Germany, Prussia, Westphalia, Minden, Miscellaneous Collections from the Municipal Archives - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Records
Deutschland, Westfalen, Minden Bürgerrollen

Record Description
This collection of records from the city of Minden includes index and images of citizenship rolls and naturalization for the years 1574 to 1850, population registers for the years 1882-1902, and census records that enumerated citizens for the years 1880-1900.

This collection of records from the city of Minden includes index and images of citizenship rolls, population registers, and census records that enumerated citizens over three centuries, 1574-1902. The information is handwritten horizontally through both pages of columns filling in the information as in a ledger type format. These records are in German/Gothic.

To keep a record of their population, household heads were called to assemble at the local civil office, almost yearly, to provide their personal information, which was counted as a basic unit. This listing is called “volkszahlung”, local population census.

They also kept a similar register listing all the citizens that moved away to other localities. This register was called “abmeldungen”, relocation list of their citizens or cancellation list from the citizenship roll of that locality.

These procedures were not enforced, but head of households were admonished to do so. Therefore, these records may not cover the entire population.

The original records are preserved at the German State Archives in Schwerin. The Family History Library has copies on microfilm also.

The census was taken to assess military and taxation capacity, as well as for religious, occupational, and language background.

This census collection is a reliable source of information for genealogical purposes; however, it is dependent upon the knowledge of the informant and the way it was written by the civil officer.

Record Content
Local population census records usually contain the following information:


 * Address
 * Full name
 * Occupation
 * Birth date
 * Religion
 * Birth place
 * Nationality

How to Use the Record
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 and age, 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" link in the initial search page ⇒Select "Record type" 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 which one is your ancestor. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination.

Next to parish registers, census records provide good family information, which could be used to research in other vital records. You must know how to read German Gothic script. You also need to know at least the name of your ancestor and the approximate place of residence at the time of the census.

For Help Reading These Records
These records are in German-Gothic. For help reading the records, see the following wiki articles:


 * German Word List
 * Deciphering German Script (Kurrentschrift)

Related Websites
Nordrhein - Westfalen Germany GenWeb

Related Wiki Articles

 * Germany
 * Germany Census
 * German Census Records

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:

Image citation: