Berlin, Brandenburg, Prussia, German Empire Genealogy

Guide to Berlin ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, parish registers, and military records. '''During the German Empire, 1871-1945, Berlin belonged to Brandenburg.



Historical Background
First documented in the 13th century and situated at the crossing of two important historic trade routes, Berlin became the capital of
 * the Margraviate of Brandenburg (1417–1701),
 * the Kingdom of Prussia (1701–1918),
 * the German Empire (1871–1918),
 * the Weimar Republic (1919–1933),
 * the Third Reich (1933–1945),
 * East Germany (1945-1990),
 * and modern unified Germany.

Berlin in the 1920s was the third largest municipality in the world. After World War II and its subsequent occupation by the victorious countries, the city was divided. West Berlin became a de facto West German exclave, surrounded by the Berlin Wall (1961–1989) and East German territory. East Berlin was declared capital of East Germany, while Bonn became the West German capital. Following German reunification in 1990, Berlin once again became the capital of all of Germany. Wikipedia

Maps
Modern Berlin's 12 boroughs and their 96 neighborhoods To enlarge the map, click three times on the image.

Finding Birth, Marriage, and Death Records for Brandenburg
'''Most of the information you need to identify you ancestors and their families will be found in two major record groups: civil registration and church records. To locate these records, follow the instructions in these Wiki articles.'''

1. Find the name of your ancestor's town in family history records.
Records were kept on the local level. You must know the town where your ancestor lived. If your ancestor was a United States Immigrant, use the information in the Wiki article Germany Finding Town of Origin to find evidence of the name of the town where your ancestors lived in Germany.

Ancestry.com ($)
'''Ancestry.com can be searched free of charge at your local Family History Center.
 * Brandenburg, Prussia Emigration Records - at Ancestry.com, index ($)
 * Emigrants from the Mark Brandenburg to Poland and Russia, compiled by Stefan Rückling
 * Germany Displaced Persons Research: If your ancestors were evacuated from their homes at the end of World War II, see this article.

2. Use gazetteers, parish register inventories, and city directories to learn more important details.
Your ancestor's town might have been too small to have its own parish church or civil registration office. Find the location of the Catholic or Lutheran (Evangelical) parish that served your ancestor's locality. Find the name of the civil registration office (Standesamt) that serves your ancestor's locality. Use the Wiki article Finding Aids For German Records for step-by-step instructions.

Germany was first unified as a nation in 1871. An important gazetteer, Meyers Orts- und Verkehrs-lexikon des deutschen Reichs, "Meyer's Gazetter" for short, details the place names of villages, towns, counties (kreise), and higher jurisdictions used at that time. In the Research Wiki, FamilySearch Catalog, and FamilySearch Historical Records, the records of Germany are organized using those place names.

You can also consult Brandenburg parish record inventories]] to learn the Lutheran or Catholic parish that would have kept records for your town.
 * Gemeindelexikon für das Königreich Preußen: Berlin and Brandenburg
 * Die Kirchenbücher der Mark Brandenburg; zweite Abteilung, erstes Heft : Die Kirchenbücher der vor 1874 aufgenommenen und konzessionierten Kirchengemeinschaften im Bezirke der General-Superintendentur Berlin, The church books of the Mark Brandenburg; second section, first issue: The parish registers of congregations incorporated and licensed before 1874 in the districts of the General Superintendent of Berlin ... and in the counties of Lubusz and Frankfurt
 * Die Kirchenbücher der evangelischen Kirchen in der Provinz Brandenburg. Lutheran parish register inventory.

Using Berlin Directories to Narrow Down Your Place of Origin

See, Berlin Evangelical Parish Jurisdictions and '''Berlin Civil Registration, to learn how you can use city directories to find the parish and civil registration dustrict in Berlin where your ancestors lived.

3. For birth, marriage, and death records from 1 October 1874 on use civil registration.
Follow the instructions in Berlin, Brandenburg, German Empire Civil Registration.

4. For baptism, marriage, and death records, use church records or parish registers.
Follow the instructions in  Berlin, Brandenburg, German Empire Church Records.

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.
 * Finding Aids for German Records
 * Research Tips and Strategies
 * Print these handouts for ready reference when reading German Handwriting:
 * Kurrent Letters Handout
 * Numbers Handout
 * Birth Records Handout
 * Marriage Records Handout
 * Death Records Handout
 * Days and Months Handout
 * Common Symbols Handout
 * Common Abbreviations Handout
 * List of Names in Old German Script A comprehensive list of German given names,  written in old script, with possible variations.
 * [[Media:Fraktur_Font_help_-_Wiki.pdf|Fraktur Font]]--Many forms and books are printed in this font.
 * German Research, BYU Independent Study, no cost.