Bremen, German Empire Civil Registration

Back to Bremen Page►

How to Find Birth, Marriage, and Death Records for Bremen
Most of your genealogical research for Bremen will be in three main record types: civil registration, church records, and, when available, a compiled town genealogy ("'Ortssippenbuch" or "Ortsfamilienbuch" in German). These articles will teach you how to use these records on digital databases, as microfilms, or by writing for them.
 * How to Find Births, Marriages, and Deaths
 * Civil registration
 * Church records
 * Town genealogies

Definition
Civil registration records are records of births, marriages, and deaths kept by the government. German terms for these records include Standesamtsregister, Zivilstandsregister, or Personenstandsregister. They are an excellent source for information on names and dates and places of births, marriages, and deaths. These records are kept by the civil registrar [German: Standesbeamte] at the civil registry office (Standesamt). Because they cover about 98% of the population and often provide more information than church records, civil registration records are important sources for German genealogical research.

Time Period
Civil registration became mandatory in all German states in 1811.

Privacy Laws
Until recently, stringent rights-to-privacy requirements in Germany limited access to all civil registration records created in 1876 or later to the subject of the document and their parents, siblings, and direct-line descendants.

A law passed in February 2007, the Personenstandsrechtsreformgesetz, makes civil registration records more accessible for family history research. Since 1 January 2009 the records are accessible to any researcher after these time periods have passed:


 * births: 110 years
 * marriages: 80 years
 * deaths: 30 years

A direct relationship to the subject of the record sought will only be required in cases where the required time period has not yet elapsed. Even then, the records may be accessible if it can be shown that all "participating parties" have died at least 30 years ago. Participating parties are both parents and the child in birth records, and both spouses in a marriage.

Births (Geburtsregister)
Birth records usually give the child's name; sex; and birth date, time, and place. The father's name, age, occupation, and residence are also usually listed. The mother's maiden name, age, and marital status are usually given, although her age is sometimes omitted. The names, ages, and residences of witnesses are usually provided. The parents' religion is also listed in some states.

Marriages (Heiraten, Ehen, or Trauungen)
Marriages were usually recorded where the bride lived. After 1792 a civil marriage ceremony was required in areas of Germany under French control. In 1876 this law was applied to all of Germany. Most couples also had a church wedding, so records may exist for both the civil and church ceremonies. The civil marriage records may include more information than the comparable church records. When possible search both the civil registration and church records.

You may find the following records documenting civil marriages:


 * Marriage Registers [Heiratsregister]. Marriage registers give the date and time of the marriage. They list the bride's and groom's names, ages, birth dates, birthplaces, residences, occupations, and whether they were single or widowed. The registers also give the parents' names, residence, occupations, marital status, and whether they were living at the time of the marriage. Witnesses' names, ages, and relationships to the bride or groom are supplied. Often a note is made as to whether a parent or other party gave permission for the marriage. The couple's religion is often mentioned, especially after 1874.
 * Certificates [Heiratsscheine]. Some couples were given a marriage certificate or a book [Stammbuch] with the marriage entry and space for entering children's births. The certificate or book may be in the possession of the family or the civil registrar.

Intention to Marry
Various records may have been created to show a couple's intent to marry:


 * Proclamations [Aufgebote or Eheverkündigungen] were made a few weeks before a couple planned to marry.
 * Marriage Supplements [Heiratsbeilagen] were often filed by the bride or groom to support their marriage application. Information included may document their births, their parents' deaths, and the groom's release from military service. Sometimes the records contain information about earlier generations.
 * Contracts [Ehekontrakte] are documents created to protect legal rights and property of spouses. These may give the same information as the marriage supplements noted above. They also list property and are usually found in court records rather than in civil registration records.
 * Marriage Permission Papers [Verehelichungsakten] are documents created in the process of obtaining permission to get married. Some states required prospective spouses to get permission fom the local city council or mayor before they could be married.

Deaths (Sterberegister or Totenregister)
Death records are especially helpful because they may provide important information on a person's birth, spouse, and parents. Civil death records often exist for individuals for whom there were no birth or marriage records. Deaths were usually registered within a few days of death in the town or city where the person died. Early death records usually give the name of the deceased and the date, time, and place of death. The age, birthplace, residence, occupation, and marital status of the deceased may also be given, along with the name of the parents or spouse and their residences. The informant's name, age, occupation, residence, and relationship may also be listed. Post¬1874 death registers also include the person's religion. Information about parents, the birth date, the birthplace, and other information about the deceased may be inaccurate, depending on the informant's knowledge.

Accessing Records
Civil registration records were kept at the local civil registration office (Standesamt). To find the records, you need to first determine the town where your ancestor lived, then determine the location of the civil registration office for that town. The civil registration office may have been located in the same town or, for smaller towns and villages, the civil records may have been kept in a larger nearby town. Use gazetteers to help identify the place where your ancestor lived and the civil registration office that served it (see Germany Gazetteers). Large cities often have many civil registration districts. City directories can sometimes help identify which civil registration district a person lived in.

