Lübeck, German Empire Civil Registration

Civil registration records are records of births, marriages, and deaths kept by the government. In Lübeck, they were started in October 1874. In addition, Lübeck kept civil registration between 1811 and 1815, during the Napoleonic occupation. If your family had a birth, marriage or death recorded during that brief time period, it will contain great information, due to the high level of detail in French records.'''

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 (Standesbeamte) at the civil registry office (Standesamt). Study these links to learn what information can be found in them:
 * Births (Geburtsregister)
 * Marriages (Heiraten, Ehen, or Trauungen)
 * Deaths (Sterberegister or Totenregister)

For a comprehensive understanding of civil registration, study the article Germany Civil Registration.

Privacy Laws
Since 2009, birth records have been public after 110 years, marriages after 80 years and deaths after 30 years. A direct relationship (direct descendants and direct ancestors) to the subject of the record sought will 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.

Use census records as clues to finding family members in church and civil registration records.
You can find probable families in census records, then use church and civil registration records to determine if the family is a match, find additional information on the family, and document your family accurately. Church and civil registration records are primary sources and everything you find in a census record should be proven in primary sources.

Records at Ancestry.com

 * Lübeck, Germany, Census, 1857 (in German), ($). Index and images.
 * Lübeck, Germany, Census, 1851 (in German), ($). Index and images.
 * Lübeck, Germany, Census, 1845 (in German), ($). Index and images.
 * Lübeck, Germany, Census, 1831 (in German), ($). Index and images.
 * Germany, Census, 1815 (in German), ($). Index and images.
 * Germany, Census, 1812 (in German), ($). Index and images.
 * Lübeck, Germany, Census, 1807 (in German), ($). Index and images.

1. Online Records

 * Lübeck Zivilstandsregister, 1726-1855, Lübeck Standesamt - at FamilySearch.
 * Lübeck Zivilstandesregister, 1811-1875, Lübeck Standesamt - at FamilySearch, partial index.
 * Lübeck Birth Records - Ancestry.com, ($). 1811-1875. Index and images.
 * Lübeck, Germany, Marriage Banns - Ancestry.com, ($). 1811-1871. Index and images.
 * Lübeck Deaths - Ancestry.com, ($). 1811-1875. Index and images.
 * Lübeck, Germany, Marriage Banns - Ancestry.com, ($). 1871-1875. Index and images.
 * Lübeck, Germany, Personal Index Cards - Ancestry.com, 1300-1850. Index.

2. Digital Copies of Civil Registration From FamilySearch
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 the Family History Centers near you, and/or by members of supporting organizations. To find records:
 * a. Click on the of Germany, Lübeck'''.
 * b. Click on Places within Germany, Lübeck and a list of towns will appear.
 * c. Click on your town. If the town or village is not listed, find the town in '''Meyer's Gazetteer. See where the Standesamt (StdA.) was. It may have been in different place, because of the size of the town. Use the town found in Meyer's Gazetteer, not the current, merged office.
 * d. Click on the "Civil registration" topic, if available. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * e. Choose the correct record type and time period for your ancestor. "Geburten" are births. Heiraten are marriages.  "Verstorbene" 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. Documents by Mail
Documents can be ordered by telephone at the Civil Registration Office in Lübeck.
 * Information for the following years is accessible:
 * Births 110 years back
 * Marriages 80 years back
 * Deaths 30 years back.
 * If a request is not showing a direct relationship, permission needs to be obtained to show a legal right to this information.

Standesamt Lübeck Ratzeburger Allee 16 23564 Lübeck Germany
 * Website

How to Write the 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 the 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.
 * Over 620 online town genealogies are currently accessible at Online Ortsfamilienbücher.
 * A list of published Ortssippenbücher is found at:Category: Family Book on the same website.


 * For more information and online searchable collections of town genealogy books, by region, see Germany Town Genealogies and Parish Register Inventories on the Internet.
 * 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.

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


 * 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 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.

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.
 * The marriage certificate will show the birth date, birth place, and parents of the bride and the groom.
 * 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.