Schleswig-Holstein Census

Census Years
Denmark ruled all of Schleswig-Holstein, including Lübeck and parts of Hamburg and Oldenburg, until 1864. Denmark took several censuses of this area. The first census was made in 1769, and subsequent censuses were taken in 1803, 1835, 1840, 1845, 1855, 1860, and 1864.

Census of 1769 (only for the royal parts of the Duchies)

Census of 1803 (both Duchies)

Census of 1835 (both Duchies)

Census of 1840 (both Duchies and Lauenburg. Lauenburg census is missing)

Census of 1845 (both Duchies and Lauenburg)

Census of 1855 (both Duchies and Lauenburg)

Census of 1860 (both Duchies and Lauenburg. Lauenburg census is missing)

Census of 1864 (Duchy of Holstein and Lauenburg)

Content
The censuses are written in either German or Danish, sometimes with both on the same page. The information contained in the censuses varies according to which year it was taken:


 * 1769. This census names the head of each household and the number of people in the house, grouped by age and sex. It did not take military personnel into account, neither will the researcher find information from estates, monestaries and the Gottorf areas. Most of these lists were lost.
 * 1803-1864. Censuses taken from 1803 to 1864 list each person's name, residence, position in the family, age, marital status, and occupation.
 * 1845 and later censuses. From 1845 on, each census also lists birthplace, the parish of the birthplace, and the length of residency at the census place.

The original records are in different archives today. The 1769 census information is in different local archives. The records for the 1803, 1860 (Holstein), and 1864 are in the State Archive Schleswig-Holstein. The originals of other censuses are in the State Archive Copenhagen.

It is often difficult to determine which village belongs to what census district. A good source to find jurisdictions are the two volumes v. Schröder and Biernatzki published: "Topographie des Herzogthums Schleswig" (1854) and "Topographie der Herzogthümer Holstein und Lauenburg" (1855) which can also be found online

Finding Census Records
Censuses are microfilmed but not indexed. They are arranged by district and city. These census records are listed in the Place Search of the FamilySearch Catalog under:

GERMANY, PREUßEN, SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN - CENSUS

There are efforts underway to extract census records from Schleswig-Holstein. The results can be searched online at http://www.akvz.de or http://www.aggsh.de and http://www.aggsh.de/myscripts/vz_witt_start4.html for the 1803 census for the Duchy of Schleswig. http://www.genealogienetz.de/vereine/SHFam//publikationen/OLSchles.pdf

http://www.genealogienetz.de/vereine/SHFam//publikationen/KspSchles.pdf

Some indexes are available online at:http://www.ddd.dda.dk/ddd_en.htm

and http://www.akvz.de as well as http://www.aggsh.de/myscripts/vz_witt_start4.html for the 1803 census for the Duchy of Schleswig.

The Family History Library also has census records from other German states, notably Mecklenburg-Schwerin and portions of Hannover. These are listed in the Place Search of the catalog under:

GERMANY, [STATE] - CENSUS

Searching Census Records
When searching census records, remember the following:


 * Information may be incorrect.
 * The ages listed may not be correct.
 * A given name may not be the same as the name used in vital records.
 * Names may be spelled as they sound.
 * Place-names may be misspelled.
 * Some parts of the census may be illegible.
 * If the family is not at the expected location, you should search the surrounding area.

To understand what is being asked for in Schleswig-Holstein censuses see the three examples below:

Family History Library Films
Census films can be difficult to use if you are not acquainted with the language and the handwriting of the scribe. A film summary can be helpful when you trying to locate a particular village within a census film. A film summary shows the order of the small places as they appear on the film. The following film summaries are available:


 * Film 039249

Other Websites

 * Jane's Genealogy Jigsaw may have more information including a link to Northern Germany register for 1769 to 1881.
 * Danish National Archives Censuses are a good source for finding information about ancestors. You can find information about age, occupation, civil status and whom a person lived with. From 1834 the censuses were often conducted every 5th year. At the moment we have the largest amount of data transcribed from censuses and it is more likely to find the individuals you are looking for here. Data is divided between counties as they were before 1970. You can choose between multiple search options: with or without place suggestion, simple or more advanced search, in one or more counties, and finally you can search for a household/family at the same time, when you know who have lived together.