hannover), Prussia, German Empire Genealogy Hessen 1945: Merged with Hessen-Nassau to become current state of Hessen (Map) Hessen Hesse (Hessen), German Empire Genealogy Hessen-Nassau 1945: Merged with Hessen to become current state of Hessen (Map) Preussen, Hessen-Nassau Hesse (Hessen), German Empire Genealogy Hohenzollern 1952: Merged into current state of Baden-Württemberg (Map) Preussen, Hohenzollern Baden-Württemberg, Germany Genealogy Lippe 1947: Merged into current state of North Rhine-Westphalia (Map) Lippe North Rhine-Westphalia (Nordrhein-Westfalen), Germany Genealogy Lübeck Part of the current state of Schleswig-Holstein (Map) Lübeck Lübeck, German Empire Genealogy Mecklenburg-Schwerin 1945: Merged with Mecklenburg-Strelitz and Western Pomerania to form the current state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Map) Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany Genealogy Mecklenburg-Schwerin Mecklenburg-Strelitz 1945: Merged with Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Western Pomerania to form the current state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Map) Mecklenburg-Strelitz Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany Genealogy Oldenburg 1946: Merged into Lower Saxony (Map) Oldenburg Oldenburg, German Empire Genealogy Pomerania 1945: The western part became part of the current state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern 1945: The eastern part, Pomeralia became the Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland (Map) Preussen, Pommern West: Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany Genealogy East: Pomeranian (Pomorskie) Voivodeship, Poland Genealogy Posen 1945: Became Greater Poland Voivodeship, Poland Map Preussen, Posen Posen, Germany Genealogy Greater Poland Voivodeship, Poland Genealogy Province of Saxony  1945: Merged into current state of Saxony-Anhalt with the Free State of Anhalt, Magdeburg, Halle, and the Brunswick enclaves of Calvorde and eastern Blankenburg. (Map) Preussen, Sachsen Note: "Sachsen "(without Preussen) is used for the Kingdom of Saxony. Saxony-Anhalt, Germany Genealogy Reuss-Greiz or Older Line (Reuss ältere Linie) 1920: Became part of the current state of Thuringia (Thüringen), which was dissolved in 1952, and re-established in 1990. (Map) Reuss ältere Linie Thuringia (Thüringen), Germany Genealogy Reuss-Gera or Younger Line (Reuss jüngere Linie) 1920: Became part of the current state of Thuringia (Thüringen), which was dissolved in 1952, and re-established in 1990. (Map) Reuss jüngere Linie Thuringia (Thüringen), Germany Genealogy Rhineland (Rheinland) 1946: Divided into the newly founded states of Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Rhineland-Palatinate. 1957: All of the Saar except the Saar-Pfalz became part of the current state of Saarland Preussen, Rheinland Use this clickable map to find the correct Wiki article: Map Saxony(Sachsen) Current state of Saxony (Map) Sachsen Note: "Preussen, Sachsen" is used for the Province of Saxony. Saxony (Sachsen), Germany Genealogy Saxe (Sachsen)-Altenburg 1920: Became part of the current state of Thuringia (Thüringen), which was dissolved in 1952, and re-established in 1990. (Map) Sachsen-Altenburg Thuringia (Thüringen), Germany Genealogy Saxony (Sachsen)-Coburg-Gotha  1945: Saxe-Coburg merged into Bavaria. Saxe-Gotha merged into Thuringia. (Map) Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha Saxe-Coburg: Bavaria (Bayern), Germany Genealogy Saxe-Gotha: Thuringia (Thüringen), Germany Genealogy Saxe (Sachsen)-Meiningen  1920: Became part of the current state of Thuringia (Thüringen), which was dissolved in 1952, and re-established in 1990. (Map) Sachsen-Meiningen  Thuringia (Thüringen), Germany Genealogy Saxe (Sachsen)-Weimar-Eisenach  1920: Became part of the current state of Thuringia (Thüringen), which was dissolved in 1952, and re-established in 1990. (Map) Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach  Thuringia (Thüringen), Germany Genealogy Schaumburg-Lippe 1946: Merged into current state of Lower Saxony (Map) Schaumburg-Lippe Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen), Germany Genealogy Schleswig-Holstein Current state of Schleswig-Holstein (Map) Some areas lost to Hamburg in 1937-8 (see map) Northern counties of Apenrade, Hadersleben, Sonderburg, and Tondern ceded to Denmark Preussen, Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein, Germany Genealogy Lübeck, Germany Genealogy Hamburg, Germany Genealogy Åbenrå County, Denmark Genealogy Haderslev