Saxony (Sachsen), Germany Genealogy

Germany  Saxony (Sachsen)

Guide to Saxony (Sachsen), Germany ancestry, family history, and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, parish registers, and military records.

Getting started in Saxony research
What do you know about your ancestor? When was he born, when did he marry, when did he emigrate? Do you need records from the 20th, 19th, 18th or 17th century? Keep in mind that the most correct research comes from looking up primary sources, records that were established by the authorities with which your ancestor had to do business. To begin your research:

Look for a mentor. He or she is someone who already knows a lot about your area of interest.

Establish a research community. Join a forum or genealogical society interested in your area of research.

Let others share your findings. This way your research can be checked and added upon.

Only add information from primary sources. Information found on the internet can be helpful or be a  guideline, but should always be checked for accuracy!

Always make a note of where you found your information.

Here are some helpful sources for research done by century:

20th century 1. Civil Registration records 2. Church records 3. Address books 4. Newspapers 5.Einwohnermeldeamt (registers of moving in and out of a community) 6. Village chronicles 7. Court records of the Amtsgericht (lower court) such as land ownership, testaments, divorces etc.

19th century 1. Most of the above 2. Index Köhler and Blanckmeister 3. Kirchenbuchstellen (church registers availability) 4. Population registers in local archives 5. Court records dealing with land purchases, inheritances, land transfers etc. 6. Records of immunization 7. Military records

18th century 1. Most of the above 2. Hufen und Steuerverzeichnisse (indexes of land occupation and taxes) 3. Quatamber and Schocksteuerverzeichnisse (indexes of church contributions and property taxes) 4. Collection Schmidt 5. Military recruiting lists (Stammrollen and Musterungsrollen) for the Saxon army 6. Schoetgen and Kreyßig 7. Lineage village books (few) 8. Pfarrverzeichnisse (confirmations and Kirchstuhlregister). These indexes show who occupied a certain seat within a congregation.

17th century 1. Some of the above 2. Communal archives, i.e. Leichenschreiberei, cemeteries 3. Indexes of Land- and Tranksteuer (records of land ownership and beer brewing) 4. Leichenpredigten

16th century 1. Türkensteuer ( a tax levied to protect against the invasion of Turks. This is the first register of people in Saxony). 2. Landsteuer (tax levied for contractual land owners) 3. Amtsbücher (administrative records showing residents who have to render services) 4. Visitationsprotokolle (visits by church authorities who inspect schools and also oversee the conversion process, i.e., Catholics become Protestants) 5. Leichenpredigten

Source: Rene Gränz. Forschungshinweise für den Anfänger und fortgeschrittenen Forscher der Familien- und Heimatforschung in Sachsen. 8. Webmeeting-Webgenealogie-June 2012


 * Birth marriage and death information
 * Place information

Jurisdictions and Records
For town and city maps in Sachsen click here and then click on "Zur Kartendarstellung". You can use a specific street address if you know it.

Another online map showing towns and administrations (Amtsgerichte = Lower Courts) can be found here

This site will give you parish jurisdictions and other interesting and helpful information regarding towns and cities in Sachsen.

Saxony

Administrative Districts
Saxony is divided into 10 (Landkreise) districts, and three (Stadtkreise) urban districts.

Landkreise:

Bautzen, Erzgebirgskreis, Görlitz, Leipzig, Meißen, Mittelsachsen, Nordsachsen, Sächsische-Osterzgebirge, Vogtlandkreis, Zwickau

Stadtkreise:

Chemnitz, Dresden, Leipzig

Research Tools

 * German Word List
 * Latin Word List
 * Handwriting
 * Handwriting Guide
 * German Handwriting Tutorial
 * http://www.kurrentschrift.net/index.php5?s=schreiben (enter your German genealogical word, click on "umwandeln" and view your word in Kurrentschrift (Gothic handwriting)
 * Saxony Tourism.com