Hamburg, Germany Genealogy

Guide to Hamburg ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, parish registers, and military records.  

History

 * Hamburg, (officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, was a fully sovereign city state before the 1871 unification of Germany.


 * Before 1919,Hamburg formed a civic republic, headed constitutionally by a class of hereditary grand burghers or Hanseaten.


 * Hamburg was briefly annexed by Napoleon I to the First French Empire (1804–1814/1815). Russian forces finally freed the city in 1814. Hamburg re-assumed its pre-1811 status as a city-state in 1814.


 * The Vienna Congress of 1815 confirmed Hamburg's independence and it became one of 39 sovereign states of the German Confederation (1815–1866).


 * Hamburg became a member of the North German Confederation (1866–1871) and of the German Empire (1871–1918), and maintained its self-ruling status during the Weimar Republic (1919–1933).


 * Hamburg was a "Gau" (a region within a country, often a former or actual province) from 1934 until 1945.


 * Hamburg surrendered to British Forces on 3 May 1945. After the Second World War, Hamburg formed part of the British Zone of Occupation; it became a state of the then Federal Republic of Germany in 1949. Wikipedia

Research to Find the Town of Origin
If you do not yet know the name of the town of your ancestor's birth, there are well-known strategies for a thorough hunt for it.
 * Use Germany Finding Town of Origin as a guide in finding evidence in United States records proving your ancestors' town of origin. Also see Germany Emigration and Immigration, especially for immigration to countries other than the United States.

Maps
Today's state of Hamburg was created in 1937-38 by uniting parts of the city of Hamburg with parts of Schleswig-Holstein and parts of Hannover. For exact localities included see 1937-1938 Boundary Changes of Hamburg Regional Gains and Territories Given Away.

Germany was first unified as a nation in 1871. For German research prior to 1945, the Research Wiki, FamilySearch Catalog, and FamilySearch Historical Records are organized by the place names in use from 1871 to 1945. For research in that time period, use the Wiki links in the chart below:
 * To find the 1871 duchy or province for your town, use Meyer's 1871 Gazetteer Online.

Finding Civil Registration Records
'''After 1945, the main source for research will be civil registration. ''' Civil registration records are records of births, marriages, and deaths kept by the government. In Brunswick (Braunschweig), they were started 1 January 1876. German terms for these records include Standesamtsregister, Zivilstandsregister, or Personenstandsregister. They are an excellent source for information on names and dates and places of births, marriages, and deaths. These records are kept by the civil registrar (Standesbeamte) at the civil registry office (Standesamt). Study these links to learn what information can be found in them:
 * Births (Geburtsregister)
 * Marriages (Heiraten, Ehen, or Trauungen)
 * Deaths (Sterberegister or Totenregister)

Melderegister
Since 1874, there is an official registration of residential addresses in Germany. These data were collected by the police stations. They are kept in the civil registration office. Some offices keep them historically from their start. Other offices destroyed records for people once they died.

These registration cards were available for each respective householder. Noted on the card were his wife and any children, dates of marriage or death, and a history of resident addresses. The value of these cards is their use to determine which civil registration office might hold birth, marriage, and death certificates for the family members.

Follow the German Letter Writing Guide, and use questions 16 and 17 to request these records.

Privacy Laws
Since 2009, birth records have been public after 110 years, marriages after 80 years and deaths after 30 years. A direct relationship (direct descendants and direct ancestors) to the subject of the record sought will be required in cases where the required time period has not yet elapsed. Even then, the records may be accessible if it can be shown that all "participating parties" have died at least 30 years ago. Participating parties are both parents and the child in birth records, and both spouses in a marriage.

Civil registration records are records of births, marriages, and deaths kept by the government. In Hamburg, they were started in 1799. German terms for these records include Standesamtsregister, Zivilstandsregister, or Personenstandsregister. They are an excellent source for information on names and dates and places of births, marriages, and deaths. These records are kept by the civil registrar (Standesbeamte) at the civil registry office (Standesamt). Study these links to learn what information can be found in them:
 * Births (Geburtsregister)
 * Marriages (Heiraten, Ehen, or Trauungen)
 * Deaths (Sterberegister or Totenregister)

For a comprehensive understanding of civil registration, study the article Germany Civil Registration.

1. Online Records

 * Hamburg, Germany, Deaths, 1874-1950, index and images, ($)

2. Writing for Civil Registration Certificates
For time periods more recent than the online or microfilm records, you will want to write for certificates.

Writing to a Local Registrar

 * This pdf outlines the different localities in Hamburg, and gives the appropriate Standesamt office for that locality: Directory, 1876 to 1944, Hamburg Standesamts
 * This Standesamt finder allows you to enter a street adress to determine the correct Standesamt: Hamburg Authority Finder
 * Some street addresses can be determined by consulting one of these directories, if the time period fits your research problem:
 * Hamburg Address Book (Hamburgisches Adress-Buch) für 1847, ($).
 * Business Directory of Hamburg, Altona und Ottensen, 1886
 * Hamburg Empire post office in Hamburg (Registration Fernsprechbuch for the Reichspost Direktionsbezirk Hamburg), ($). 1934.

Write a brief request in German to the proper office using this address as a guide, replacing the information in parentheses:


 * An das Standesamt
 * (Insert street address, if known.)
 * (Postal Code) (Name of Locality)
 * GERMANY


 * Click herefor postal code help for Germany.

Registrar General
In Hamburg there is the Registrar General through which one can search all Hamburg offices. You will be charged for search time in addition to document fees. Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg Standesamtliches General Register Eiffestrasse 74 D- 20537 Hamburg Germany Phone: 040 / 42839-2688 Fax: 040/42839 - 4461

How to write a letter: Detailed instruction for what to include in the letter, plus German translations of the questions and sentences most frequently used are in the German Letter Writing Guide.'''

More Research Strategies and Tools

 * Germany Online Classes and Tutorials
 * Reading German Handwritten Records Practice exercises to build your skills and confidence.
 * 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.
 * Research Tips and Strategies

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.
 * The marriage certificate will show the birth date, birth place, and parents of the bride and the groom.
 * 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.