Online Databases

 * Standesamt records, 1876 to privacy limit, ($)
 * Bremen, German Deaths of Sailors and Ship Passengers, (Seemansamt Bremen, Sterberegister), ($). 1834-1875. Index and images. In German. Incomplete.
 * Bremen, Germany Births on Ships (Seemannsamt Bremen, Geburtsregister), 1867-1911. Also available at Ancestry.com, ($). Also available on MyHeritage.com. Index and images.
 * Deaths in Bremen (Leichenbucheinträge der Stadtgemeinde Bremen), 1811-1965. Index., ($)

Family History Library
Civil registration records from most of Bremen are available on microfilm.


 * a. Click on the Places within Germany, Bremen drop-down menu] and select your town.
 * b. Click on the "Civil registration" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * c. Choose the correct record type and time period for your ancestor. "Geburten" are births. Heiraten are marriages.  "Verstorbene" are deaths.
 * d. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the microfilm listed for the record. FHL icons.png. The magnifying glass indicates that the microfilm is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the microfilm. The microfilm icon indicates it is only available on microfilm and can be viewed at the Family History Library or some family history centers.

Standesamt Addresses

 * Standesamt Bremen-Mitte (Registry Office of central Bremen) Hollerallee 79 D-28209 Bremen Email: mailto:standesamtmitte@stadtamt.bremen.de Web: http://www.stadtamt.bremen.de/sixcms/detail.php?gsid=bremen116.c.1624.de


 * Standesamt Bremen-Nord (Registry Office of north Bremen) Weserstrasse 75 D-28757 Bremen Email: mailto:StandesamtBremen-Nord@Stadtamt.Bremen.de Web: http://www.stadtamt.bremen.de/sixcms/detail.php?gsid=bremen116.c.1625.de


 * Staatsarchiv Bremen (State Archive of Bremen) Am Staatsarchiv 1 D-28203 Bremen Email: mailto:office@staatsarchiv.bremen.de Web: http://www.staatsarchiv.bremen.de/


 * Standesamt Bremerhaven (Registry Office of Bremerhaven) Stadthaus 5 Postfach 210360 D-27524 Bremerhaven Email: mailto:standesamt@magistrat.bremerhaven.de standesamt@magistrat.bremerhaven.de Web: http://www.bremerhaven.de/buergerservice/aemter-einrichtungen/stadtverwaltung/standesamt/

How to write a letter: Detailed instruction for what to include in the letter, plus German translations of the questions and sentences most frequently used are in the Germany Letter Writing Guide.'''

State Archives
Duplicate registers from some towns are kept in state archives. The advice from these state archives is to use the Standesamt-Nord and Standesamt-Mitte records from the local offices first. State Archives Bremen Postal address: Staatsarchiv Bremen Am Staatsarchiv 1 28203 Bremen Germany Phone: 0421 / 361-6221 Fax: 0421 / 361-10247 E-mail: office@staatsarchiv.bremen.de Website:http://www.staatsarchiv.bremen.de/detail.php?gsid=bremen99.c.1580.de
 * The support is provided by the user advice in cooperation with the society for family research Bremen eV "Die Maus".

Reading the Records

 * It's easier than you think! You do not have to be fluent in French and German to use these records, as there is only a limited vocabulary used in them. By learning a few key phrases, you will be able to read them adequately.  Here are some resources for learning to read German records.
 * German Genealogical Word List
 * German Handwriting


 * These video webinars will teach you to read German handwriting:
 * Old German Script Part 1
 * Old German Script Part 2
 * Old German Script (German Church and Civil Records) Part 3


 * Also online interactive slideshow lessons are available to help you learn to read these records:
 * Reading German Handwritten Records Lesson 1: Kurrent Letters
 * Reading German Handwritten Records Lesson 2: Making Words in Kurrent
 * Reading German Handwritten Records Lesson 3: Reading Kurrent Documents. In this lesson, you will explore several types of German genealogical records, including birth, baptismal, marriage, and death records.
 * German Script Tutorial

This converter will show you how any phrase or name might look in German script:
 * Kurrentschrift Converter (enter German genealogical word, click on "convert", view your word in Kurrentschrift (Gothic handwriting)

Latin Records
Records of the Catholic church will usually be written in Latin:
 * Latin Genealogical Word List

Search Strategy

 * Search for the relative or ancestor you selected. When you find his birth record, search for the births of his brothers and sisters.
 * Next, search for the marriage of his parents. The marriage record will have information that will often help you find the birth records of the parents.
 * You can estimate the ages of the parents and determine a birth year to search for their birth records.
 * Search the death registers for all known family members.
 * Repeat this process for both the father and the mother, starting with their birth records, then their siblings' births, then their parents' marriages, and so on.
 * If earlier generations (parents, grandparents, etc.) do not appear in the records, search neighboring parishes.


 * German Research Troubleshooting Strategies