Posen, German Empire Church Records

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)

In this region, part of Germany which was lost to other countries after World War II, many records, both church/parish registers and civil registration records, were damaged, destroyed, or misplaced.

Parish Register Inventories
Church record inventories are essential tools for finding German records. They identify what records should be available for a specified parish and where to write for information on these records. They list the church records, their location, and the years they cover. Sometimes inventories explain which parishes served which towns at different periods of time.


 * Die Kirchenbücher im Regierungsbezirk Bromberg,FamilySearch Digital Library. This is a e-book, inventory of the parish registers in the district of Bromberg, Posen, Germany; now Bydgoszcz, Poland.


 * Geschichte der evangelischen Parochieen in der Provinz Posen WorldCat. Not strictly an inventory, but gives a history of protestant parishes in Posen, which includes the beginning of the parish, what parishes it was created from, what localities belonged to the parish, chronological biographies of pastors, etc. See chronological list of parishes formed at the beginning.


 * Handbuch über die katholischen Kirchenbücher in der Ostdeutschen Kirchenprovinz östlich der Oder und Neiße und dem Bistum Danzig FamilySearch Digital Library. Inventory of Catholic parish registers for the former German areas east of the Oder-Neiße, including Ostpreußen, Pommern, Brandenburg, Westpreußen, and Schlesien; now located in Poland, Lithuania, and Russia.

Online Class on Locating Posen Parish Registers

 * German Research: Strategies and Sources for Eastern Provinces. Be sure to download the class syllabus.
 * 1) Watch the General Resources portion, beginning at 13:47 minutes, to learn how to check for parish registers using:
 * 2) The PRADZIAD Database
 * 3) Szukaj w Archiwach; [[Media:1-Polish_State_Archives-Instruction.pdf|Tutorial]] - Polish State Archives
 * 4) Archion, Cooperative of protestant archives ($)
 * 5) Archives Portal Europe
 * 6) Watch the Posen portion, which begins at 36:19 minutes.

1. Church Records on the Internet

 * Archion: Evangelical Central Archives in Berlin ($)
 * Online records for Posen are found in Archion in the Evangelical Central Archives in Berlin. Among its collections there are about 6,000 church records of Protestant church communities in the former Eastern Church provinces of Prussia. They come from the provinces of East and West Prussia, Pomerania, Posen, Silesia, Brandenburg (east of the Oder and Neisse). Some of the provinces are represented by numerous, others because of the loss of war, with only a few church books.

FamilySearch, Ancestry.com ($), and MyHeritage.com ($)
'''Ancestry.com and MyHeritage.com can be searched free of charge at your local Family History Center.
 * Germany, selected Protestant church books 1518-1921 - at Ancestry.com, index and images ($). There are two categories found under "Browse this collection" (in the right sidebar). Under the (mistakenly labelled) "Schuldistrikt" drop-down menu, search through Posen and Not stated.
 * Under Posen this collection covers: Brätz, Bauchwitz (Bukowiec), Deutschdorf, Dürrlettel, Kurzig, Meseritz (Miedzyrzecz), Pieske, Prittisch, and Tirschtiegel.
 * Under "Not stated" this collection covers: Bromberg (Bydgoszcz), Brostowo (Brzostowo), Crone (Koronova), Tirschtiegel (Trzciel), Wirsitz (Wyrzysk), Politzig (Policko), Putzighauland (Gajewo), Schneidemühl (Pila), Strelno (Moglino und Strzelno),


 * Brandenburg, Germany, Transcripts of Church Records, 1700-1874 - at Ancestry.com, index and images ($). See this list of parishes, which includes parishes from Posen
 * , index and images. FamilySearch Historical Records. Also at MyHeritage.com ($) and Ancestry.com. ($)
 * These record collections cover the following parishes for Posen: Alt Höfchen, Altenhof, Bauchwitz, Betsche, Blesen, Bomst, Brätz, Brausendorf, Dürrlettel, Eibendorf, Falkenwalde, Firmungen, Goray, Groß Krebbel, Hochwalde, Kalau, Karge, Klastawe, Kleistdorf, Koschmin, Kranz, Kurzig, Kuschten, Kutschkau, Meseritz, Neudorf, Neu Kramzig,Ober Görzig, Oscht, Paradies, Parafja, Pieske, Politzig, Poppe, Prittisch, Rogsen, Rokitten, Samst, Schweinert, Schwerin Warthe, Semmritz, Tirschtiegel, Trebisch, Unruhstadt, Waitze, and Weißensee.

