Schleswig-Holstein, German Empire Church Records

Church records (parish registers, church books) are an important source for genealogical research in Germany before civil registration began. They recorded details of baptisms, marriages, deaths and burials. The vast majority of the population was mentioned. To learn more about the types of information you will find in church records, click on these links: For a comprehensive understanding of church records, study the article Germany Church Records.
 * Baptisms (Taufen)
 * Marriages (Heiraten)
 * Burials (Begräbnisse)
 * Confirmations (Konfirmationen)
 * Family Registers (Familienbücher)

Church Record Inventories
Church record inventories are essential tools for finding German records. They identify what records should be available for a specified parish and where to write for information on these records. They list the church records, their location, and the years they cover. Sometimes inventories explain which parishes served which towns at different periods of time.
 * Gemeindelexikon für das Königreich Preußen: Schleswig-Holstein
 * Tutorial
 * The new Kirchenbuchportal (church book portal) has been created by the Association of Church Archives, ecumenical organization, to facilitate access to German-language church records. As of July 2010 several archives have posted detailed inventories of the parish registers in their collections. Details about the participating archives, including links to posted inventories, are found here. A database of all inventoried records, arranged by archive, is found here.

1. Online Church Records

 * Archion: Land Archives of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northern Germany Contains only a few military parishes.
 * For these counties now in Denmark, click on the link to find instructions for using online church records of Denmark.
 * Apenrade
 * Hadersleben
 * Sonderburg
 * Tondern
 * Lübeck Birth Records (Lübeck, Deutschland, Geburtsregister), ($). 1811-1875. Index and images.
 * Lübeck Deaths (Sterbefälle), ($). 1811-1875. Index and images.
 * Lübeck, Germany, Marriage Banns (Lübeck, Hochzeitsankündigungen--Aufgebot), ($). 1811-1871. Index and images.
 * Lübeck, Germany, Marriage Banns (Lübeck, Hochzeitsankündigungen-Aufgebot), ($). 1871-1875. Index and images.

2. Digital Copies of Church Records in the FamilySearch Catalog
Try to find records in the collection of the FamilySearch Library. Many microfilms have been digitized for online viewing. Gradually, everything will be digitized, so check back occasionally. Some have viewing restrictions, and can only be viewed at a Family History Center near you, and/or by members of supporting organizations. To find records:
 * a. Click on the Places within Germany, Preussen, Schleswig-Holstein drop-down menu and select your town.
 * For localities in Lübeck, click here to select your town.
 * d. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * e. Choose the correct record type and time period for your ancestor. "Taufen" are baptisms/christenings. Heiraten are marriages.  "Tote" are deaths.
 * f. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the microfilm listed for the record. FHL icons.png. The magnifying glass indicates that the microfilm is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the microfilm.

3. Local Parishes
Most church registers are still maintained by the parish. You might obtain information by writing to the parish. Parish employees will usually answer correspondence written in German. Your request may be forwarded if the records have been sent to a central repository.

Evangelical-Lutheran

 * North Germany parish search engine
 * Church of Denmark addresses for Åbenrå (Apenrade), Haderslev (Hadersleben), Sønderborg (Sonderborg), and Tønder (Tondern)

Catholic

 * Contact links for Catholic Parishes Click on "Parishes and communities."
 * Catholic church locations in Denmark
 * The Catholic Directory

Writing the Letter
Write a brief request in German to the proper church using this address as a guide, replacing the information in parentheses: For a Protestant Parish:


 * An das evangelische Pfarramt
 * (Insert street address, if known.)
 * (Postal Code) (Name of Locality)
 * GERMANY

For a Catholic Parish:


 * An das katholische Pfarramt
 * (Insert street address, if known.)
 * (Postal Code) (Name of Locality)
 * GERMANY


 * Click herefor postal code help for Germany.

How to write a letter: Detailed instruction for what to include in the letter, plus German translations of the questions and sentences most frequently used are in the German Letter Writing Guide.

