Germany, Prussia, Pomerania Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Record
Deutschland, Pommern Kirche Aufzeichnungen

Record Description
These records are in German. This collection includes birth, marriage, and death records from 1544-1945. These records come from Evangelical Lutheran and Roman Catholic church records, as well as transcripts for a portion of Pomerania now located in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.

For a list of localities currently published in this collection, select the Browse link from the collection landing page.

Record Content
Birth records may contain the following information:


 * Date of birth
 * Name of child
 * Parents’ names (including mother’s maiden name)
 * Gender
 * Witnesses or godparents

Marriage records may contain the following information:


 * Date of marriage
 * Name of bride and groom
 * Names of bride and groom’s parents
 * Age of bride and groom
 * Birth year of bride and groom

Death records may contain the following information:


 * Date of death
 * Name of deceased
 * Parents’ names
 * Spouse’s name (if married)
 * Occupation of deceased

How to Use the Record
This section provides information on how to search the collection, information on reading the records, some tips on how to find records, and what to do if no record is found. When searching: As you are searching, it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor’s given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence, age, estimated birth, marriage, or death year, and family relationships.

Search the Collection
To search by index: Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to find your ancestor. To browse by image: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links; ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select "State or Province" category ⇒Select "District" category ⇒Select "Parish: Town" category ⇒Select "Record type, Year range, and volume" category which takes you to the images. Search the collection by image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

For Help Reading These Records
These records are in German. For help reading the records, see the following resources:
 * German Word List
 * German Language and Languages
 * German Script Tutorial

Using the Information

 * Use the estimated age to calculate a birth year.
 * Note if the record mentions a different place of residence, more records for the family may be located there.
 * Pay attention to the witnesses or godparents, these were often family members which will aid in research.
 * Search for the birth records of all the children in a family, not just the ancestor in question. Doing so will create a more accurate and complete understanding of the family and lead to more information.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.
 * Be aware that, as with any index, transcription errors may occur.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor

 * Check for variant spellings of the name.
 * If searching for a marriage record, try searching for both the bride and groom’s names individually—perhaps one is indexed incorrectly.
 * If searching for a birth record, try searching only by the parents’ names rather than the child’s names. This may help by working around errors in the index.

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Related Websites

 * German Genealogy: Pommern/Pomerania
 * Pomeranian Genealogical Association

Related Wiki Articles

 * Pommern Genealogy
 * Prussia-Pommern Church History
 * Prussia-Pommern Population
 * Germany Genealogy

Citations for This Collection
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information; that is, cite your sources. This will help people find the record again and evaluate the reliability of the source. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records. Citations are available for the collection as a whole and each record or image individually. Collection Citation:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):

Image Citation