Other Indexing and Collection Projects

 * Poznan Marriage Project(PMP)
 * Posen Marriage Project [[Media:1-Poznan_Marriage_Project,_Instruction.pdf|Instruction]], [[Media:2-Poznan_Marriage_Project,_Assignment.pdf|Activity]], [[Media:3-Poznan_Marriage_Project,_Answer_Key.pdf|Answer Key]]
 * BaSIA: Database of Archival Indexing System: After locating a marriage in the Poznan Marriage Project, use this database to see the original record.
 * Szukaj w Archiwach; [[Media:1-Polish_State_Archives-Instruction.pdf|Tutorial]] - Polish State Archives
 * List of holdings State Archive of Poznan
 * Geneteka Instructions
 * GENBAZA; [[Media:GENBAZA.pdf|Instructions]]

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.


 * a. Click on the Places within Germany, Preussen, Posen drop-down menu and select your town.
 * 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. "Taufen" are baptisms/christenings. 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. Records in 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.


 * [[Media:Localities.pdf|Pdf Archive Inventory]]: "Part 1 of 2: Church records in Archives" - is an inventory of localities and the location or archive where their records should be found. The sixth column, "Archives", gives a number. To find the name and contact information, look up that number in the second column of this .pdf:  [[Media:Archive_Add_.pdf|Part 2: Archive Addresses.]]  It is not clear how up-to-date this inventory is.

Some archives offer searches for a fee. 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. Archivists are required to speak English.

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.

EZA Berlin (Lutheran)
Evangelical Central Archives Berlin ( EZA ) Bethaniendamm 29 10997 Berlin Germany Family Research: 030 / 22504-536 E-mail:kirchenbuchstelle@ezab.de Space reservation: Fax. 030 / 22504-540 or Email to reservierung@ezab.de
 * List of holdings

BZ Regensburg (Catholic)
Bishops' Central Archives Regensburg St. Petersweg 11-13 93047 Regensburg Germany Telephone: 0941 / 597-2520 Fax. 0941 / 597-2521 E-Mail: archiv@bistum-regensburg.de
 * Website
 * List of holdings

DZfG Leipzig
German Central Office for Genealogy State Archives Leipzig Schongauerstraße 1 04328 Leipzig Germany Email: poststelle-l@sta.smi.sachsen.de Telephone: 0341 / 255-5500
 * Website
 * List of holdings

Poland
State Archive in Poznań ul. 23 February 41/43 60-967 Poznań Poland

tel. (61) 852-46-01 Fax (61) 851-73-10 E-mail: archiwum@poznan.ap.gov.pl
 * Website
 * List of holdings

Catholic

 * Parish list for Archdiocese of Poznan The visual list is difficult to use as it does not show towns.  You will get better results but naming the desired town in the search engine.

Protestant
In Poland approximately 134 protestant parishes exist. Some records formerly found in such parishes may now be archived in local Catholic parishes. For a list of the Protestant parishes in Poland, and their addresses, you can visit the Lutheran Church in Poland for a listing of Lutheran parishes which are in existence today.

Addressing the Letter
Using these addresses as guides, replacing the information in parentheses. If you do not know the street address of a church, you can omit it. For State Archive Urząd Stanu Cywilnego (street name and number) (postal code) (name of locality) POLAND

For a Roman Catholic Parish Parafia Rzymsko-Katolicka (street name and number) (postal code) (name of locality) POLAND

For a Protestant Parish Parafia Ewangelicka (street name and number) (postal code) (name of locality) POLAND

For an Orthodox Parish  Parafia Prawoslawna (street name and number) (postal code) (name of locality) POLAND

Letter Writing Guides
How to write a letter: Detailed instruction for what to include in the letter, plus Polish translations of the questions and sentences most frequently used are in the Poland Letter Writing Guide.''' In some cases, the records are held in archives in Germany. For letters in German, including addressing the letter, plus German translations of the questions and sentences most frequently needed, use the the German Letter Writing Guide.''' Because part of Posen is now in Russia, this article may help: Russian 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. Also, you can read Map Guide to German Parish Registers. This video and handout teach you how to use a set of reference books found at the FamilySearch 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 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.

Reading the Records

 * Archives Online: Archion - [[Media:1-Archion-Instruction.pdf|Instruction]]

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
 * 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
 * [[Media:Fraktur_Font_help_-_Wiki.pdf|Fraktur Font]]--Many forms and books are printed in this font.
 * Fraktur Script - [[Media:1-Fraktur-Instruction.pdf|Instruction]], [[Media:2-Fraktur-Assignment.pdf|Activity]], [[Media:3-Fraktur-Answer_Key.pdf|Answer Key]]

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.
 * 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.