Hamburg, German Empire Civil Registration

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How to Find Birth, Marriage, and Death Records in Hamburg
Most of your genealogical research for Hamburg will be in three main record types: civil registration, church records, and, when available, a compiled town genealogy ("'Ortssippenbuch" or "Ortsfamilienbuch" in German). This article will teach you how to use these records on digital databases, as microfilms, or by writing for them.
 * How to Find Birth, Marriage, and Death Records
 * Civil Registration
 * Church Records
 * Town Genealogies

Definition
Civil registration records are records of births, marriages, and deaths kept by the government. 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 [German: Standesbeamte] at the civil registry office (Standesamt). Because they cover about 98% of the population and often provide more information than church records, civil registration records are important sources for German genealogical research.

Time Period
Until 1811 the police force in Hamburg was known as Wedde. The word "Wedde" means "Strafgeld" (fine). The original duty of the Wedde was to inforce all decisions made by the council (Rath, Senat) and to impose fines if these were not observed. In the 17th and 18th century the Wedde had to oversee the market, trade, propriety and foreigners. Archival records of the Wedde include also announcements of weddings within the city and so called "Hochzeitsbücher" (marriage books) are a substantial part of these records. In 1814 the Wedde lost its character as security police and became the forerunner of the civil registration office, the Zivilstandsamt. It still was responsible for overlooking marriages, installing new citizens and overlooking Jewish congregations. Hamburg was occupied by France and from 1811-1815 civil registration was mandatory. This procedure was not followed from 1815-1866. From 1866 on vital records were established in Hamburg.

Privacy Laws
Until recently, stringent rights-to-privacy requirements in Germany limited access to all civil registration records created in 1876 or later to the subject of the document and their parents, siblings, and direct-line descendants.

A law passed in February 2007, the Personenstandsrechtsreformgesetz, makes civil registration records more accessible for family history research. Since 1 January 2009 the records are accessible to any researcher after these time periods have passed:


 * births: 110 years
 * marriages: 80 years
 * deaths: 30 years

A direct relationship to the subject of the record sought will only 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.

Births (Geburtsregister)
Birth records usually give the child's name; sex; and birth date, time, and place. The father's name, age, occupation, and residence are also usually listed. The mother's maiden name, age, and marital status are usually given, although her age is sometimes omitted. The names, ages, and residences of witnesses are usually provided. The parents' religion is also listed in some states.

Marriages (Heiraten, Ehen, or Trauungen)
Marriages were usually recorded where the bride lived. After 1792 a civil marriage ceremony was required in areas of Germany under French control. In 1876 this law was applied to all of Germany. Most couples also had a church wedding, so records may exist for both the civil and church ceremonies. The civil marriage records may include more information than the comparable church records. When possible search both the civil registration and church records.

You may find the following records documenting civil marriages:


 * Marriage Registers [Heiratsregister]. Marriage registers give the date and time of the marriage. They list the bride's and groom's names, ages, birth dates, birthplaces, residences, occupations, and whether they were single or widowed. The registers also give the parents' names, residence, occupations, marital status, and whether they were living at the time of the marriage. Witnesses' names, ages, and relationships to the bride or groom are supplied. Often a note is made as to whether a parent or other party gave permission for the marriage. The couple's religion is often mentioned, especially after 1874.
 * Certificates [Heiratsscheine]. Some couples were given a marriage certificate or a book [Stammbuch] with the marriage entry and space for entering children's births. The certificate or book may be in the possession of the family or the civil registrar.

Intention to Marry
Various records may have been created to show a couple's intent to marry:


 * Proclamations [Aufgebote or Eheverkündigungen] were made a few weeks before a couple planned to marry.
 * Marriage Supplements [Heiratsbeilagen] were often filed by the bride or groom to support their marriage application. Information included may document their births, their parents' deaths, and the groom's release from military service. Sometimes the records contain information about earlier generations.
 * Contracts [Ehekontrakte] are documents created to protect legal rights and property of spouses. These may give the same information as the marriage supplements noted above. They also list property and are usually found in court records rather than in civil registration records.
 * Marriage Permission Papers [Verehelichungsakten] are documents created in the process of obtaining permission to get married. Some states required prospective spouses to get permission fom the local city council or mayor before they could be married.

Deaths (Sterberegister or Totenregister)
Death records are especially helpful because they may provide important information on a person's birth, spouse, and parents. Civil death records often exist for individuals for whom there were no birth or marriage records. Deaths were usually registered within a few days of death in the town or city where the person died. Early death records usually give the name of the deceased and the date, time, and place of death. The age, birthplace, residence, occupation, and marital status of the deceased may also be given, along with the name of the parents or spouse and their residences. The informant's name, age, occupation, residence, and relationship may also be listed. Post¬1874 death registers also include the person's religion. Information about parents, the birth date, the birthplace, and other information about the deceased may be inaccurate, depending on the informant's knowledge.

Accessing Records
Civil registration records were kept at the local civil registration office (Standesamt). To find the records, you need to first determine the town where your ancestor lived, then determine the location of the civil registration office for that town. The civil registration office may have been located in the same town or, for smaller towns and villages, the civil records may have been kept in a larger nearby town. Use gazetteers to help identify the place where your ancestor lived and the civil registration office that served it (see Germany Gazetteers). Large cities often have many civil registration districts. City directories can sometimes help identify which civil registration district a person lived in.

Most civil registers are still located at the local civil registration offices, but some are collected in city or state archives.

1. Online Digital Records for Civil Registration
Digital copies of civil registration can be searched online. "Geburten" are births. Heiraten are marriages.  "Verstorbene" are deaths.
 * Hamburg, Germany, Births, 1874-1901, index and images, ($)
 * Hamburg, Germany, Marriages, 1874-1920, index and images, ($)
 * Hamburg, Germany, Deaths, 1874-1950, index and images, ($)

2. Microfilm Copies of Civil Registration Records Searched at a Family History Center
Try to find church records in the microfilm collection of the Family History Library. These microfilms may be ordered for viewing at Family History Centers around the world. To find a microfilm: First, consult the maps and list at Hamburg Boundary Change Maps to determine whether your locality was originally in Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein, or Hannover.
 * a. For church records of parishes that were in the original Hamburg, click here. Open the link Places within Germany, Hamburg'''.
 * For church records of parishes that were previously in Hannover, click here. Open the link Places within Germany, Preußen, Hannover.
 * For church records of parishes that were previously in Schleswig-Holstein, click here. Open the link Places within Germany, Preußen, Schleswig-Holstein.
 * b. Click on your town or parish.
 * c. Click on the "Civil registration" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * d. Choose the correct record type and time period for your ancestor. "Geburten" are births. Heiraten are marriages.  "Verstorbene" are deaths.
 * e. 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. Clicking on the microfilm reel will lead to information on how to rent the film. Family History Center staff will assist you in ordering the film.

3. 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 Germany Letter Writing Guide.'''