How to Find Birth, Marriage, and Death Records for Hanover (Hannover), German Empire



'''Most of the information you need to identify you ancestors and their families will be found in two major record groups: civil registration and church records. To locate these records, follow the instructions in these Wiki articles.'''

1. Find the name of your ancestor's town in family history records.
Records were kept on the local level. You must know the town where your ancestor lived. If your ancestor was a United States Immigrant, use the information in the Wiki article Germany Finding Town of Origin to find evidence of the name of the town where your ancestors lived in Germany. Also, see:


 * Niedersachsen Archives Search Page, enter "Auswanderung" and surname.
 * Emigrants from Beesten
 * Emigrants from Brinkum 1828-1876
 * Landkreis Cuxhaven Emigrants 1830-1930
 * List of 3600 Emigrants from the village of Buer and surrounding villages (community Melle, district Osnabrueck, state Niedersachsen/Lower-Saxony)
 * Emigrants from Emsland, Niedersachsen to the American Mid-West (19th Century) mostly to Illinios &amp; Missouri
 * Names of emigrants as detected in the records of the city archive of Rahden (see list at the bottom of the page).
 * Regional Emigration Databases includes Emigration from the Former County of Delmenhorst 1830-1930, County of Cuxhaven 1830-1930, Counties of Cloppenburg and Vechta 1830-about 1875, and Bad Laer 19th Century
 * Emigrants from Diepholz and other places
 * Emigrants from Niedersachsento America between 1830-1848
 * Bremen passenger list 1920 and onward
 * Melle Names can be retrieved by clicking on the word Auswanderung. Names (and their variations) of immigrants from Melle, Buer, Gesmold, Neuenkirchen, Oldendorf, Riemsloh/Hoyel, and Wellingholzhausen are listed.

2. Use gazetteers and/or parish inventories to learn more important details.
Your ancestor's town might have been too small to have its own parish church or civil registration office. Find the location of the Catholic or Lutheran (Evangelical) parish that served your ancestor's locality. Find the name of the civil registration office (standesamt) that serves your ancestor's locality. Use the Wiki article Studying Your German Locality for step-by-step instructions.

Germany was first unified as a nation in 1871. An important gazetteer, Meyers Orts- und Verkehrs-lexikon des deutschen Reichs, "Meyer's Gazetter" for short, details the place names of villages, towns, counties (kreise), and higher jurisdictions used at that time. In the Research Wiki, FamilySearch Catalog, and FamilySearch Historical Records, the records of Germany are organized using those place names.

At the end of both World Wars, the boundaries of the states were changed dramatically, as areas of Germany were distributed among the Allied nations. Eventually, after re-unification in 1990, the states of Germany settled into what they are today. It is also necessary to understand Germany by this system, as it affects the locations of civil registration offices, archives, and mailing addresses used in correspondence searches.

Determining the Location of a Civil Registration Office
Research your town name in MeyersGaz.org to find the location of the registry office (Standesamt). It is indicated by the abbreviation "StdA".

However, some of the offices were merged in 1970's, so the record location might be different than that listed in MeyersGaz.
 * For a small town within a larger municipality:
 * To find the current Standesamt, go to the German Wikipedia, and enter the name of the town in the search box. An article about the town will start with a first line such as: "Besse with about 3200 inhabitants is the largest district of the municipality Edermünde in Hessian Schwalm-Eder-Kreis ." It is probable that the Standesamt is now located in the municipality (in this example Edermünde).
 * To e-mail the municipality to verify that the civil registry for your town is there.
 * From the Wikipedia town article, click on the name of the municipality that links to that article.
 * There will usually be an infobox on the right side of page that lists the address and the website of the municipality.
 * Click on the website. Look for "Kontakt (Contact)" information, which should provide an e-mail address.
 * Send a message asking whether you have the correct office for your ancestors' home town. You can also use e-mail to request records and arrange payment.


 * For larger towns which constitute a municipality:
 * To find the current Standesamt, go to the German Wikipedia, and enter the name of the town in the search box.
 * This type of article will not state that the town belongs to another municipality, because it is itself a municipality.
 * The infobox that lists the address and the website of the municipality will appear directly on a this first page that comes up.
 * Follow the above instructions #2-4 above.

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.

1. 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 records of Hannover, Germany.
 * b. Click on Places within Germany, Preussen, Hannover 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.
 * b. Click on the "Civil registration" topic, if available. 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.===

2. Writing for Civil Registration Certificates
Civil registration records for Germany can be obtained by writing to the local civil registry (Standesamt) or the district archives. Records may have been lost at one location of the other, so you might end up checking both. The first office you contact might choose to forward your request to the other location if necessary.

Local Standesamt Address

 * Standesamt Addresses in Niedersachsen. Be sure to search this list in the original German, no the English translation.  Use the Command + F (Find) tool on your computer.

Using this address as guide, replace the information in parentheses:


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


 * Click herefor postal code help for Germany.

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.

4. For baptism, marriage, and death records, use church records or parish registers.
Church records (parish registers, church books) are an important source for genealogical research in Germany before civil registration began. 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)

These lists will give exact information on Lutheran and Reformed Lutheran parishes and their existing records:
 * Parish Registers of the Evangelisch-Lutherische Landeskirche Hannover
 * Parish Registers of the Evangelisch-Reformierte Kirche in Nordwestdeutschland (East Freisland)
 * This Hannover Gazetteer gives the Lutheran parish (Pfarre) for places in Hannover.

