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Germany Emigration and Immigration

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Refugees and Displaced Persons

Card Indexes

  • 16th-17th Century Einwandererkartei, 16.-17. Jahrhundert Alphabetical Index of Huguenots immigration from France, the Netherlands and Switzerland to the Pfalz (Palatinate), Germany.
  • 1750-1943 Auswandererkartei mit Familienangehörigen, 1750-1943 Koblenz Archives. Index cards, arranged alphabetically by surname, for German emigrants and their family members. Provides information on nicknames, given names, and variant forms of surnames; ancestral home, earlier and later lands of allegiance, places and dates of birth and death, religious persuasion, date of emigration, earlier and later places of settlement, original occupation and later activity, name of spouse, places and dates of birth and death, place of marriage, occupation and later activity; names, places and dates of birth and death for children, places of residence, names of spouses.
  • 1750-1805Auswandererkartei der Deutschen nach Ungarn und Rußland, 1750-1805 (Emigration index of Germans in Hungary and Russia, 1750-1805).
  • 1750-1945 Kartei der Auswanderer nach Ungarn, 1750-1945 (Index of emigrants to Hungary, 1750-1945).
  • In 1763 Catherine the Great of Russia offered free land, no taxes for thirty years, freedom of religion, and other incentives to encourage Germans to settle her vast, sparsely populated domain. Dozens of German colonies were established and grew until World War I. Many Russian Germans moved to the United States, Canada, or South America beginning in 1874.
  • 1800-1900 Auswandererkartei 1800-1900, Hessen
  • 1806-1920 Auswanderungsakten, 1806-1920, Stuttgart (Württemberg) Emigration from the district of Stuttgart, Württemberg, Germany; includes internal migrations, emigration to European countries, the United States and elsewhere. Includes some indexes.
  • 1817-1866 Registres des émigrés, 1817-1866, (Alsace emigration index) Card index to emigration records of Europeans traveling through the Alsace region of France. Many Germans either lived in Elsaß-Lothringen(Alsace-Lorraine) or passed through it to emigrate.
  • 1840-1930 Auswanderkartei, 1840-1930: Cards of emingrants from Bavaria most of whom are born during the time frame 1870 to 1900; however, there are some emigrant dates from the late 1600's and from the 1840's. The cards contain surnames, maiden names, given names, places of birth, and addresses in the country to which the people are moving.
  • 1870-1945 Auswandererkartei von Rußlanddeutschen nach China und Nordamerika : 1870-1945 Index cards, arranged alphabetically by surname, for German-speaking emigrants from Russia to China, North America, Argentina, elsewhere. Includes birthplaces and dates for both spouses and children, date of emigration and destination, place and date of marriage, children's names and documentary references.
  • 1929-1930 Auswandererkartei der Rußlanddeutschen, 1929-1930 Index cards, arranged alphabetically by surname, for German-speaking emigrants from Russia to Germany, Canada, Brazil, Paraguay, etc.
  • 1935-1945 Kartei von Deutschen Experten im Ausland, 1935-1945 Index cards, arranged alphabetically by surname, for German professionals residing abroad. Includes land and street address, area of expertise, membership in professional organizations, participation in the German Foreign Institute, and biographical information (place and date of birth, education, marital status, professional activities, etc.).

Regional

Palatine Records

German Brazilians

German Argentinians

  • 1870-1945 Auswandererkartei von Rußlanddeutschen nach Argentinien, 1870-1945, images of index cards, arranged alphabetically by surname, for German-speaking emigrants from Russia to Argentina. Provides information on place of origin, state of allegiance, birth and death date and place, religion, date of emigration, destination abroad, profession, full name of spouse, birth and death date and place, place and date of marriage; names, birth places and dates of children, their residences and spouses' names. Information often incomplete.

Germans from Russia

Finding the Town of Origin in Germany

If you are using emigration/immigration records to find the name of your ancestors' town in Germany, see Germany Finding Town of Origin for additional research strategies.

Emigration From Germany

Significant numbers of German emigrants can be found on every continent and in many countries around the world. Millions of people left Germany in several waves of migration. For more details, see several Wikipedia articles:


Records that document emigration from Germany include passenger lists, passports, permissions to emigrate, German and French emigration indexes, published emigration lists, police registration records, and other departure documents, as well as sources in the emigrant's new countries. Emigration and immigration sources list the names of people leaving (emigrating) or arriving (immigrating) in Germany. These sources may be passenger lists, permissions to emigrate, or records of passports issued. The information in these records may include the emigrants' names, ages, occupations, destinations, and places of origin or birth places. Sometimes they also show family groups.

