Anhalt, German Empire Church Records

Church records (parish registers, church books) are an important source for genealogical research in Anhalt before 1850. They recorded details of baptisms, marriages, deaths and burials. The vast majority of the population was mentioned. To learn more about the types of information you will find in church records, click on these links: For a comprehensive understanding of church records, study the article Germany Church Records.
 * Baptisms (Taufen)
 * Marriages (Heiraten)
 * Burials (Begräbnisse)
 * Confirmations (Konfirmationen)
 * Family Registers (Familienbücher)

= Finding Church Records=

Parish Register Inventories
Church record inventories are essential tools for finding German records. They identify what records should be available for a specified parish and where to write for information on these records. They list the church records, their location, and the years they cover. Sometimes inventories explain which parishes served which towns at different periods of time.
 * Bestand und Alter der Kirchenbücher in der Provinz Sachsen, dem Hertogtum Anhalt und einigen und einigen thüringischen Staaten Inventory of parish registers of the province of Sachsen, the duchy of Anhalt, and the Thuringian states of Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach, Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha, Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, Reuß ältere Linie, Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, and Sachsen-Altenburg.
 * Die katholischen Kirchenbücher des Bistums Paderborn, e-book. Description of the parish registers in the Catholic diocese of Paderborn, Germany. Includes Westfalen, Anhalt, Sachsen-Gotha, Lippe-Detmold, Waldeck, Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, and Prussian Saxony.

1. Online Church Records

 * Matricula, Catholic Diocese of Magdeburg Church Records Online
 * Archion: Archives of the Evangelical Landeskirche Anhalt, images, ($).
 * 1608-1945, index - at FamilySearch.

Ancestry.com ($)
Ancestry.com can be searched free of charge at your local Family History Center.
 * 1518-1921 Germany, selected Protestant church books 1518-1921 - at Ancestry ($), index and images. Includes Wulfen.

2. Digital Copies of Church Records in the FamilySearch Catalog
Try to find records in the collection of the FamilySearch Library. Many microfilms have been digitized for online viewing. Gradually, everything will be digitized, so check back occasionally. Some have viewing restrictions, and can only be viewed at a Family History Center near you, and/or by members of supporting organizations. To find records:
 * a. Click on the records of Anhalt, Germany.
 * b. Click on Places within Germany, Anhalt and a list of towns will appear.
 * c. Click on your town if it appears, or the location which you believe was the parish which served your town or village.
 * d. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * e. Choose the correct record type and time period for your ancestor. "Geburten" are births. "Taufen" are christenings/baptisms. "Heiraten" are marriages.  "Tote" are deaths.
 * f. 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.

3. Research in Church and State Archives
Church records or duplicates may have been gathered from the local parishes into central archives, either by the churches or the state. Older records are frequently given to these archives for safekeeping. Some gaps in the church records of local parishes could be filled using these records.


 * [[Media:Localities.pdf|Pdf Archive Inventory]]: "Part 1 of 2: Church records in Archives" - is an inventory of localities and the location or archive where their records should be found. The sixth column, "Archives", gives a number. To find the name and contact information, look up that number in the second column of this .pdf:  [[Media:Archive_Add_.pdf|Part 2: Archive Addresses.]]  It is not clear how up-to-date this inventory is.

Some archives offer searches for a fee. Archives might be unable to handle genealogical requests, but they can determine whether they have specific records you need, sometimes perform very brief research, such as just one record, or they may recommend a researcher who can search the records for you. Archivists are required to speak English.

Lutheran Archives
'''LANDESKIRCHLICHES ARCHIVES OF THE EVANGELICAL LANDESKIRCHE ANHALT Radegaster Straße / Pauluskirche 06842 Dessau-Roßlau Germany Phone: 0340-8824862 Landesarchivar Günter Preckel Pauluskirche Friedrichstraße 22/24 06844 Dessau-Roßlau Germany Email: guenter.preckel@kircheanhalt.de
 * [Http://www.landeskirche-anhalts.de/arbeitsfelder/archiv Website]
 * List of holdings(Anhalt Only)

Catholic (Katholische) Archives
Archival Archives Magdeburg M.-J.-Metzger-Str. 1 39104 Magdeburg Germany Phone:+49 391 5961-150 Fax:+49 391 5961-179 E-mail:bistumsarchiv@bistum-magdeburg.de Parish registers remain in the local churches.
 * [Http://www.bistum-magdeburg.de/front_content.php?idcat=1551 Website]
 * Matricula, Catholic Diocese of Magdeburg Church Records Online

State Archives
Landesarchiv Saxony- (Sachsen-) Anhalt (LASA) Brückstraße 2 39114 Magdeburg Germany Phone:0391 / 59806-0 (Central Office) Fax: 0391 / 59806-600 E-Mail: Poststelle@la.sachsen-anhalt.de
 * Website
 * Full text research engine. Landesarchiv Sachsen-Anhalt. Enter the ancestor's name.
 * To find church record holdings Landesarchiv Sachsen-Anhalt.
 * Open file #9, Local authorities and church communities (Kommunen and Kirchengemeinden)
 * Open both #9.1 and #9.2 to see lists of localities with records in the archives.

Writing to Archives
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 German Letter Writing Guide.'''

