How to Find Birth, Marriage, and Death Records for Bremen, German Empire

Finding 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.
 * Civil registration
 * Church records
 * Town genealogies

Town Compilation of Records (Ortssippenbuch or Ortsfamilienbuch )
See class Online Ortsfamilienbücher at Genealogy.net.
 * An Ortssippenbuch (town lineage book) or Ortsfamilienbuch (town family book) generally includes birth, marriage, and death data for all persons found in the local records during a specified time period, compiled into families. If one is available, it can act as an index or guide to finding the original records. However, they may contain errors, so it is best to verify their information in original records.
 * Sources may include the local parish registers, civil registration records, court and land records, and sometimes published material. In the printed book, this information is then arranged in a standardized format, usually alphabetically by surname and chronologically by marriage date.

Finding an OFB

 * A bibliography of OFBs held by the Central Office for Person and Family History, and available in their archive in Frankfurt am Main-Höchst, is listed here. You can arrange for copied pages to be sent to you for a fee or donation. Use the "Find" function on your keyboard to search the bibliographies, as they are not alphabetical.
 * Ortsfamilienbuch Bremen und Vegesack Familiennamenliste Searchable.
 * Ortsfamilienbuecher Online,Die Maus. Index, ($)
 * OFBs for Bremen

Civil Registration
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. Clicking on the microfilm reel will lead to information on how to rent the film. Family History Center staff will assist you in ordering the film.

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".

Church Records on the Internet

 * Baptisms St. Petri (Taufen im Bremer St. Petri Dom), ($)
 * Die Maus, Index to Births, Marriages, and Deaths in Bremen Church Books, index, ($)
 * Wedding Collections, A source for the determination of wedding dates in Bremen, 1656-1750, ($)

Records at the Family History Library
The Family History Library has many Bremen church records on microfilm.


 * a. Click on the Places within Germany, Bremen drop-down menu] and select your town.
 * b. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * c. Choose the correct record type and time period for your ancestor. "Taufen" are baptisms/christenings. Heiraten are marriages.  "Toten" 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. Clicking on the microfilm reel will lead to information on how to rent the film. Family History Center staff will assist you in ordering the film.

Local Parishes
Most church registers are still maintained by the parish. You might obtain information by writing to the parish. Parish employees will usually answer correspondence written in German. Your request may be forwarded if the records have been sent to a central repository.


 * Catholic church addresses in Bremen
 * Catholic parishes in Deanery of Bremen
 * Catholic parishes in Deanery of North Bremen
 * Catholic church addresses in Bremerhaven
 * Search for Lutheran parishes in Bremen and Bremerhaven

Writing the Letter
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 Germany Letter Writing Guide.'''

State Archives
Duplicate records from some parishes are in the state archives. Many of these records have been microfilmed and are available at the Family History Library. However, for records that are not microfilmed, you can sometimes write to the state archives to request searches of the duplicates. For more information, see Germany Archives and Libraries.

The church books (with a few missing) of Bremen and formerly surrounding areas are available at the genealogical society "Die Maus". One can obtain copies up to 1875. Please contact:

Die Maus Gesellschaft für Familienforschung in Bremen e.V. Am Staatsarchiv 1 28203 Bremen Germany Website: http://die-maus-bremen.de/die-maus/kontakt/

Help with genealogy questions: Christa Lütjen E-Mail: Luetjen@die-maus-bremen.de

Central Church Archives
In a few parts of Germany, church records or duplicates have been gathered from the local parishes into central archives. Some gaps in the church records of local parishes could be filled using these records. Church archives are often unable to handle genealogical requests, but they can determine whether they have specific records you need, or they may recommend a researcher who can search the records for you.


 * Catholic Diocese of Osnabrück
 * Dioezesanarchiv des Osnabrück
 * Grosse Domfreiheit 10
 * 49074 Osnabrück
 * Germany

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)

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.) d