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The territory of Germany has varied considerably over the centuries. Until 1871 Germany consisted of numerous independent kingdoms, duchies, principalities, and states, whose borders often changed and merged. These changes often make it hard to determine which archive has the particular records you need. In 1871 all states except the Austrian states were consolidated into the German Empire under the leadership of Preußen. | The territory of Germany has varied considerably over the centuries. Until 1871 Germany consisted of numerous independent kingdoms, duchies, principalities, and states, whose borders often changed and merged. These changes often make it hard to determine which archive has the particular records you need. In 1871 all states except the Austrian states were consolidated into the German Empire under the leadership of Preußen. | ||
Place-names and county, province, and state jurisdictions have also changed, often more than once. Because of these changes, you may not be able 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. This section describes the changes that have taken place in Germany's state structure. This information will help you find records in the | Place-names and county, province, and state jurisdictions have also changed, often more than once. Because of these changes, you may not be able 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. This section describes the changes that have taken place in Germany's state structure. This information will help you find records in the FamilySearch Catalog for the place where your ancestors lived. | ||
The | The FamilySearch Catalog is based on German jurisdictions as they existed from 1871 until World War I, regardless of earlier or later changes. Places that are now under foreign jurisdiction but were part of the German Empire in 1871 are listed under both GERMANY, PREUßEN, [PROVINCE], [TOWN] and also under their present location, such as POLAND, RUSSIA, LITHUANIA, FRANCE, or DENMARK. | ||
Several boundary changes occurred after World War I. Elsaß-Lothringen (Alsace-Lorraine) was returned to France in 1918. A few towns and villages of Rheinland were ceded to Belgium. The northern tip of Ostpreußen (East Prussia) was given to Lithuania.<br>The northern part of Schleswig-Holstein passed from Germany to Denmark in 1920. | Several boundary changes occurred after World War I. Elsaß-Lothringen (Alsace-Lorraine) was returned to France in 1918. A few towns and villages of Rheinland were ceded to Belgium. The northern tip of Ostpreußen (East Prussia) was given to Lithuania.<br>The northern part of Schleswig-Holstein passed from Germany to Denmark in 1920. | ||
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Each nation or state determined its own record-keeping practices. You may find that records differ in what they contain and where they are kept, according to who ruled that area when the record was created. | Each nation or state determined its own record-keeping practices. You may find that records differ in what they contain and where they are kept, according to who ruled that area when the record was created. | ||
The German Empire, created in 1871, was made up of a patchwork of German-speaking duchies, principalities, and states. These areas often had little in common. The Locality Search of the | The German Empire, created in 1871, was made up of a patchwork of German-speaking duchies, principalities, and states. These areas often had little in common. The Locality Search of the FamilySearch Catalog uses 38 state or province divisions for Germany. For a list of these states and provinces, see the chart found in [https://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Germany_Gazetteers Germany Gazetteers] | ||
==== More State Information: ==== | ==== More State Information: ==== | ||
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==== <br>Sachsen. ==== | ==== <br>Sachsen. ==== | ||
Sachsen (Saxony) covered a wide band of Germany from the North Sea to the Czech Republic.<br>The three modern German states carrying this name are Niedersachsen, Sachsen, and Sachsen-Anhalt. The | Sachsen (Saxony) covered a wide band of Germany from the North Sea to the Czech Republic.<br>The three modern German states carrying this name are Niedersachsen, Sachsen, and Sachsen-Anhalt. The FamilySearch Catalog lists several old Empire states under Sachsen:<br>Sachsen (the kingdom)<br>Preußen Sachsen (the province)<br>Thüringen (the Duchies of Sachsen)<br>Sachsen-Altenburg<br>Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha<br>Sachsen-Meiningen<br>Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach<br>When using the International Genealogical Index on compact disc, you can filter on “Sachsen” (the kingdom), "Prussia" (including the province of Sachsen), and “Thuringen” (including the Duchies of Sachsen). | ||
==== <br>Thüringen. ==== | ==== <br>Thüringen. ==== | ||
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==== <br>Pfalz. ==== | ==== <br>Pfalz. ==== | ||
The Pfalz (Palatinate) on the French border in southwest Germany was devastated in the Thirty Years War (1618-1648). After the war, settlers from other parts of Germany and Switzerland were attracted to help repopulate the area. In the 1800s, more people emigrated to foreign countries from the Pfalz than from any other part of Germany. The Pfalz has been associated with Bayern most of the time since 1214.<br>Therefore, the Place Search of the | The Pfalz (Palatinate) on the French border in southwest Germany was devastated in the Thirty Years War (1618-1648). After the war, settlers from other parts of Germany and Switzerland were attracted to help repopulate the area. In the 1800s, more people emigrated to foreign countries from the Pfalz than from any other part of Germany. The Pfalz has been associated with Bayern most of the time since 1214.<br>Therefore, the Place Search of the FamilySearch Catalog lists towns in the Pfalz under BAYERN. For example, the town of Kaiserslautern in the Pfalz would actually be listed as GERMANY, BAYERN, KAISERSLAUTERN. | ||
=== <br>Books: === | === <br>Books: === | ||
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Online information is found at [http://www.genealogienetz.de/genealogy.html this site]. Check out the "General Help" section. | Online information is found at [http://www.genealogienetz.de/genealogy.html this site]. Check out the "General Help" section. | ||
The | The FamilySearch Catalog may contain research information to assist in your historical Germany research under:<br>GERMANY - HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY<br>GERMANY - HISTORY<br>GERMANY, [STATE] - HISTORICAL<br>GEOGRAPHY<br>GERMANY, [STATE] - HISTORY<br>The historical atlases described above contain maps depicting boundary changes, migration and settlement patterns, military actions, and ethnic and religious population distribution. Gazetteers and histories are also helpful sources of information about name and boundary changes. | ||
{{Germany|Germany}} | {{Germany|Germany}} | ||
[[Category:Germany|Historical Geography]] | [[Category:Germany|Historical Geography]] | ||