Germany, Saxony, Church Book Indexes - FamilySearch Historical Records

What Is in This Collection?
This collection contains images of index cards that record christenings, marriages, and burial records kept in churches from 1600-1900. In 1616, a resolution required all parish clergy to keep a separate book to record names and events which took place in their parish district. During the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648) record keeping may not have been as consistent. Records from previous years might have been lost or destroyed. This collection of card indexes to church records includes a number of localities in Saxony, Germany, including the following: • 6

Reading These Records
These records are written in German. For help reading these records see:
 * German Genealogical Word List
 * Germany Handwriting
 * Brigham Young University Script Tutorial : The German Documents

What Can These Records Tell Me?
Birth
 * Birthdate
 * Place of birth
 * Name at birth
 * Parents’ names
 * Parents’ residence
 * Gender
 * Date and number of record

Marriage
 * Date and place of event
 * Name of bride and groom
 * Residence
 * Age of bride and groom
 * Names of parents
 * Names of witnesses

Death
 * Date and place of death
 * Name of deceased person
 * Age or birth date
 * Cause of death
 * Marital status
 * Name of spouse (if applicable)

Burial
 * Date and place of death
 * Name of cemetery
 * Name of deceased person
 * Age or birth date

Collection Content
For more information about these records see Germany, Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records.

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * Name of the person
 * Approximate date of the event

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * Add the new information to your records
 * Use the age in the record to find an approximate birth year, which will help you find their other records
 * Use the information in each record to find additional family members
 * Repeat this process with additional family member’s records to find more generations of the family

I Can’t Find Who I’m Looking for, What Now?

 * If possible, examine the images to see if there were errors in the transcription
 * Remember that their may be more than one person in the records with the same name
 * Collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you identify possible relations that can be verified by records
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby locality in an area search
 * Standard spelling of names typically did not exist during the periods our ancestors lived in. Try variations of your ancestor’s name while searching the index or browsing through images
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in Germany.
 * Research Tips and Strategies
 * Germany Record Finder

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.

How Can I Contribute to the FamilySearch Wiki?
Alemanha, Saxônia, Índice de Livro da Igreja (Registros Históricos do FamilySearch)