Bavaria Church Records

The parishes have listed baptisms, marriages and deaths since the 16th century. Since 1524 the two parishes St. Sebald and St. Lorenz in Nürnberg have listed marriages. In 1533 they also registered baptisms. At the same time all Evangelical parishes of the Margravate Brandenburg-Ansbach started documenting births.

The Catholic church started to record baptisms, marriages, deaths and communions first through the Diocese Augsburg in 1563. During the 30 Years War many church books were lost. Most parishes have records starting in 1648. More comprehensive records will start from 1700 on. Addtional information can be extracted from duplicates which priests had to establish for the Bezirksämter (administration). Today these duplicates are housed in the State archives. A Pfarrbücherverzeichnis (index) gives ínformation about records of the Bavarian Diocese as well as the Evangelical Churches in Bavaria.

Source: http://www.genealogiebayernforum.de/Kirch.htm