Jewish Population

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, governments of Central Europe began keeping track of their citizens using Population Registers. Offices were set up for people to register when they moved in or out of a community. In large cities cards were filled out for each person or household with notes listing the various addresses where they lived in the city at different times.

These registration cards and records often include valuable genealogical information. Besides identifying where a person lived at various times, they often list a person’s name, birth date, birthplace, marriage date and place, military service, parent’s names, occupations, permissions granted for work permits, trips a person made, and so forth. Population Registers have been filmed for some ofthe large European cities where Jews lived. They list all inhabitants of the city including Jewish residents. They are listed in the Family History Library Catalog under the name of the locality and the topic population. Following are examples from Leipzig, Germany and Vienna, Austria: Einwohnermelderegister 1811–1893 (Inhabitant Register 1811–1893). Leipzig: Stadtarchiv, 1985. (On 97 FHL films, 51 beginning with number 1,417,354.) Lists families and includes cross-references to earlier and later registration records. Melderegister, 1890–1949 (Notification Register, 1890–1949). Leipzig: Zentralstelle für Genealogie, 1991. (On 3706 FHL films, beginning with number 1,767,397.) Includes both a male and a female register of people living in Leipzig, Germany. The male register includes names, birth dates and places, and relationships for each household, along with marriage dates, death dates, places of residence, and other added notes. Listed alphabetically with two sets for each letter of the alphabet: the regular set and a supplement set (nachtrag). Meldezettel, 1850–1920 (Registration Notes, 1850–1920). Wien: Stadt und Landesarchiv, 1981–1995. (On 3060 FHL films, beginning with 1,277,212.) Lists heads of families, wives, children, birth dates, occupations, religions, and new and old addresses for each household in Vienna. Cards are listed phonetically, skipping the first vowel and grouping the consonants that sound alike together (for example letters D, T, Dh, and Th are all filed together). Meldezettel, 1910–1920 (Registration Notes,1910–1920). Wien: Stadt und Landesarchiv, 1981–1995. (On 108 FHL films, beginning with 2,015,756.) Lists heads of families, wives, children, birth dates, occupations, religions, and new and old addresses for each household in Vienna. Cards listed phonetically. Meldekartei 18.–20. Jahrhundert(Registration Cards 18th–20th Centuries). Wien: Stadt und Landesarchiv, 199–. (On 1148 FHL films, beginning with 1,916,011.)Household registration for residents of greater Vienna, which included 26 districts(Bezirke) in 1938. Cards listed phonetically. Population Registers kept for Copenhagen were called police censuses and were taken twice a year in May and November. The later police censuses referred to where the family or individuals were living in the previous census. These records are listed in the catalog under Copenhagen and Census.Mandtaller, 1866–1881 (Census, 1866–1881). København: Stadsarkivet, 1961. (On 908 FHL films, beginning with number 322,451.)Copenhagen bi-annual police censuses.Includes an alphabetical index by district showing names of all the people on a given street grouped by the first letter of the alphabet. Censuses do not include children under 10 years old. Mandtaller, 1882–1899 (Census, 1882–1899). København: Stadsarkivet, 1961. (On 1613 FHL films, beginning with number 324,021.) Copenhagen bi-annual police censuses. Mandtaller, 1900–1923 (Census, 1900–1923). København: Stadsarkivet, 1961. (On 3984 FHL films, beginning with number 330,507.) Copenhagen bi-annual police censuses.