FREE German #Genealogy Resources at FamilySearch.org

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When the United States population census was taken in 2010, about 49 million Americans identified themselves as having German ancestry. 308.7 million people were identified in that census, making those claiming German ancestry nearly 16% of the whole. That makes for a lot of folks doing German genealogy research.

I spend a good portion of each work day dealing with German ancestry issues – either my own; or as a publisher of German research guides, those of others. I got to thinking that maybe I should compile a detailed listing of the many resources found free of charge at the FamilySearch.org website. Following is a somewhat annotated list that I hope you will find useful. The information is linked, with informational data about the databases from the website, as well as some of my own observations.

The FamilySearch Historical Databases for Germany – as of today, includes 56 collections, twelve of them indexed. Note that a number of the browsable databases have items in alphabetical order by surname, so indexes are not necessarily required. However, the names don’t show up in a “search” at the website. Three of the databases (immediately below) contain German vital records indexes (Births, Baptisms, Deaths, and Burials, records dating from 1558 to 1958). Browsing images isn’t as difficult as you might think. FamilySearch has added “waypoints” within the collections, making them much easier to visually search.

  • Germany, Births and Baptisms, 1558-1898 – 37,703,414 records – Index to selected Germany births and baptisms. Only a few localities are included and the time period varies by locality. Due to privacy laws, recent records may not be displayed. The year range represents most of the records. A few records may be earlier or later. The three Meitzler births I found were all from the town of Kriegsfeld, in the Pfalz, the town where my ancestors resided – Updated as of 24 Mar 2012
  • Germany, Deaths and Burials, 1582-1958 – 3,507,357 Records – Index to selected Germany deaths and burials. Only a few localities are included and the time period varies by locality. Due to privacy laws, recent records may not be displayed. The year range represents most of the records. A few records may be earlier or later – I found fifteen Meitzlers, but none said to be from the Pfalz (where my family is from) in this collection – Updated as of 26 Sep 2011
  • Germany, Marriages, 1558-1929 – 8,521,370 Records – Index to selected Germany marriages. Only a few localities are included and the time period varies by locality. Due to privacy laws, recent records may not be displayed. The year range represents most of the records. A few records may be earlier or later – I found 113 Meitzler records in the collection, many of them from Kriegsfeld, Pfalz, where my ancestors lived – Updated as of 21 Mar 2012
  • Germany, Bremen Passenger Departure Lists, 1904-1914 – 44,315 records – These are index cards, arranged alphabetically by place of last residence and then by surname, of German emigrants, based upon the Bremen Passenger Lists. Includes marital status, occupation, ship name, place of last residence, and destination. For some countries, such as Austria, the arrangement is chronological by departure date, with names grouped alphabetically by ship name for that date. Many cards are not in sequence. Includes index cards for Jewish emigrants. The information contained in this index is for the years 1907-1908 and 1913-1914 only. Updated as of 17 Feb 2011

Anhalt

Baden

  • Germany, Baden, Church Book Duplicates, 1800-1870 287,965 indexed records linked to FREE images at the Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg – Civil copies of church books for Baden, Germany. This index currently includes records from Achern and Bonndorf – Updated as of 06 Feb 2014

