Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen) Archives and Libraries

Archive Addresses and Repositories
Listing of the Archives and Libraries in state of Niedersachsen (not the Societies and associated Libraries and Museums).
 * Niedersachsen Landarchives, Archival information system Niedersachsen

Braunschweig
Niedersachsen Landesarchiv Wolfenbüttel Forstweg 2 38302 Wolfenbüttel Germany Telephone 05331 935-0 Fax 05331 935-211 E-mail (post office) wolfenbuettel@nla.niedersachsen.de
 * Website
 * Die Bestände des Staatsarchivs Wolfenbüttel (Holdings)


 * Archiv Stadt und Kreis Lauban Kiefelhorn 13 38154 Königslutter am Elm Germany Ph.: 49 5354000 Email: Berckert_archiv-Lauban@t-online.de
 * Braunschweig City Archives Schlossplatz 1 38100 Braunschweig Germany Fax:(0531) 470-4725 E-mail:lesesaal.stadtarchiv@braunschweig.de Postal address: City Braunschweig City Archives Schlossplatz 1 38100 Braunschweig Germany Phone: Information / Lesesaal (0531) 470-4719 Secretariat / Administration (0531) 470-4711
 * The city archive of Braunschweig contains the following:
 * The Urkundenarchiv (record archive) has guild and church records.
 * The Alte Ratsarchiv (city council records) houses city records, bills and other records up tp 1671.
 * The Ältere Magistratsarchiv (older magistrate records 1671-1825) are the citizenship records, trade registers and archival records of the French occupation.
 * The Jüngere Magistratsarchiv (younger magistrate records 1825-1930) are the Registration Office (Einwohner-/Meldeamt) records, city administrations and wills.
 * The Sonderarchiv ( non-city archival records) has estate records and church books.
 * The Sammlungen (collections) have funeral sermons and Ahnentafeln.

Source: Stadtarchiv_Braunschweig

Hannover
Inventory of church records Listing of Hannover church records found in Archion.
 * Ev.-Luth.Landeskirche Hannover Hildesheimer 165 30173 Hannover Germany Web page: www.evlka.de/archiv/familienforschung.html E-mail: Kirchenbuch.staki.Hannover@evlka.de


 * Niedersächsisches Staatsarchiv 38302 Wolfenbüttel Forstweg 2 email: poststelle@staatsarchiv-wf.niedersachsen.de


 * Niedersachsisches Staatsarchiv in Hannover Am Archiv 1 D-30169 Hannover Germany


 * Niedersachsisches Staatsarchiv in Buckeburg Schloss-Ostflugel D-31675 Buckeburg Germany


 * Niedersachsisches Staatsarchiv in Stade Am Sande 4C D-21682 Stade Germany


 * Niedersachsisches Staatsarchiv in Oldenburg Damm 43 D-26135 Oldenburg Germany


 * Niedersachsisches Staatsarchiv in Osnabruck Schlossstrasse 29 D-49074 Osnabruck Germany


 * Niedersachsisches Staatsarchiv in Aurich Oldersumer Strasse 50 D-26603 Aurich Germany

Oldenburg

 * Ev.-Luth. Oberkirchenrat Philosophenweg 1 26121 Oldenburg Germany Ph.: 49 4417701 270 Fax: 49 441 7701 299 Email: bibliothek@ev.kirche-oldenburg.de Web: www.ev-kirche-oldenburg.de


 * Staatsarchiv Oldenburg Email: Oldenburg@nla.niedersachsen.de Web: www.staatsarchiv.niedersachsen.de


 * Bischöflich Münstersches Offizialat Bahnhofstr. 6 49377 Vechta Germany Email: info@kirchentuer.de Web: www.offizialatsbezirk-oldenburg.de

Background information to the Landeskirchliches Archiv Hannover (Evangelical Church Archive)
In October 1943 a heavy bombing destroyed the Landeskirchenamt (church archive). Two thirds of the archival materials burnt, one third of all documents had been evacuated at this point and was saved. According to common consent all materials of interest for research were destroyed, therefore, hesitation to give archival records to a centralized location abounded. Records remained on site for the time being. Only in 1957 with the establishment of the new Archive in Rote Reihe in Hannover (address) the last items from the evacuated documents were returned. Great emphasis was put on organizing the archival materials from the parishes.