Finding Church Records
These lists will give exact information on Lutheran and Reformed Lutheran parishes and their existing records:
 * Parish Registers of the Evangelisch-Lutherische Landeskirche Hannover
 * Parish Registers of the Evangelisch-Reformierte Kirche in Nordwestdeutschland (East Freisland)
 * This Hannover Gazetteer gives the Lutheran parish (Pfarre) for places in Hannover.

1. Online Church Records

 * Archion:Landeskirchliches Archives Hannover. Digital availability is fairly incomplete, but being added to. Check back occastionally.
 * Matricula, Catholic Records of the Diocese of Hildesheim. All parish records for this diocese are online.
 * Matricula, Catholic Records of the Archive of Vechta
 * Records for the Catholic Diocese of Osnabrück not yet available in digital form.
 * Lower Saxony, Germany, selected Protestant church records 1643-1887, index ($) - at Ancestry.com. This collection contains name indexes of church records from numerous Protestant communities, which today are located in the state of Lower Saxony. The area extends between Bremen and Hanover and the southern and southeastern parts of the country to the Harz.
 * Lower Saxony, Germany, selected Protestant church records 1684-1892, index ($) - at Ancestry.com. This collection contains name indexes of church records from numerous Protestant communities, which today are located in the state of Lower Saxony. The area includes above all the district of Emsland, inter alia, with Papenburg, Meppen and Lingen, the county Bentheim and others with Nordhorn and Schüttorf and the district of Osnabrück, inter alia, with Bramsche, Quakenbrück and Melle.
 * Lower Saxony, Elbe-Weser Triangle, Germany, Protestant parish registers, 1574-1945, index ($) - at Ancestry.com. This collection contains church books from more than 100 communities from the northeastern Lower Saxony as well as from some today to Bremen-Bremerhaven belonging places. This region is also known as the Elbe-Weser triangle. The area of ​​the Elbe-Weser triangle extends in a north-south direction from Cuxhaven via Bremerhaven and Bremen to Verden and in the east from the River Weser to Hamburg to the Elbe estuary. Included are, among others, the towns and communities Achim, Bederkesa, Lehe, Lesum, Ritterhude, Scheeßel, Visselhövede and Worpswede.

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: To find records:
 * a. Click on records of Hannover, Germany
 * b. Click on Places within Germany, Preussen, Hannover 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.
 * 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. "Geburten" are births. "Taufen" are christenings/baptisms. "Heiraten" are marriages.  "Tote" 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.

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. 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.

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.

Landesarchiv Niedersachsen Hannover
Am Archiv 1 30169 Hannover Germany Telephone: 0511 120-6601 Fax: 0511 120-6699 E-mail: hannover@nla.niedersachsen.de
 * Website

Bistumarchiv Hildesheim
Pfaffenstieg 2 31134 Hildesheim Germany Postal Address: Postfach 100263 31134 Hildesheim Germany Phone:	05121 - 3079 30 05121 - 3079 32 Fax:	05121 - 3079 50 E-mail:	Bistumsarchiv@bistum-hildesheim.de Website Matricula, Catholic Records of the Diocese of Hildesheim Online

Archives of the Diocese of Osnabrück
Great Domsfreiheit 10 49074 Osnabrück Germany Telephone:0541 318-415 E-mail: g.wilhelm@bistum-os.de The church records of all the parishes, which are still part of the Diocese of Osnabrück, are digital and represent a rich source of information for family researchers. The data are approved for births up to 120 years ago and for weddings and funerals up to 100 years ago.
 * Website

Official Archives of Vechta, Diocese of Münster
Archives of Vechta, Diocese of Münster Karmeliterweg 4 49377 Vechta Germany Tel. 04441 872-230 Fax 04441 872-451 E-mail:archiv@bmo-vechta.de
 * Website
 * Matricula, Catholic Records of the Archive of Vechta

Kirchenbuchamt Hannover
Landeskirchliche Archiv Hannover Hildesheimer Strasse 165/167 30173 Hannover Germany Phone: 0511-9878-555 Fax: 0511-9878-660 E-Mail: Kirchenbuch.Staki.Hannover@evlka.de
 * Website
 * List of holdings drop-down list of all Hannover parishes filmed by the Landeskirchliche Archiv (Evangelical Church Archive) of Hannover.
 * The Kirchenbuchamt has microfiches as a central microfiche reading site of the filmed church books from the area of ​​the Hannoverschen Landeskirche. Filmed are all church books and isolated civil register from the time before 1852, in many municipalities also until 1875. The microfiches are available to all interested persons for inspection by pre-registration. Written requests are also processed, with longer processing times to be expected.

In addition, the Kirchenbuchamt preserves the older churches and maintains the current church records of the church communities in the Stadtkirchenverband Hannover. These are fully accessible through registers, some of which are subject to special conditions.

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.

Protestant

 * Evangelische-Lutherische Landeskirche Hannover parish finder

Catholic

 * Hildesheim Diocese parish addresses
 * Map of the Deanery of Vechta
 * Osnabrück clickable parish map
 * Map of the parishes of Osnabrück Diocese

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.'''

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. This course teaches you how to use a set of reference books found at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. If you are not in Salt Lake City, use the Contact Us feature to request information from the books.

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.

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
 * 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
 * Reading German Handwritten Records  (Three parts) Practice exercises to build your skills and confidence.
 * 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

 * Print these handouts for ready reference when reading German Handwriting:
 * Kurrent Letters Handout
 * Numbers Handout
 * Birth Records Handout
 * Marriage Records Handout
 * Death Records Handout
 * Days and Months Handout
 * Common Symbols Handout
 * Common Abbreviations Handout
 * 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.” An online feast date calculator may be found at the Albion College website. Simply enter the year and click "Calculate."

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. If you only have a church marriage record, you can 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.