Württemberg Court Records

Heiratsverträge or Heiratsprotokolle [Marriage Contracts or Marriage Protocol]
Heiratsverträge or Heiratsprotokolle are prenuptial agreements which are ratified by the Obervormundsgericht.

Such contracts contain:


 * a statement that bride and groom intend to marry or already are married
 * information about previous marriage partners
 * a list of children from a previous marriage
 * the estimated sum of the previous partner's fortune and the distribution of it among his children
 * the fortune of the new groom or husband
 * a statement that in case of either partner's death, the children of the previous marriage obtain their father's inheritance
 * a statement that the subtraction of obligations accrued during the marriage will occur before the surviving spouse and children will inherit.

Here are some sample pages of a Heiratsvertrag. Click here.

In many cases, these records might precede baptism records in the parish. This is why it is a good source to check and to not overlook in your research. It is often true that the court records are more difficult to use than church records. This is because the long paragraphical style in which they are written, the more legal language that is used and of course, handwriting issues. However, it may be well worth the effort to find these, if they hold the keys to more family information.

Why it's useful:


 * Family relationships can be determined
 * Detailed marriage information
 * Home villages of the couple
 * Assets and holdings of the couple
 * Financial status of the family and inherited properties
 * Previous marriages
 * Children of previous marriages
 * Guardianships
 * Signatures of ancestors
 * Lists assets brought into the marriage