Germany, Anhalt, Dessau, City Directories - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection contains city directories for Dessau, which is located in the modern state of Saxony-Anhalt. These city directories are generally arranged alphabetically by surname and by given name and provide the individual's occupation and address. Often included are classified directories of government offices and other institutions and services of public interest. Original directories are located in the Stadtarchiv Dessau.

Reading These Records
For help reading these German records see the following guides:
 * German Language and Languages
 * German Genealogical Word List
 * Germany Handwriting
 * FamilySearch Learning Center videos:
 * Reading German Handwritten Records

What Can These Records Tell Me?
City Directories generally contain:
 * Full name of ancestor
 * Names of family members
 * Name of spouse
 * Address or residence
 * Birth date and place
 * Religion
 * Nationality

How Do I Search This Collection?
You can search the index or view the images. Before searching, it is best to know the following information: As you search, look for a record which matches this information.
 * Name of the person
 * Date of the record

Search the Index

 * 1) Go to the 
 * 2) Fill in the search boxes with the information you have
 * 3) Click Search to show possible matches

View the Images

 * 1) Go to the 
 * 2) Click on the correct Year link to open the image viewer
 * 3) Use the onscreen controls to move between images as you look for a match

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Copy down all the information in the index entry
 * Look at an image of the original record. The online index entry only lists the most basic information found in a record; the original may contain further information which was not included in the index. Save or print a copy of the image whenever possible
 * Cite the index entry or record image. See below for help citing records in this collection

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * When looking for an individual with a common name, look at all the search results before deciding which is the correct person. Use other information, such as place of birth, age, occupation, or names of parents, to help with this decision. If listed, a personal title may be a clue to property ownership or occupation, either of which might be noted in other records
 * Try variations of given names and surnames. An individual might appear under a different name in a record for a variety of reasons:
 * - An individual might have been listed under a middle name, nickname, or abbreviation of their given name
 * - Spelling was not standardized for much of the period of this collection, so names were often spelled as scribes heard them. Pay attention to how the name should have been pronounced and try spelling variations that could have that pronunciation
 * - Some women returned to their maiden names after the death of their husbands


 * Vary the search terms. For example, expand the date range or search by either the given name or surname to return broader list of search results
 * Search the records of nearby locations. While a person in this period rarely lived more than 20 miles from their place of birth, moves within this range were common
 * Consult the Germany Record Finder to find other records

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.

"Germany, Anhalt, Dessau, City Directories, 1866-1919." Images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : accessed 2017. Citing Stadtarchiv Dessau (Dassau City Archives), Germany.
 * Collection Citation:

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