Bavaria

Brandenburg

Hesse

  • Germany, Hesse, Civil Registration, 1874-1927 – Civil registration of births, marriages, and death for Hesse, Germany. Birth records are available for 1874-1901, marriages only for 1874-1877, and deaths for 1874-1927. Also includes index volumes for births 1874-1901, marriages 1874-1927 and deaths 1874-1927. Not all localities are complete but records will continue to be added to this collection over time. Check the wiki or browse the collection to determine current coverage. Original records are located in the Hessisches Staatsarchiv Marburg – Browse 2,289,166 Images – Updated as of 05 Dec 2012
  • Germany, Hesse, Frankfurt, Civil Registration, 1811-1814, 1833-1928 – Civil registration of births, marriages, and death for Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany. Birth records are available for 1811-1814, 1833-1898, marriages only for 1833-1887, and deaths for 1851-1928. In addition to the actual records there are indexes which extend beyond these ranges, including marriage indexes up to 1932 and death indexes up to 1978. This collection includes a set of records for “Eingemeindete Vororte” (incorporated suburbs) which include records for the following suburbs: Bergen, Bockenheim, Bonames, Bornheim, Eschersheim, Fechenheim, Hausen, Kalbach, Niederrad, Niederursel, Oberrad, Praunheim, Preungesheim, and Seckbach. See the Hesse collection for additional Frankfurt civil registration records. Not all localities are complete but records will continue to be added to this collection over time. Check the wiki or browse the collection to determine current coverage. Original records are located in the Institut für Stadtgeschichte, Frankfurt. – Browse 386,801 Images – Updated as of 10 Jul 2014
  • Germany, Hesse, Stadtkreis Darmstadt, Darmstadt District, Civil Registration, 1876-1925 – 8,420 records – Indexes to civil registration of births and deaths for the Darmstadt civil registration office. Original records are located in the Hessisches Staatsarchiv Marburg – Updated as of 13 Jan 2014
  • Germany, Hessen, Darmstadt City Records, 1627-1940 – Images for records from Darmstadt, Hessen, Germany. Records in this collection include population registers, certificates of citizenship, recordings of citizens and residents, and emigration records. Original records are located at Stadtarchiv Darmstadt, Karolinenplatz 3, Darmstadt – Browse 55,528 Images – Updated as of 12 Oct 2012

Hesse-Nassau

  • Germany, Hesse-Nassau, Civil Registers and Church Books, 1701-1875 – Civil registers and church books containing births, marriages, and deaths (as well as occasional marriage proclamations) for localities in the historical German state of Hesse-Nassau. Today these localities are primarily in Hesse with some in Rhineland-Palatinate and Thuringia. The original records are all located in the Hessian State Archives Marburg, Germany – Browse 231,317 Images – Updated as of 28 Nov 2012

Mecklenburg-Schwerin

  • Germany, Mecklenburg-Schwerin Census, 1867 – 507,106 indexed records linked to digitized images – Census records of the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Germany for 1867. Towns are arranged under their enumeration district. The district could be a Ritteramt (R.A.), Domänenamt (D.A.), Klosteramt (K.A.) or Stadt. The 1867 Census contains three separate forms: the Bevölkerungstabelle, the Zählungsliste and the Nachtragsliste. The Bevölkerungstabelle lists heads-of-households and provides a numerical count of other household members. The Zählungsliste provides a complete list of all household members and gives the date of birth, religion, marital status, occupation and nationality. The Nachtragsliste is a supplemental list of individuals who were temporarily absent from their main residence at the time of the census – Updated as of Aug 2014
  • Germany, Mecklenburg-Schwerin Census, 1890 – 126,847 indexed records leading to digitized images – A name index and images for a portion of the 1890 census, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Germany. Towns are arranged under their enumeration district. Two types of forms are found for each town: Zählkarten and Namenslisten. The Zählkarten list individuals and give the date and place of birth, occupation, residence, gender and marital status, etc. The Namenslisten list the inhabitants of a given household and show relationship to the head of the household. Most of the census did not survive – Updated as of 15 Apr 2014
  • Germany, Mecklenburg-Schwerin Census, 1900 – 1,249,431 indexed records leading to digitized images – Census records of the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Germany for 1900. Towns are arranged under their enumeration district. The district could be a Ritteramt (R.A.), Domänenamt (D.A.), Klosteramt (K.A.) or Stadt. Two types of forms are found for each town: The Zählkarten and the Haushaltungslisten. The Zählkarten list individuals and give the date and place of birth, occupation, residence, gender and marital status, etc. The Haushaltungslisten list the inhabitants of a given household and show relationship to the head of the household – Updated as of 04 Jan 2011