State Archives
Duplicate records from some parishes are in the state archives. Many of these records have been microfilmed and are available at the Family History Library. However, for records that are not microfilmed, you can sometimes write to the state archives to request brief searches of the duplicates. Landesarchiv Schleswig-Holstein Prinzenpalais 24837 Schleswig Germany E-mail: landesarchiv@la.landsh.de Phone: 04621 8618-00 Fax: 04621 8618-01 Website: http://www.schleswig-holstein.de/DE/Landesregierung/LASH/lash_node.html The State Archive in Hamburg has civil registration books for Prussian territories, i.e., Altona. available. District Office Hamburg-Nord Headquarters Robert-Koch-Straße 17 20249 Hamburg Germany Phone: (040) 428 28-0 E-Mail (all departments): Standamt@hamburg-nord.hamburg.de E-mail (birth place): Geburten @ hamburg -nord.hamburg.de E-Mail (sterbefaelle): Sterbefaelle@hamburg-nord.hamburg.de
 * List of church records in the archives

Church Archives
Older church records or duplicates have been gathered from the local parishes into central archives. Some gaps in the church records of local parishes could be filled using these records. Church archives are often unable to handle genealogical requests, but they can determine whether they have specific records you need, or they may recommend a researcher who can search the records for you. There are no church records or family genealogical registers at the Landeskirchliches Archiv der Evangelisch-Lutherischen Kirche Norddeutschlands. Original and copied parish registers are kept in the respective 'Kirchenkreis-Archive" (church district archives). This list gives a link to each archive with its contact information. Short e-mail requests to verify that the church records you are seeking are in the collection are generally honored. Following are the links for districts in Schleswig-Holstein.

Church Archive Addresses

 * Addresses of the church district archives.
 * Church District Archives Altholstein (Neumünster area)
 * Church District Archives Dithmarschen
 * Church District Archives Hamburg-Ost (Holds records for Schleswig-Holstein areas annexed to Hamburg)
 * Church Circle Archives Lübeck-Lauenburg
 * Church District Archives North Friesland
 * Church District Archives Ostholstein
 * Church District Archives Plön-Segeber
 * Church District Archives Rantzau-Münsterdorf
 * Church District Archives Rendsburg-Eckernförde
 * Church District Archives Schleswig-Flensburg
 * Nordschleswig municipality

Archive Holdings
Links to pdf listings of church books, organized by each Kirchenkreis are given here:


 * Holdings in the church archives Altholstein
 * Holdings in the church archives Dithmarschen
 * Holdings in the church district archive Hamburg-Ost
 * Holdings in the church district archive Hamburg-West / Südholstein
 * Holdings in the church district archive Lübeck-Lauenburg
 * Holdings in the church district archives Nordfriesland
 * Holdings in the church district archive Ostholstein
 * Holdings in the church district archive Plön-Segeberg
 * Holdings in the church district archive Rantzau-Münsterdorf
 * Holdings in the church district archive Rendsburg-Eckernförde
 * Holdings in the church district archive Schleswig-Flensburg

Visitation Information
If you want to visit one of the Kirchenbuchämter, be beware of time restrictions (1 session = 3 hours). The research facilities are small and have only one reader on which to read microfiches. The equipment might be worn out which limits research time even more. It is expected to work independently for the staff cannot/will not assist with research. You must be knowledgeable about their archival records, jurisdictions and of course, have the ability to read old German script. Some archives provide indexes of names, which of course, facilitates a search for ancestors immensely. You will be charged a fee of 5 Euros (2010) for using the facility.

Hiring a Researcher
For help with hiring another researcher to visit the archives for you, contact: Schleswig-Holstein Genealogical Society Schleswig-Holsteinische Familienforschung e.V. c/ o Landesarchiv Schleswig-Holstein Prinzenpalais D-24837 Schleswig Germany Germany Website:http://www.genealogy.net/vereine/SHFam

Other Religious Groups

 * To learn how to determine the location of other religious records, namely Jewish, French Reformed, German Reformed, etc., watch Hansen’s Map Guides: Finding Records with Parish Maps beginning at 48:00 minutes, to learn how to locate these congregations. Then go back and watch from the beginning to understand how to use the reference book. This course teaches you how to use a set of reference books found at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. If you are not in Salt Lake City, use the Contact Us feature to request information from the books.

