How do I find my family history in Germany?
Searching immigration records is a great way to find clues about where your ancestors may have started their journey. The Germany page on the FamilySearch website provides access to more than 54 million German related indexed records. It’s a valuable resource once you’ve traced your family lines back to Germany.
Is there a German version of ancestry?
Dresden, Germany Ancestry has just launched more than 11.7 million new German records, the majority of which are birth, marriage, and death records.
How do I find my German birth records?
Records regarding birth, death and marriage are normally kept by the Standesamt (the municipality offices) where the event occurred. Most cities have websites at www. (nameofcity).de where you can find the contact information for the appropriate Standesamt.
What is the Hamburg passenger list?
The Hamburg Passenger lists are a unique source for genealogical research as well as the study of the history of emigration and immigration. The lists include approximately 5 million records of individuals, approximately 80% of whom were destined for the United States.
Are birth records public in Germany?
Locating Records. Civil registration records were kept at the local civil registration office (Standesamt). Since 2009 birth records have been public after 110 years, marriages after 80 years and deaths after 30 years.
How do I find marriage records in Germany?
Local Civil Registrar’s Office Most civil birth, marriage, and death records in Germany are maintained by the civil registration office (Standesamt) in the local towns.
What are common German last names?
List of the most common surnames in Germany
- Müller, occupation (miller)
- Schmidt, occupation (smith)
- Schneider, occupation (tailor)
- Fischer, occupation (fisherman)
- Weber, occupation (weaver)
- Meyer, occupation (originally a manorial landlord, later a self-employed farmer)
- Wagner, occupation (wainwright)
Did Germany have a census?
A national census in Germany (German: Volkszählung) was held every five years from 1875 to 1910. After the World Wars, only a few full population censuses have been held, the last in 1987. The most recent census, though not a national census, was the 2011 European Union census.
Are German birth records public?
What religion were German immigrants?
The groups included Swiss Mennonites, Baptist Dunkers, Schwenkfelders, Moravians, Amish, and Waldensians; most German immigrants belonged to the main Lutheran and Reformed churches. The central colonies received the greatest part of this immigration, especially Pennsylvania.
What port did German immigrants leave from?
Hamburg
Southern and western Germans tended to emigrate through the ports of Bremen or Le Havre. Northern and eastern Germans tended to leave through Hamburg. The records of departures from these ports are called passenger lists.
How can I find out if someone is married in Germany?
Civil birth, marriage, and death records may be found by contacting or visiting the local civil registration office or archive.
What was the city of Hamburg before Germany?
Hamburg, (officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, was a fully sovereign city state before the 1871 unification of Germany. Before 1919,Hamburg formed a civic republic, headed constitutionally by a class of hereditary grand burghers or Hanseaten.
When was the marriage registry in Hamburg started?
In Hamburg, they were started in 1799. German terms for these records include Standesamtsregister, Zivilstandsregister, or Personenstandsregister. They are an excellent source for information on names and dates and places of births, marriages, and deaths.
When did Hamburg become part of the French Empire?
Before 1919,Hamburg formed a civic republic, headed constitutionally by a class of hereditary grand burghers or Hanseaten. Hamburg was briefly annexed by Napoleon I to the First French Empire (1804–1814/1815). Russian forces finally freed the city in 1814.
What are the civil registration records in Hamburg?
Participating parties are both parents and the child in birth records, and both spouses in a marriage. Civil registration records are records of births, marriages, and deaths kept by the government. In Hamburg, they were started in 1799. German terms for these records include Standesamtsregister, Zivilstandsregister, or Personenstandsregister.