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Silesia (Schlesien), German Empire Civil Registration

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Silesia (Schlesien),
German Empire Wiki Topics
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Getting Started
Major Record Types
Reading the Records
Additional Silesia (Schlesien)
Record Types
Silesia (Schlesien) Background
Silesia (Schlesien) Ethnicity
Local Research Resources
Germany Record Types
Germany Background

Civil registration records are records of births, marriages, and deaths kept by the government. In Silesia (Schlesien), they were started 1 October 1874. 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. These records are kept by the civil registrar (Standesbeamte) at the civil registry office (Standesamt). Study these links to learn what information can be found in them:


For a comprehensive understanding of civil registration, study the article Germany Civil Registration.


Determining the Location of a Civil Registration Office

Research your town name in MeyersGaz.org to find the location of the registry office (Standesamt). It is indicated by the abbreviation "StdA". 'This is the Standesamt location you will use when searching for civil registration records anywhere in the FamilySearch catalog and collections.

The gazetteer Kartenmeister most efficiently tells you Standesamt (civil registrar) information as of 1905:


See the Prussian Standesamts-lexikon for civil registration offices as of 1884.

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.

Privacy Laws

Since 2009, birth records have been public after 110 years, marriages after 80 years and deaths after 30 years. A direct relationship (direct descendants and direct ancestors) to the subject of the record sought will be required in cases where the required time period has not yet elapsed. Even then, the records may be accessible if it can be shown that all "participating parties" have died at least 30 years ago. Participating parties are both parents and the child in birth records, and both spouses in a marriage.

Finding Civil Registration Records

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.

1. Online Records

Ancestry.com can be searched free of charge at your local FamilySearch Center.

Deaths of German Citizens Abroad

2. Locating Records at the FamilySearch Library

If the locality and time period you need are not included in the online records, the next step is to check for them in the microfilm collection of the FamilySearch Library. These microfilms may be ordered for viewing at FamilySearch Centers around the world. To find a microfilm:

a. Click on the Places within Germany, Preussen, Schlesien (Silesia) drop-down menu and select your town.
b. Click on the "Civil registration" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
c. Choose the correct record type and time period for your ancestor. "Geburten" are births. Heiraten are marriages. "Verstorbene" 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.

3. Finding Records in Archives

Several different archives have civil registration records. In fact they are "all over the place", literally. There are several "finding aids" that help with locating them.

Online Finding Aids With Links to Databases

Breslau Civil Registration

Holding Lists Provided by Archives

You can also consult holding lists and use search engines to search which records might be held at each archive. Brief inquiries by email about whether a record group for your locality and time period is available at that archive are generally honored..

DZfG Leipzig

German Central Office for Genealogy
State Archives Leipzig
Schongauerstraße 1
04328 Leipzig
Germany

Email: poststelle-l@sta.smi.sachsen.de
Telephone: 0341 / 255-5500

GStA Berlin

Secret State Archives Prussian
Geheimes Staatsarchiv Preußischer Kulturbesitz
Cultural Heritage Archivstraße 12-14
14195 Berlin
Germany

Email: gsta.pk@gsta.spk-berlin.de
Phone: 030/266 44 75 00
Fax. 030/266 44 31 26

Poland

Writing a Letter to Archives

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.

4. Civil Registration Information in Berlin

Standesamt I Berlin officially holds the civil registration information for the former areas of Germany.

Standesamt I Berlin
Rückerstrasse 9
10119 Berlin
Germany


5. Compiled Genealogies

Caution sign.png

Compiled genealogies and published genealogies are secondary sources, not original or primary sources.

As such, they are subject to human error through translation or transcription errors, mistaken interpretations, and opinion decisions of another researcher.

You should make every effort to base your research on the actual, original records or their digitized images.

Town Genealogies (Ortssippenbuch or Ortsfamilienbuch)

See the class Online Ortsfamilienbücher at Genealogy.net and the 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

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
German Handwriting
  • These video webinars will teach you to read German handwriting:
  • Also online interactive slideshow lessons are available to help you learn to read these records:

Latin Records

Records of the Catholic church will usually be written in Latin:

Polish

Because West Prussia is now in Poland, these articles will help:

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.
  • The marriage certificate will show the birth date, birth place, and parents of the bride and the groom.
  • 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.


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