Town Genealogies (Ortssippenbuch or Ortsfamilienbuch )
See the class,, and Wiki article, Germany Town Genealogies and Parish Register Inventories on the Internet. Published town genealogies, Ortssippenbuch (town lineage book) or Ortsfamilienbuch (town family book), generally include birth, marriage, and death data for all persons found in the local records during a specified time period, compiled into families based on the opinion of the author. 'If one is available, it should only be used as an index or guide'' to finding the original records. They usually contain errors. Always verify their information in original records.

Finding an OFB

 * Click here to see OFBs at GenWiki. These are indexed and searchable. OFB Instructions.
 * A bibliography of OFBs held by the Central Office for Person and Family History, and available in their archive in Frankfurt am Main-Höchst, is listed here. You can arrange for copied pages to be sent to you for a fee or donation. Use the "Find" function on your keyboard to search the bibliographies, as they are not alphabetical.*A bibliography of OFBs held by the Central Office for Person and Family History, and available in their archive in Frankfurt am Main-Höchst, is listed here. You can arrange for copied pages to be sent to you for a fee or donation. Use the "Find" function on your keyboard to search the bibliographies, as they are not alphabetical.

Other Religious Groups
To learn how to determine the location of other religious records, namely Jewish, French Reformed, German Reformed, etc., watch Hansen’s Map Guides: Finding Records with Parish Maps, beginning at 48:00 minutes, to learn how to locate these congregations. Then go back and watch from the beginning to understand how to use the reference book. This course teaches you how to use a set of reference books found at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. If you are not in Salt Lake City, use the Contact Us feature to request information from the books.

Reading the Records

 * It's easier than you think! You do not have to be fluent in French and German to use these records, as there is only a limited vocabulary used in them. By learning a few key phrases, you will be able to read them adequately.  Here are some resources for learning to read German records.
 * German Genealogical Word List
 * French Genealogical Word List
 * Latin Genealogical Word List


 * These video webinars will teach you to read German handwriting:
 * Old German Script Part 1
 * Old German Script Part 2
 * Old German Script (German Church and Civil Records) Part 3
 * Reading German Handwritten Records  (Three parts) Practice exercises to build your skills and confidence.
 * German Script Tutorial


 * List of Names in Old German Script A comprehensive list of German given names,  written in old script, with possible variations.
 * Old German Script Transcriber (alte deutsche Handschriften): See your family names in the script of the era. Type your name or other word into the font generator tool. Click on the 8 different fonts. Save the image to your computer and use it as you work with old Germanic records.

Downloadable Handouts

 * Print these handouts for ready reference when reading German Handwriting:
 * Kurrent Letters Handout
 * Numbers Handout
 * Birth Records Handout
 * Marriage Records Handout
 * Death Records Handout
 * Days and Months Handout
 * Common Symbols Handout
 * Common Abbreviations Handout
 * Fraktur Font--Many forms and books are printed in this font.

Latin Records
Records of the Catholic church will usually be written in Latin:
 * Latin Genealogical Word List

Feast Dates

 * Calendar Changes in France, Germany, Switzerland, and the Low Countries--class
 * Each day of the year had several patron saints and was a feast day to honor those saints. Some vital events are recorded in church records only by the holy day (feast day) on the church calendar. For example, the feast day called “All Saints Day” (Allerheiligentag) is “1 November.” An online feast date calculator may be found at the Albion College website. Simply enter the year and click "Calculate."

Search Strategy

 * Search for the relative or ancestor you selected. When you find their birth record, search for the births of their brothers and sisters.
 * Next, search for the marriage of their parents. The marriage record will have information that will often help you find the birth records of the parents.
 * Search the death registers for all known family members.
 * The marriage certificate will show the birth date, birth place, and parents of the bride and the groom. If you only have a church marriage record, calculate the birth date of the parents, using age at death and/or marriage to search for their birth records.
 * Repeat this process for both the father and the mother, starting with their birth records, then their siblings' births, then their parents' marriages, and so on.
 * If earlier generations (parents, grandparents, etc.) do not appear in the records, search neighboring parishes.