Most emigrants left Germany during the following periods:

  • 1683 to 1820. Emigrants left Germany and migrated to Southeastern Europe, North America, Russia, England, Scotland, and Ireland. This wave of emigration was caused by economic hardships and religious persecutions after the Thirty Years' War. Many of these emigrants were Protestants from Southwestern Germany, primarily the Rheinland, Westfalen, Hessen, Baden, Württemberg, and Elsaß-Lothringen. Read more about Pre-1820 Emigration from Germany
  • Starting in 1722, the Austro-Hungarian monarchs encouraged Germans to settle their lands, especially along the devastated border with the Turks. Colonies developed in what later became Hungary, Romania, and Yugoslavia. Initially, twice as many Germans moved to this area as went to America. Following World War II, most returned to Germany or Austria, but many also moved to the United States, Canada, Australia, Brazil, and other countries.
  • 1820 to 1871. This wave of emigration was caused chiefly by economic hardships, including unemployment and crop failures. Many Germans also left to avoid wars and military service. In some cases, government entities encouraged poor citizens to emigrate. Helpful websites for 19th Century German Emigration
  • 1871 to 1914. The number of emigrants increased dramatically during this time period. Emigration had become more affordable while political and economic problems continued. Emigrants came from all areas of Germany, including large numbers from the eastern provinces of Preußen (Prussia). Emigrants included not only ethnic Germans but also Poles and Jews. Helpful websites for 19th Century German Emigration.
  • 1914 to 1945. Even though the quota system reduced German emigration to the U.S. significantly, it did not stop entirely. Emigrants included political dissenters, Jews, and others who were uncomfortable with post World War I developments.

Immigration Records in the Country of Destination

Dark thin font green pin Version 4.png One option is to look for records about the ancestor in the country of destination, the country they immigrated into. See links to immigration records for major destination countries below.

United States Online Sources

Types of Records

Passenger Lists

The earliest German emigrants went down the Rhine River and left Europe from Rotterdam in the Netherlands. As passenger traffic increased, Dutch, Belgian, French, and Danish ports were used. From 1850 to 1891, 41 percent of German and east European emigrants left via the port of Bremen (Germany), 30 percent via Hamburg (Germany), 16 percent via Le Havre (France), 8 percent via Antwerp (Belgium), and 5 percent via several ports in the Netherlands. For further information see German Ports: Gateway to America by Raymond Wright III.

Only a few Germans emigrated from other European ports. 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. Information given in passenger lists varies but usually includes the emigrant's name, age, occupation, last residence or birthplace, and destination. The records also name the ship and the date of departure.

Permission To Emigrate Records

Germans had to apply for permission to emigrate from most areas. They can list the emigrant's birthplace, residence, assets, and indebtedness. Many records consist of applications and accompanying documents that were collected by district offices.

Published Emigration Records

Lists of emigrants are often published. These usually focus on the emigrants from one town, principality, or state.

Police Lists or Registrations

German towns began keeping records of each person's residence in the 1840s. Citizens were required to tell the police or the Einwohnermeldeamt [resident registration office] when they moved. These records are discussed further in Germany Population.

Passports

Passports became important in Germany during the 19th century as a control measure. Before that a passport was a form of recommendation. A letter given to the traveler made his passage within and outside of German territories easier, depending on the influence the issuer had. Passports were both status symbol for uninterrupted travel and legal documentation for members belonging to fringe groups. Mandatory passports were required only in times of crises, when there were epidemics and political or military conflicts. Such documents were restricted to time and space.

Other Records of Departure

Church Records (Annotations). Often the local pastor or priest noted peoples' departures in the parish registers next to birth or marriage entries. Sometimes these notes include the year of emigration and names of those who went with the person. Where family registers were kept, the departure was sometimes noted there. See Germany Church Records for more information.

Probate Records of Relatives Who Stayed. Wills or testaments of relatives who stayed in Germany occasionally mention their relatives in foreign lands. For more information, see Germany Probate Records.

Newspaper Announcements. Local newspapers often told of residents in their area moving to other lands. See Germany Newspapers for more information.

For Further Reading

Other Wiki Articles

FamilySearch Catalog

There are additional sources listed in the FamilySearch Catalog:

These links lead to listings of emigration records for several provinces/states of the German Empire:

Independent From Prussia

Prussia (Preussen)

Thuringia (Thüringen)



City-States




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