Finding Aids for German Records

Once you have learned the name of the town in Germany where your ancestors lived, there are several questions you need to answer:


 * 1)  Are there several towns with that name, and if so, which one is the correct one?
 * 2)  If you are looking for civil registration records (anything after 1876, and in some states sooner), where is the Standesamt (civil registry office) located?
 * 3)  If your ancestor was Lutheran and the town does not have its own Lutheran parish church, where is the church that would have records for the town?
 * 4)  If the Lutheran church has placed its records in archives for safekeeping, which archives have jurisdiction for the area?
 * 5)  If your ancestor was Catholic and the town does not have its own Catholic parish church, where is the church that would have records for the town?
 * 6)  If the Catholic church has placed its records in archives for safekeeping, which archives have jurisdiction for the area?
 * 7)  Are any of these records microfilmed and/or digitized by FamilySearch?
 * 8)  Are any of these records available online through other repositories?

Some of these questions will be answered in the Wiki Germany province page for your province in Germany. This article will teach you about some geographical reference aids that might also help you.

Are there several towns with that name, and if so, which one is the correct one?
Two great online gazetteers will help you find details about any location in Germany: MeyersGaz Online Gazetteer and Kartenmeister.

familysearch catalog
 * Find the province.
 * meyers and kartenmeister
 * Hansens parish maps
 * Online Tricks
 * Google
 * Province page
 * Archion
 * Address directory
 * Archives
 * email the mayor