Prussia, Brandenburg and Posen

Prussia, Brandenburg

Prussia, East Prussia

Prussia, Pomerania

  • Germany, Prussia, Pomerania Church Records, 1544-1945 – Evangelical Lutheran and Roman Catholic church records and transcripts for a portion of historic Pomerania now split between Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany and Szczecin, Poland. Includes births, marriages, and death records. Original records are located in the Landesarchiv Greifswald, Germany – 185,216 records leading to 143,003 images – Updated as of 22 Nov 2013
  • Germany, Prussia, Pomerania, Labes, Church Records, 1647-1764 – Catholic Church records containing baptisms, marriages, and burials for the parish of Labes in Pomerania, Prussia. The original records are in private possession – Browse 639 Images – Updated as of 10 Sep 2013
  • Germany, Prussia, Pomerania, Stralsund, Church Book Indexes, 1600-1900 – Images of seven card files of baptisms, marriages, deaths, and burials for Stralsund, Pomerania and the neighboring community of Voigdehagen. There are three separate files for baptisms, marriages, and deaths for Stralsund; a separate file for burials at the Klosterkirche St. Johannis, also in Stralsund; and three additional files for baptisms, marriages, and deaths for the community of Voigdehagen. The cards are arranged alphabetically by surname and then by given name. The original files are located in the Stadtarchiv der Hansestadt Stralsund, Germany – Browse 457,603 Images – Updated as of 05 Dec 2012

Prussia, Saxony

  • Germany, Prussia, Saxony, Halle, Miscellaneous City Records, 1401-1926 – Collection of records from the city of Halle, Saxony, Prussia. This collection includes burial registers, citizen rolls, a card index to citizens from the city, and city directories. Original records are located in the Stadtarchiv in Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. – Browse 125,430 Images – Updated as of 01 Nov 2012
  • Germany, Prussia, Saxony, Nordhausen, City Directories, 1824-1919 – City directories for Nordhausen, Saxony. These city directories are generally arranged alphabetically by surname and given name and provide the individual’s occupation and address. Often included are classified directories of government offices and other institutions and services of public interest. The original city directories are located in the Nordhausen Stadtarchiv in Nordhausen, Saxony, Germany – Browse 5,119 Images – Updated as of 12 Apr 2013
  • Germany, Prussia, Saxony, Various Protestant Church Records, 1594-1951 – Handwritten transcriptions of Protestant church records for several parishes in Saxony, Prussia. Parishes include Bibra (Kr. Eckartsberga), Burgholzhausen (Kr. Eckartsberga), Eckartsberga (Kr. Eckartsberga), Gößnitz (Kr. Eckartsberga), Kalbitz (Kr. Naumburg), Lißdorf (Kr. Naumburg), Marienthal (Kr. Naumburg), Niederholzhausen (Kr. Naumburg), Plesimar (Kr. Naumburg), Seena (Kr. Eckartsberga), Taugwitz (Kr. Naumburg), and Wallroda (Kr. Naumburg) – Browse 4,056 Images – Updated as of 18 Jun 2014

Prussia, Westphalia

Rheinland-Pfalz

  • Germany, Rhineland-Palatinate Church Record Extractions and Family Registers, 1600-1925 – Images of church record extractions and indexes, as well as family registers, for the district of Rhine Hesse-Palatinate (Rheinland Hessen-Pfalz) in Rhineland-Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz). Most image sets are arranged chronologically (by year of event) or alphabetically (by surname). Originals are housed in Pfälzisch-Rheinische Familienkunde e.V., Rottstrasse 17, 67061 Ludwigshafen, Germany – Browse 106,564 Images – Updated as of 12 Oct 2012

Saxe-Meiningen (now in Thüringen)

  • Germany, Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach, Jena, City Directories, 1810-1935 – Collection of city directories for Jena, Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, which is now in Thuringia. These city directories are generally arranged alphabetically by surname and by given name and provide the individual’s occupation and address. Often included are classified directories of government offices and other institutions and services of public interest. The original directories are located in the Stadtarchiv Jena, in Jena, Thuringia, Germany – Browse 3,721 Images – Updated as of 11 Apr 2013
  • Germany, Saxe-Meiningen, Saalfeld an der Saale, Miscellaneous City Records, 1876-1920 – Citizen rolls and city directories for Saalfeld, Saxe-Meiningen (now in Thüringen) and the surrounding localities. Records are arranged by record type and then by year. The original records are located in the Stadtarchiv Saalfeld, Thüringen, Germany – Browse 8,433 Images – Updated as of 18 Jun 2014

