German
and Prussian Genealogy
Plus websites for other European
Countries
Prior
to 1871 there was not a single unified Germany. The German empire consisted of
a series of kingdoms, duchies, principalities, individual cities and an
imperial territory. At this time, Germany was larger than it is today. At the
end of both World Wars, the boundaries of Germany changed dramatically. Regions
of Germany were distributed to France, Belgium, Poland, Russia and Lithuania.
There
is no single, overall central German archive or repository that contains all of
the genealogical records. The records can be found in the archives of different
regions (states) or cities.
#1 -
Begin your Search
In
order to begin your search for German genealogical records, you MUST
know the NAME of the city and REGION where your ancestor was born
in.
Why
is this important? - For example, there are two cities in Germany named
Rothenberg. One is in the region of Hesse and the other in Bavaria (Bayern). If
you don’t know the city and region, you might be researching the wrong family
line.
There
are 16 Regions (States) in Germany: Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg,
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Berlin, Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt (Sachsen-Anhalt),
Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen) Saxony (Sachsen), Bremen, North Rhine-Westphalia
(Nordrhein-Westfalen), Hesse (Hessen), Thuringia (Thuringen),
Rhineland-Palitinate (Rheinland-Pfalz), Saarland, Baden-Wurttemberg, Bavaria
(Bayern).
Note: Tips for
discovering the city and region your ancestor was born in can be found at www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Germany._Finding_Town_of_Origin
#2 – German
Records
The churches in
Germany kept family records dating back to the 1500s and more in depth records
beginning in the 1800s. There are
millions of German records, for various regions, on Ancestry.com and
FamilySearch.org, especially for the Lutheran churches. However, most of the
records, especially those for Catholic churches, are contained in various
archives located throughout Germany, and are not available online.
Once you have
discovered your ancestor’s town and region of origin, it will be important to
know if they were Catholic or Protestant, as the records are kept in separate
archives.
A
Google search can be done on the town and region to find the names of the
parishes in your ancestors’ town of origin, and to determine the location and
name of the archive where the records are kept.
#3 – Online Records
Ancestry.com
– contains church records, as well as WW1 and WW2 records which list the names
of parents and town of residence.
Family
Search.org
Genealogy.net
(compgen.de) – German site
My
Heritage.com – Appears to be the choice of German people for conducting research
and building family trees.
#4 – German
Archive Records
If
you haven’t been able to find records for your German ancestors online there
are various ways to continue your search. The majority of German genealogical
records are located in the many local and regional archives across Germany.
There are two ways to access these records:
*The
first would be to locate the archive where your ancestors’ records are located.
To obtain those records send an email with a written request for baptism,
marriage and death records for a specific ancestor. There will be a fee for the
research and a copy of the record. This will be a slow process but a workable
solution for finding the records that are not online.
Keep
in mind that, depending on where your ancestor is from, records might be found
in archives in France, Belgium, Poland, Russia or Lithuania as areas of Germany
were distributed to these countries throughout history. (For instance, I have found my ancestor’s
records in the archives for the Bas-Rhin and Haut-Rhin in Alsace, France which
are online.
*The
second option would be to hire a professional genealogist, who is located in
Germany, to perform the research and obtain the records for you. To locate a
professional genealogist refer to the Association of German-speaking
Professional Genealogists (https://berufsgenealogie.net.) Locate the area
where you ancestor lived on the ‘map’ (https://berufsgenealogie.net/english/map.html) and choose a
genealogist who lives near that archive.
#5 – Family
History Books
Another
alternative would be to search for a Orsfamilienbucher (OFB) loosely translated
as a community genealogical history book which contains records for a specific
town or city. Many towns have listed the history and records for their area
which might contain several generations for a family who lived in that
particular town. Genealogy.net
contains more than 600 searchable OFB’s. Search FamilySearch.org’s catalog via
‘place-names’ for their collection of OFB’s at: https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog.
An additional listing can be found here: Kirchenbuch
Portal: www.kirchenbuchportal.findbuch.net.
Articles on “how
to” search for German Genealogical Records:
Family
Tree ‘Tips for Tracing German Ancestors’ - https://www.familytreemagazine.com/premium/tips-for-tracing-german-ancestors/
Legacy
Tree ‘3 Essential Websites for German Family History Research’ - https://www.legacytree.com/blog/3-essential-websites-german-ancestors
YouTube videos on
German Genealogy:
Crista
Cowan (Ancestry.com) ‘Top Tips for Beginning German Family History Research’ - https://youtu.be/5G7quTs_zno
James
M. Beidler – ‘Finding German Villages for Genealogy and Family History’ - https://youtu.be/lj_nACJZt94
James
M. Beidler – ‘Step-By-Step Guide to MeyersGaz.org for German Genealogy’ - https://youtu.be/h2aLSvE_upY
The
Family Tree German Genealogy Guide ‘How to Trace your Germanic Ancestry in
Europe’ - https://youtu.be/FZy_SS2Ht28
Additional Germany
Genealogy Resources:
Facebook
– German Genealogy Records Transcription - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1454015278205406/
Genealogy Websites
for other Countries:
These
websites may not be in English. To read them look for the English translation
(either EN, English or a British flag) or download the Google Translate app in
Chrome.
A
comprehensive listing of archives around the world: www.archivschule.de/DE/service/archive-im-internet
French Archives (more than half
of the French vital records on available on FamilySearch.org): The National
Archives: www.archives-nationales.culture.gouv.fr
German Archives: FamilySearch.org
has partnered with German Archives. You can find an index of the records
available on FamilySearch.org and then go to the specific Archive to find the
record.
Poland Archives:
Church
Parish Registers:
Netherlands
Archives:
Ireland Archives:
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