Schleswig-Holstein, German Empire Church Records

The Nordelbische Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche - Nordelbisches Kirchenarchiv writes:

"Practical Information for Genealogists:

We are sorry to inform you that there are no church records or family genealogical registers at the Nordelbisches Kirchenarchiv. So we are not able to help you with genealogical data about families in general.

There is no central index of families or names for the territory of our church. All data of persons can only be traced directly from the church records of the local parishes. It is therefore indispensible for efficient genealogical research to know the exact German name of the place of origin of the person concerned.

Written requests should be addressed to the respecting local parish, in most cases the church record offices".

A map for Kirchenkreise in Schleswig-Holstein see here

for addresses to write to Kirchenkreis Nordfriesland Kirchenkreis Schleswig-Flensburg Kirchenkreis Dithmarschen Kirchenkreis Rendsburg-Eckernförde Kirchenkreis Altholstein Kirchenkreis Rantzau-Münsterdorf Kirchenkreis Plön-Segeberg Kirchenkreis Ostholstein Kirchenkreis Hamburg-Ost Kirchenkreis Hamburg-West/Südholstein Kirchenkreis Lübeck-Lauenburg Nordschleswigsche Gemeinde

go to Google, enter your choice of Kirchenkreis, look for Kirchen und Gemeinden and obtain the postal, fax or email address. For changes in jurisdictions click

It is best to write for a request in German. If you need help composing a letter, refer to Germany Letter Writing Guide and follow the instructions.

Here is how it works:

A researcher is looking for church records of Bissee, Holstein. A look on a map places the town right between Kiel and Neumünster. The question is, which Kirchenbuchamt is the repository for Bissee, Kiel or Neumünster? Kirchenkreis Neumünster'sjurisdiction map does not show Bissee, therefore, the Kirchenkreis Kiel'sjurisdictions were checked. The town did not show up in the listings either. Further research revealed that Bissee was part of the parish of Brügge according to the gazetteer Kingdom of Prussia, Schleswig-Holstein Province. Going back to Kirchenkreis Neumünster's listings, Brügge is listed.

The request for the ancestor's record would be addressed to the Kirchenkreis Neumünster.

If there is a question to which Kirchenkreis jurisdiction a village might belong, please contact [mailto:Archive.nka@nordelbien.de Archive.nka@nordelbien.de] for clarification. If you desire to go to Schleswig-Holstein and conduct research using church records, you should be aware of the following information issued by the Evangelische Landeskirche:

'''Before 1876 the entries in church registers had the status of legal documents. This changed when civil registration came into existence throughout Germany. Today church administrations are urged to allow research into church registers as well as provide information. Since 1876 church books do no longer have equal legal standing with civil registration registers since the Church only documents ecclesiastical concerns.'''

'''Church books become "historical" if they are no longer used for administrative purposes and attain this status at the latest thirty years after the last entry was done. Then records are archived and are subject to archival laws.'''

'''These regulations only apply to historical church books. Current church books are subject to information entitlement, i.e., persons or their legal guardians have access to the information pertaining to them, others if they have a credible legal interest'''.

If you want to visit one of the Kirchenbuchämter, be beware of time restrictions (1 session = 3 hours). The research facilities are small and have only one reader on which to read microfiches. The equipment might be worn out which limits research time even more. It is expected to work independently for the staff cannot/will not assist with research. You must be knowledgable about their archival records, jurisdictions and of course, have the ability to read old German script. Some archives provide indexes of names, which of course, facilitates a search for ancestors immensely. You will be charged a fee of 5 Euros (2010) for using the facility.

Attention:

The Nordelbische Landeskirche has placed restrictions on German researchers visiting Statens Arkiver, Viborg, Denmark. They are not allowed to search the church books for Schleswig-Holstein in this facility unless they are residents of Denmark. All Danish nationals as well as members of other European nations have access. After one year a list of persons, who were searching the church books of Sydsleswig (Nordschleswig) is sent to the Nordelbische Kirchenarchiv in Kiel for inspection.

To read about church history in Schleswig-Holstein see: http://wiki-de.genealogy.net/Schleswig-Holsteinische_Kirchengeschichte

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