Saxony

Westfalen

Württemberg

  • Germany, Württemberg, Albstadt, Miscellaneous City Records, 1705-1850 – Probate records for Albstadt, Württemberg, Germany includes the various cities and towns of Albstadt: Ebingen, Laufen an der Eyach, Lautlingen, Onstmettingen, Pfeffingen, Tailfingen, and Truchtelfingen. Record types include account books, census-like records, church record card indexes, citizen rolls, city directories, death records, family registers, probate records, property tax registers, and resident lists – Browse 308,313 Images – Updated as of 21 Mar 2014
  • Germany, Württemberg, Schwäbisch Hall, Probate Records, 1803-1929 – Probate records for Schwäbisch Hall, Württemberg, Germany including inventories (Inventuren) and divisions (Teilungen). The use of each of these documents was precipitated by different events: the Inventuren by marriage and the Teilungen by death. These records are all arranged in a single chronological sequence. This collection is being published as images become available – Browse 272,394 Images – Updated as of 23 Dec 2014

Click here to see German research guides are FamilyRootsPublishing.com

Click here to see Map Guide to German Parish Registers at FamilyRootsPublishing.com

About Leland Meitzler

Leland K. Meitzler founded Heritage Quest in 1985, and has worked as Managing Editor of both Heritage Quest Magazine and The Genealogical Helper. He currently operates Family Roots Publishing Company (www.FamilyRootsPublishing.com), writes daily at GenealogyBlog.com, writes the weekly Genealogy Newsline, conducts the annual Salt Lake Christmas Tour to the Family History Library, and speaks nationally, having given over 2000 lectures since 1983.

6 Replies to “FREE German #Genealogy Resources at FamilySearch.org”

  1. I’m told I’m a descendant of one of the two first Meitzler brothers to come over from Germany. I’m from Southern MS. I was hoping to learn more about them and their lives in Germany. Sadly my hands are beyond full right now with my children so I do not have as much time as I’d like to research
    But I can see that ya’ll have spent many hours and previded a lot of resources for when that time comes
    Thanks
    Lynn

  2. Thanks for such a thorough place for resources. I’m struggling with finding my paternal Grandmother. Her name was Edith Bernstein and she was born in Berlin, Germany on Dec. 10, 1866. She died on July 8, 1938. There is a memorial online so I know this is accurate. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=114634911&ref=acom
    I have been trying and trying to find some kind of birth certificate or anything showing her birth in Germany. I’ve tried for months and I’m stumped. Do you have any suggestions?

    Thanks so very much,

    Mary Ann Isaacson

  3. Dear Leland.

    My name is Gary in Australia & I am trying to trace my forebears including the Ritter family. The following is all I have & any help would be fantastic.

    Merry Christmas.

    Ferderick Ritter was 41 b.c. 1814 when he arrived, a Lutheran with his occupation listed as ploughman
    His wife, Catherine Phillipine was 35
    Children listed were John Carl 13, John Frederick Anthony 10, Phillip Theodore 7 and Fredericke Margarette 3. who arrive in Tasmania in 1855 on the “Montmorenay” which sailed from Liverpool. They were apparently from Hessen Nassau.

  4. Hello!
    I am having so much difficulty finding marriage records for my great great grandfather. Martin Muller from Naumburg Hesse region. Married Maria Loskant =also from there. They immigrated around 1853. Since they are from same region I have looked for a german marriage record but it is possible it is in NYC where they settled in Queens.

    They were Catholic and sometimes I think this gets in my way as the Lutheran records are more available.

    Thanks if you have any advice!

    Also, my other side looking for Carolina Jost birth record in Alsace region. born approx 1820. She married Johannes Gunther in NYC in 1850s.

  5. I’m trying to research my maternal great grandfather and great grandmother without success.
    The only information that I have on my grandfather is his last name, Luddecke, born around 1875 near Bernau, Germany.
    I have 2 ship’s passenger lists showing his first name in 1925 as August, and in 1935 as Christian A.G. Both ships passenger lists are in Ellis Island, NY, USA coming from Buenos Aires, Argentina.

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