Germany Civil Registration: Difference between revisions

Civil registration in the German Empire began between 1792 and 1876, depending on the locality. Alsace-Lorraine started in 1792, since it belonged to France at the time. The creation of “mairies” that kept civil birth, marriage, and death registers was required by the French as they advanced into the German territories between 1808 and 1812. These early records are often written in the French language and use the French Republican Calendar. After Napoleon was defeated, civil registration was discontinued in many parts of Germany and replaced by parish register duplicates used for civil purposes, such as conscription. In Prussia, civil births, marriages, and deaths were kept again beginning in October 1874. Civil registration became mandatory in all German states on 1 Jan 1876. To learn more about when German Civil Registration began in individual provinces or states, [[German Civil Registration Time Periods|click here]].  

Civil registration was begun in France with a law passed by the national Assembly on 20 Sep 1792. Elsaß-Lothringen, which was under French rule at that time, was the first German area to keep civil births, marriages, and deaths. French occupation of the areas left of the Rhein river in 1796 to 1798 brought civil registration to these areas as well. As the French advanced into other areas of Germany, they required local governments to keep civil births, marriages, and deaths. After Napoleon was defeated, civil registration was discontinued in many parts of Germany and replaced by parish register duplicates used for civil purposes, such as conscription. In Prussia, civil births, marriages, and deaths were kept again beginning in October 1874. Civil registration became mandatory in all German states on 1 Jan 1876. The records are created and kept by the Standesamt.  

Between 1792 and 1798, when France occupied the area west of the Rhein River, the government began civil registration in parts of the Pfalz, Oldenburg, Hessen, and Rheinland west of the Rhein. These records are usually written in French until about 1815. Hamburg began keeping civil registration records in 1799. As France's influence increased in Germany through the Confederation of the Rhein, the states of Braunschweig, Hannover, Westfalen, Bremen, Lippe, more of Hessen, the rest of Oldenburg and Lübeck established civil registration between 1808 and 1812. But when Napoleon's power began to fade in 1814, many of these states suspended civil registration.  

By 1838 most of the province of Waldeck was recording marriage contracts. The prime minister of Preußen, Otto von Bismarck, instituted civil registration in all the provinces of Preußen in 1874. The remaining states—Anhalt, Bayern, Lippe, Mecklenburg, Sachsen, Schaumburg-Lippe, Thüringen, and Württemberg—began requiring civil registration in 1876.  

In areas under French influence, especially Elsaß-Lothringen, ten-year indexes were usually kept. Duplicate copies of civil registers were also made. The mayor's office [Bürgermeisterei] kept the original copy, and the duplicate was sent to the court [Landesgericht] or another central archive. For example, most of Westfalen and Lippe sent their duplicates to Detmold, and most of the Rheinland sent theirs to Brühl.