Silesia (Schlesien), 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

 * Findbuch: Schlesische Kirchenbücher wo finden? List giving town name in German (and Polish), Lutheran and Catholic parish and Standesamt. In addition to the location of various records it provides some links to online records and Ortsfamilienbücher.
 * Die Kirchenbücher Schlesiens beider Confessionen
 * Handbuch über die katholischen Kirchenbücher in der Ostdeutschen Kirchenprovinz östlich der Oder und Neiße und dem Bistum Danzig 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.

Archion ($)
Online records for Silesia are found in Archion in the Evangelical Central Archives in Berlin.
 * Archion: Evangelical Central Archives in Berlin ($)

Findbuch Links to Records

 * Findbuch: Schlesische Kirchenbücher wo finden? provides some links to online records.

Ancestry.com ($)
Ancestry.com collections can be viewed free-of-charge at a FamilySearch Center near you.
 * 1518-1921 Germany, selected Protestant church books 1518-1921 - at Ancestry ($), index and images. There are two categories found under "Browse this collection" (in the right sidebar). Under the (mistakenly labelled) "Schuldistrikt" drop-down menu, find both Silesia (Schlesien) and Not stated. A drop-down menu of links to actual parish records will appear.
 * Under Schlesien or Silesia  this collection covers:
 * Individual towns: Eisenberg (Strehlen), Glogau (Gramschutz), Goldberg (Haynau), Goldberg (Samitz), Görlitz (Ludwigsdorf), Kammelwitz (Steinau), Wohlau, Laband, Massel, Münsterberg, Postelwitz, Probstein, Strohn, Vielguth, and Zodel.
 * Counties (Kreise), these cover several towns: Eisenberg Kreis, Glogau Kreis, Goldberg Kreis, and Görlitz Kreis.
 * Under Not stated  this collection covers: Meck (Brüz), Dabrowka-Birkenau (Dabr, Wegorzewo), Festenberg (Ra, Syc u Twardog), Gross Neudorf (Nowawies Wielka), Gross Patschin (Gliwice u Paczyna), Lampersdorf (Grodziszcze), Mühlatschultz (Milocice), Neu Klessengrund Mennonite (Kleiczenko, listed under Sztum)), Nieder Wiesa (Luban u Wieza), and Tost (Gliwice u Toszek).
 * Mistakenly not listed: '''Nilbau


 * Prussian provinces, selected Protestant church records 1661-1944 - at Ancestry ($), index.

Other Collection and Indexing Projects

 *  The Schlesienkartei, card index to Silesia records prepared by the Association of East German Genealogists (AGoFF), indexes a broad range of Silesian genealogical records. So this provides the closest you might get to a province-wide index.
 * Upper Silesia Genealogical Society digitized church records.
 * The PRADZIAD Database
 * Szukaj w Archiwach; [[Media:1-Polish_State_Archives-Instruction.pdf|Tutorial]] - The Polish Archives
 * The Lost Shoe Box
 * Geneteka Instructions
 * GENBAZA; [[Media:GENBAZA.pdf|Instructions]]
 * Protestant Church Books of Silesia (Schlesien) History only.

2. Records at the FamilySearch Library
To find the films:
 * a. Click on the Places within Germany, Preussen, Schlesien (Silesia) 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.

BZ Regensburg
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

Archbishop Archives Breslau
Library and Archive Archdiocesan Kapitulne ul. Kanonia 12 50-329 Wrocław Poland Telephone: 71 / 327-11-78 Fax: 71 / 327-11-79 E-mail: muzeum@pwt.wroc.pl www.muzeum.archidiecezja.wroc.pl

Diocese Archives Katowice
The Diocese of Katowice Archiwum Diecezjalne w Katowicach ul. Henryka Jordana 39 40-043 Katowice POLAND Tel. (+48) 32 201-75-51 (+48) 32 201-75-50 Ext. 551 E-mail: [mailto:archiwum@katowicka.pl archiwum@katowicka.pl] Contact form
 * Website
 * List of holdings

EZA Berlin (Lutheran)
This is the archive that covered all the former eastern provinces of Germany. 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

Das Archiv des Evangelischen Oberlausitz Schlaurother Str. 11 02827 Görlitz Germany Post Office: Ev. Kirchenkreisverband - Archiv Postfach 300334 02808 Görlitz Germany Telefon: 03581 744-211 Fax: 03581 744-299 E-Mail: archiv@kirchenkreis-sol.de
 * Website

Poland State Archives

 * Address Directory
 * Szukaj w Archiwach, Search Engine
 * [[Media:1-Polish_State_Archives-Instruction.pdf|Tutorial]]

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

Catholic

 * Parish list for Diocese of Katowice
 * Parish list for Diocese of Breslau (Wroclaw)
 * Parish list for Diocese of Görlitz

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.
 * Silesia Lutheran parish addresses, including parishes once in Saxony
 * Evangelical Church Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Oberlausitz

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.'''

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 FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

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.
 * Findbuch: Schlesische Kirchenbücher wo finden? provides some links to some Ortsfamilienbücher.
 * Click here to see OFBs at GenWiki. These are indexed and searchable. [[Media:1-Online_Ortsfamilienb%C3%BCcher-Instruction.pdf|OFB Instructions]].
 * 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
 * German Handwriting


 * 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


 * Also online interactive slideshow lessons are available to help you learn to read these records:
 * . In this lesson, you will explore several types of German genealogical records, including birth, baptismal, marriage, and death records.
 * German Script Tutorial
 * . In this lesson, you will explore several types of German genealogical records, including birth, baptismal, marriage, and death records.
 * 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
These printable handouts can be used for ready reference when reading German Handwriting. Letters:


 * [[Media:Kurrent Letters.pdf|Kurrent Letters handout]]
 * [[Media:Kurrent Font Help Wiki.pdf|Additional Kurrent Letters handout]]

Vocabulary found on Specific Records:


 * [[Media:Birth Record Vocabulary-Kurrent-german.pdf|Birth Records Vocabulary handout]]
 * [[Media:Marriage Record Vocabulary-Kurrent-german.pdf|Marriage Records Vocabulary handout]]
 * [[Media:German marriage handout templated jan 2017.pdf|Overview of Marriage Laws and Customs (handout)]]
 * [[Media:Death Record Vocabulary-Kurrent german.pdf|Death Records Vocabulary handout]]

Dates, Numbers, Abbreviations:


 * [[Media:Days and Months Vocabulary-Kurrent-German.pdf|Days and Months handout]]
 * [[Media:Numbers Vocabulary.pdf|Numbers Vocabulary handout]]
 * [[Media:Kurrent Script Dates, Numbers, etc.pdf|Script Dates and Numbers handout]]
 * [[Media:Common Abbreviations-Kurrent-german.pdf|Common Abbreviations handout]]
 * [[Media:Common Symbols - Kurrent-german.pdf|Common Symbols handout]]

Miscellaneous Vocabulary:


 * [[Media:German Occupations Vocabulary.pdf|German Occupations Vocabulary handout]]
 * [[Media:Illnesses Vocabulary-Kurrent-german.pdf|Illnesses Vocabulary handout]]

Fraktur:


 * [[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

Polish
Because Silesia is now in Poland, these articles will help:
 * Poland Letter Writing Guide
 * Polish Word List
 * Poland Language and Languages

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.