Today the Landeskirchliche Archiv continues to receive documents from parishes. The reason for this is the closure of churches due to the drop in church membership. The homes of parish priests have to be disposed of and the archival materials safely guarded. Thus, the Landeskirchenarchiv becomes the record keeper. Before research is pursued, the family historian is well advised to check what is available at the archive. Compare also the listings of filmed churchbooks at


 * Holdings

Source: Hans Otte.''Die Archivalien sind selbst in die Hand zu nehmen. Zur Geschichte des Landeskirchlichen Archivs Hannover''. Aus evangelischen Archiven. Nr. 49, 2009

Family Research in the city archive Hildesheim
The archive has a variety of genealogical sources appropriate for genealogical research.

Civil registration records Information gathered by civil authorities started in 1875 in Hildesheim. These records become archival records after a certain time frame and are then stored in the city archive. They are available if one has a reasonable interest in historical or family related issues and time frames. These are: Birth registers older than 110 years Marriage registers older than 80 years Death registers older than 30 years For each year of an event exists a register of names in alphabetical order, however, names then appear in chronological order.

City registration records The city has registration records from before 1946. These records are freely accessible when 100 years after a person’s birth have passed and after 10 years from a person’s death date. Information will be supplied by the archive.

Church registers Up to 1875 individual’s birth, marriage, and death were registered by the church. The law ordered duplicates for such records which are available at the archive for the years 1853 through 1874. The researcher is free to browse through them himself. If the information is not available in the duplicate records the researcher should contact

For Catholic records the Bistum Hildesheim and for Evangelical records the individual parishes. There also exists a research center in the Martin-Luther-Kirchengemeinde Nordstadt-Drispenstedt, Peiner Strasse 53, 31137 Hildesheim. Email coordes@martin-luther-kirche.de

Jewish records The city archive has Jewish records from the years 1808-1815 and 1844-1874.

Address books They are available for the year 1827 and then again from 1840-1998. They just list the head of household, not entire families.

Other sources helpful for family research Such records are not listed by names but rather by subject. Further clues about a person can appear in • Urkunden (documents) • Amtsbücher (administrative books) • Akten (briefs) • Nachlässe und Familienpapiere (wills and family papers) • Genealogische und heraldische Sammlungen (genealogical and heraldic collections)

Further information is provided here.

Source: Simone Benne. Anleitung zur Familienforschung. Eine kleine Stammbaumschule. Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung.

Other Lower Saxony archives can be accessed here Select a district on the map.

Prussian province of Hannover records in State archive Hamburg
It is a little known fact that some records of the former Prussian province of Hannover are housed in the state archive of Hamburg. They can be found under archival number 430 (Bestandsnummer). Their content can be viewed online at http://www.hamburg.de/online-findmittel/180314/online-findmittel-start.html

Scroll down to number 430, then click on the hyperlink.

Places involved are:

430-36 Gemeinde Langenbek 430-39 Gemeinde Kirchwerder - preußisch 430-50 Provinzialsteuerdirektorat Hannover 430-51 Finanzdirektion Hannover 430-52 Konsistorium Hannover (ev.-luth.) 430-53 Konsistorium Hildesheim (kath.) 430-54 Provinzialschulkollegium Hannover 430-55 Generaldirektion des Wasserbaues Hannover 430-58 Amt und Landratsamt Jork 430-60 Amt Wilhelmsburg 430-62 Katasteramt Harburg 430-63 Domänenrentamt Harburg 430-65 Hochbauamt Harburg 430-72 Behörden (aus der Zeit) der westfälischen und französischen Verwaltung in Harburg 430-75 Strafvollzugsamt Celle