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==Overview== | ==Overview== | ||
Civil | Civil registration records are records of births, marriages, and deaths kept by the government. 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 [German: Standesbeamte] at the civil registry office (Standesamt). Because they cover about 98% of the population and often provide more information than church records, civil registration records are important sources for German genealogical research, especially after 1876 when the entirety of Germany established civil registration. <br><br> | ||
==Civil registration: Napoleonic period== | ==Civil registration: Napoleonic period== | ||
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If you believe a marriage took place but cannot find a marriage record, search records that indicate the couple's “intent to marry.” Various records may have been created to show a couple's intent to marry: | If you believe a marriage took place but cannot find a marriage record, search records that indicate the couple's “intent to marry.” Various records may have been created to show a couple's intent to marry: | ||
*'''Proclamations | *'''Proclamations '''[Aufgebote or Eheverkündigungen] were made a few weeks before a couple planned to marry. The couple may have been required to announce their intentions in order to give other community members the opportunity to object to the marriage. | ||
*'''Marriage Supplements''' [Heiratsbeilagen] were often filed by the bride or groom to support their marriage application. Information included may document their births, their parents' deaths, and the groom's release from military service. Sometimes the records contain information about earlier generations. | *'''Marriage Supplements''' [Heiratsbeilagen] were often filed by the bride or groom to support their marriage application. Information included may document their births, their parents' deaths, and the groom's release from military service. Sometimes the records contain information about earlier generations. | ||
*'''Contracts '''[Ehekontrakte] are documents created to protect legal rights and property of spouses. These may give the same information as the marriage supplements noted above. They also list property and are usually found in court records rather than in civil registration records. | *'''Contracts '''[Ehekontrakte] are documents created to protect legal rights and property of spouses. These may give the same information as the marriage supplements noted above. They also list property and are usually found in court records rather than in civil registration records. | ||
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====FamilySearch Catalog==== | ====FamilySearch Catalog==== | ||
FamilySearch has microfilmed many civil registration records. | FamilySearch has microfilmed many civil registration records. To find civil registration records in the FamilySearch Catalog, search the Place Search under: | ||
:GERMANY, [STATE], [TOWN] - CIVIL REGISTRATION | :GERMANY, [STATE], [TOWN] - CIVIL REGISTRATION | ||
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Duplicate registers from some towns are kept in state archives. For more recent records and for those not yet microfilmed, you may write to the state archives of Germany and request searches of the records. See [[Germany Archives and Libraries]]. If the archivist cannot do the research your request, you can hire a professional genealogist to search the records for you. You may also find archive inventories that describe the record-keeping systems and available civil registration records in Germany (see Germany Archives and Libraries). These and other guides are found in the Place Search of the FamilySearch Catalog under: <br> | Duplicate registers from some towns are kept in state archives. For more recent records and for those not yet microfilmed, you may write to the state archives of Germany and request searches of the records. See [[Germany Archives and Libraries]]. If the archivist cannot do the research your request, you can hire a professional genealogist to search the records for you. You may also find archive inventories that describe the record-keeping systems and available civil registration records in Germany (see Germany Archives and Libraries). These and other guides are found in the Place Search of the FamilySearch Catalog under: <br> | ||
GERMANY - ARCHIVES AND LIBRARIES<br> GERMANY, [STATE] - ARCHIVES AND LIBRARIES | |||
After determining who has jurisdiction over the | After determining who has jurisdiction over the records for the time period you need, write a short request to the proper office. Be careful not to ask for too much when writing to German archives. They can briefly answer questions about the records in their collection, but are often reluctant to do research in these records. You may have more success if you ask for a referral or a list of local researchers you could hire to search the archive's records. See [[German Letter Writing Guide]] for more information about writing letters to Germany. | ||
===Deaths of German Citizens Abroad=== | ===Deaths of German Citizens Abroad=== | ||
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