E-mail

 * You can e-mail archives and ask whether they have records for a parish. Also, you should inquire whether they provide research services and what their fees are. You can communicate with the archives in English.

4. Writing to a Local Priest for Church Records

 * Baptism, marriage, and death records may be searched by contacting the local Catholic or Lutheran church or the Catholic diocese archives.

Evangelical-Lutheran Parish Addresses

 * '''Parish addresses for Anhalt

Catholic Parish Addresses

 * Parish addresses of the Diocese of Magdeburg

E-mail

 * Because many churches now have known e-mail addresses, you can quickly check whether the parish records are stored at the parish church or have been moved to archives. If possible, do this before sending a more detailed inquiry or any money. Links for church addresses are found on the wiki pages for the individual states and counties  of Germany.

Writing to a Local Parish
Write a brief request in German to the proper church using this address as a guide, replacing the information in parentheses:

For a Protestant Parish:


 * An das evangelische Pfarramt
 * (Insert street address, if known.)
 * (Postal Code) (Name of Locality)
 * GERMANY

For a Catholic Parish:


 * An das katholische Pfarramt
 * (Insert street address, if known.)
 * (Postal Code) (Name of Locality)
 * GERMANY


 * Click herefor postal code help for Germany.

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 German Letter Writing Guide.'''

Town Genealogies (Ortssippenbuch or Ortsfamilienbuch)
See the class,, and Wiki article, Germany Town Genealogies and Parish Register Inventories on the Internet. Published town genealogies, Ortssippenbuch (town lineage book) or Ortsfamilienbuch (town family book), generally include birth, marriage, and death data for all persons found in the local records during a specified time period, compiled into families based on the opinion of the author. 'If one is available, it should only be used as an index or guide'' to finding the original records. They usually contain errors. Always verify their information in original records.

Other Religious Groups
To learn how to determine the location of other religious records, namely Jewish, French Reformed, German Reformed, etc., watch Hansen’s Map Guides: Finding Records with Parish Maps beginning at 48:00 minutes, to learn how to locate these congregations. Then go back and watch from the beginning to understand how to use the reference book. Also, you can read Map Guide to German Parish Registers. This video and handout teach you how to use a set of reference books found at the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Reading the Records

 * Archives Online: Archion - [[Media:1-Archion-Instruction.pdf|Instruction]]

German 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
 * French Genealogical Word List
 * Latin Genealogical Word List


 * 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
 * German Paleography Seminar
 * German Script Tutorial


 * List of Names in Old German Script A comprehensive list of German given names,  written in old script, with possible variations.
 * Old German Script Transcriber (alte deutsche Handschriften): See your family names in the script of the era. Type your name or other word into the font generator tool. Click on the 8 different fonts. Save the image to your computer and use it as you work with old Germanic records.

Downloadable Handouts
These printable handouts can be used for ready reference when reading German Handwriting. Letters:


 * [[Media:Kurrent Letters.pdf|Kurrent Letters handout]]
 * [[Media:Kurrent Font Help Wiki.pdf|Additional Kurrent Letters handout]]

Vocabulary found on Specific Records:


 * [[Media:Birth Record Vocabulary-Kurrent-german.pdf|Birth Records Vocabulary handout]]
 * [[Media:Marriage Record Vocabulary-Kurrent-german.pdf|Marriage Records Vocabulary handout]]
 * [[Media:German marriage handout templated jan 2017.pdf|Overview of Marriage Laws and Customs (handout)]]
 * [[Media:Death Record Vocabulary-Kurrent german.pdf|Death Records Vocabulary handout]]

Dates, Numbers, Abbreviations:


 * [[Media:Days and Months Vocabulary-Kurrent-German.pdf|Days and Months handout]]
 * [[Media:Numbers Vocabulary.pdf|Numbers Vocabulary handout]]
 * [[Media:Kurrent Script Dates, Numbers, etc.pdf|Script Dates and Numbers handout]]
 * [[Media:Common Abbreviations-Kurrent-german.pdf|Common Abbreviations handout]]
 * [[Media:Common Symbols - Kurrent-german.pdf|Common Symbols handout]]

Miscellaneous Vocabulary:


 * [[Media:German Occupations Vocabulary.pdf|German Occupations Vocabulary handout]]
 * [[Media:Illnesses Vocabulary-Kurrent-german.pdf|Illnesses Vocabulary handout]]

Fraktur:


 * [[Media:Fraktur Font help - Wiki.pdf|Fraktur Font]]--Many forms and books are printed in this font.

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

Feast Dates

 * Calendar Changes in France, Germany, Switzerland, and the Low Countries--class
 * Each day of the year had several patron saints and was a feast day to honor those saints. Some vital events are recorded in church records only by the holy day (feast day) on the church calendar. For example, the feast day called “All Saints Day” (Allerheiligentag) is “1 November.” The Wiki article, Moveable and Fixed Feast Day Calendars for Germany, provides charts for converting feast days given in church records to regular Julian and Gregorian calendar dates.

Search Strategy

 * Search for the relative or ancestor you selected. When you find their birth record, search for the births of their brothers and sisters.
 * Next, search for the marriage of their parents. The marriage record will have information that will often help you find the birth records of the parents.
 * Search the death registers for all known family members.
 * Calculate the birth date of the parents, using age at death and/or marriage to search for their birth records.
 * 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.