County, Denmark Genealogy Sønderborg County, Denmark Genealogy Tønder County, Denmark Genealogy Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt  1920: Became part of the current state of Thuringia (Thüringen), which was dissolved in 1952, and re-established in 1990. (Map) Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt Thuringia (Thüringen), Germany Genealogy Schwarzburg-Sondershausen 1920: Became part of the current state of Thuringia (Thüringen), which was dissolved in 1952, and re-established in 1990. (Map) Schwarzburg-Sondershausen Thuringia (Thüringen), Germany Genealogy Silesia (Schliesien) 1919:Upper Silesia became Opole, Lesser Poland, and Silesian Voivodeships, Poland 1945: Hlučín Area of Moravian-Silesian was ceded to Czechslovakia. 1945: the small Lusatian strip' west of the Oder-Neisse line merged into Saxony 1945: the rest of Poland became Lubusz, Lower Silesian, and Opole Voivodeships of Poland (Map) Preussen, Schliesien Use the Kartenmeister Gazetteer to determine the Polish name and Voivodeship of your German town. Silesia, Germany Genealogy Opole Voivodeship, Poland Genealogy Lubusz Voivodeship, Poland Genealogy Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland Genealogy Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Poland Genealogy Silesian Voivodeship, Poland Genealogy Thuringia (Thüringen) 1920: Became the state of Thuringia (Thüringen), which was dissolved in 1952, and re-established in 1990, with minor changes to the boundaries. (Map) Thüringen Thuringia (Thüringen), Germany Genealogy Waldeck and Pyrmont 1946: Merged into current state of Lower Saxony (Map) Waldeck Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen), Germany Genealogy Westphalia (Westfalen) 1945: Became part of the current state of North Rhine-Westphalia (Nordrhein-Westfalen) (Map) Preussen, Westfalen North Rhine-Westphalia (Nordrhein-Westfalen), Germany Genealogy West Prussia  (Westpreussen) 1919: Became Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland (Map) Preussen, Westpreussen West Prussia, Germany Genealogy Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland Genealogy Württemberg 1951: Merged with Baden and Hohenzollern to become the current state of Baden-Württemberg (Map) Württemberg Baden-Württemberg, Germany Genealogy Finding Your Ancestors' Town To begin using the records of Germany, knowing that your family came from Brunswick will not be enough to use the records of Germany. Records are kept on the local level, so you will have to know the town they lived in. Details about the town will also help: the county or "Kreis" of that town, where the closest Evangelical Lutheran or Catholic parish church was (depending on their religion), where the civil registration office ("Standesamt") was, and if you have only a village name, you will need the name of the larger town it was part of. How To Find the Town 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 Gathering Information to Locate Place of Origin as a guide in exhausting every possible record to find what you need. Or watch this webinar: Online Class: Finding German Places of Origin If You Know the Town, Use Meyers Gazetteer Once you know the town name you need, the other facts you need are contained in Meyers Orts- und Verkehrs-lexikon des deutschen Reichs, the gazetteer on which the FamilySearch catalog for Germany is based. Use MeyersGaz, the digital gazetteer, to find the details you need, particularly the Kreis (county) it belonged to, found after "Kr". MeyersGaz Help Guide Abbreviation Table Here is part of an entry from MeyersGaz.org. (The whole entry can be studied at Heusenstamm, MeyersGaz.) The most important facts here are: Heusenstamm is in Offenbach Kreis (Kr). It has its own Standesamt (StdA) or civil registration office. It has its own Catholic parish church. By clicking on the "Ecclesiastical" option, we learn that the closest protestant church is 2 miles away in Bieber. If you find several towns of the same name, checking each one for the birth record of your ancestor may be needed to narrow down the field. More Germany Research Strategies and Tools Germany Empire and Current States--maps Finding Aids for German Records German Research Troubleshooting Strategies The German Genealogy Wiki (GenWiki) Germany Genealogy Resources from Federation of East European Family History Societies (FEEFHS) German Research Websites German Genealogy MetaSearch Research Tips and Strategies German Resources Many Roads Calendar Changes in France, Germany, Switzerland, and the Low Countries References