Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, German Empire Church Records

Church records (parish registers, church books) are an important source for genealogical research in Germany before civil registration began. They recorded details of baptisms, marriages, deaths and burials. The vast majority of the population was mentioned. To learn more about the types of information you will find in church records, click on these links: For a comprehensive understanding of church records, study the article Germany Church Records.
 * Baptisms (Taufen)
 * Marriages (Heiraten)
 * Burials (Begräbnisse)
 * Confirmations (Konfirmationen)
 * Family Registers (Familienbücher)

Parish Register Inventories
Church record inventories are essential tools for finding German records. They identify what records should be available for a specified parish and where to write for information on these records. They list the church records, their location, and the years they cover. Sometimes inventories explain which parishes served which towns at different periods of time.
 * Bestand und Alter der Kirchenbücher in der Provinz Sachsen, dem Herzogtum Anhalt und einingen thüringischen Staaten, Inventory of parish registers of the province of Sachsen, the duchy of Anhalt, and the Thuringian states of Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach, Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha, Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, Reuß ältere Linie, Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, and Sachsen-Altenburg.
 * The Protestant church books of Thuringia (Güldenapfel)
 * Die katholischen Kirchenbücher des Bistums Paderborn, e-book. Description of the parish registers in the Catholic diocese of Paderborn, Germany. Includes Westfalen, Anhalt, Sachsen-Gotha, Lippe-Detmold, Waldeck, Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, and Prussian Saxony.
 * Kirchenbuchportal: See Ev.-Luth. Church in Thuringia (EKM)]. See lists under Superintendent Arnstadt-Ilmenau.

1. Online Church Records
Ancestry.com collections can be viewed free-of-charge at a Family History Center near you.
 * These three collections include Rudolstadt and communities of today's Ilm district and the Kyffhäuser district, which largely belonged to the historic territories of the Principality of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and the Principality of Schwarzburg-Sonderhausen.
 * Thuringia, Germany, selected Protestant church records 1549-1876 - at Ancestry.com ($), index and images.
 * Thuringia, Germany, selected Protestant church records 1557-1940 - at Ancestry.com ($), index and images.
 * Thuringia, Germany, selected Protestant church books 1591-1875- at Ancestry.com ($), index and images.
 * 1518-1921 - Germany, selected Protestant church books 1518-1921 - at Ancestry.com ($), index and images. This collection includes the records of:
 * Listed under Schuldistrikt Saxony (in the right sidebar under Browse this collection): Rockstedt and Westgreussen (labeled under two weird categories "marrying and baptizing"; and "marry, baptizing, dead").
 * Listed under Schuldistrikt Thuringia (in the right sidebar under Browse this collection): Biederstedt, Ebeleben, Holzthalleben, and Schernberg.
 * Listed under Schuldistrikt Schwarzburg (in the right sidebar under Browse this collection): Clingen, Gossbreitenbach, Keula, Kleinbreitenbach, Öhrenstock (mistakenly listed as Hrenstock), Rockstedt, and Sondershausen.

2. Digital Copies of Church Records in the FamilySearch Catalog
Try to find records in the collection of the FamilySearch Library. Many microfilms have been digitized for online viewing. Gradually, everything will be digitized, so check back occasionally. Some have viewing restrictions, and can only be viewed at a Family History Center near you, and/or by members of supporting organizations. To find records:
 * a. Click on the records of Germany, Schwarzburg-Sondershausen.
 * b. Click on Places within Germany, Schwarzburg-Sondershausen and a list of towns will appear.
 * c. Click on your town if it appears, or the location which you believe was the parish which served your town or village.
 * b. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * e. Choose the correct record type and time period for your ancestor. "Geburten" are births. "Taufen" are christenings/baptisms. "Heiraten" are marriages.  "Tote" are deaths.
 * d. 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.

3. Research in Church and State Archives
Church records or duplicates may have been gathered from the local parishes into central archives, either by the churches or the state. Older records are frequently given to these archives for safekeeping. Some gaps in the church records of local parishes could be filled using these records.


 * [[Media:Localities.pdf|Pdf Archive Inventory]]: "Part 1 of 2: Church records in Archives" - is an inventory of localities and the location or archive where their records should be found. The sixth column, "Archives", gives a number. To find the name and contact information, look up that number in the second column of this .pdf:  [[Media:Archive_Add_.pdf|Part 2: Archive Addresses.]]  It is not clear how up-to-date this inventory is.

Some archives offer searches for a fee. Archives might be unable to handle genealogical requests, but they can determine whether they have specific records you need, sometimes perform very brief research, such as just one record, or they may recommend a researcher who can search the records for you. Archivists are required to speak English.

E-mail

 * You can e-mail archives and ask whether they have records for a parish. Also, you should inquire whether they provide research services and what their fees are. You can communicate with the archives in English.

Lutheran Archives
Covers the territories of the former territorial states of Saxony-Weimar-Eisenach, Saxony-Gotha, Saxony-Altenburg, Saxony-Meiningen, Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, Schwarzburg-Sondershausen and Reuss. This also gives information about the locations and addresses of the approximately 750 parish and 18 superintendent archives.
 * Evangelisch-lutherische Kirche in Thüringen Landeskirchenarchiv Eisenach Schloßberg 4a (Kreuzkirche) 99817 Eisenach Germany Tel: 03691-881465 FAX: 03691-7339120 Email: archiv@elkth.de
 * List of holdings

Catholic Archives
Archive of the Episcopal Office Erfurt-Meiningen  Hermanusplatz 9 D-99084 Erfurt Germany Tel.: 0361-24595 FAX: 0361-29138 Website

State Archives

 * List of Thuringia (Thüringen) German Archives

4. Writing to a Local Priest for Church Records
Most church registers are still maintained by the parish. You might obtain information by writing to the parish. Parish employees will usually answer correspondence written in German. Your request may be forwarded if the records have been sent to a central repository.

Evangelical-Lutheran
Until 2004, most of Thuringia was part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Thuringia, except for the district of Erfurt, which was part of Evangelical Church of the Saxon Church. In 2004 the two churches combined to form the Evangelical Church in Central Germany (Protestant Church in Central Germany, EKM).
 * Click on the church "circle" according to the map for a listing of parishes and their contact information.

Catholic

 * Most of Thuringia is in the Diocese Erfurt. Select a Dean's Office to see the parishes within that deanery.

E-mail

 * Because many churches now have known e-mail addresses, you can quickly check whether the parish records are stored at the parish church or have been moved to archives. If possible, do this before sending a more detailed inquiry or any money. Links for church addresses are found on the wiki pages for the individual states and counties  of Germany.

Writing to a Local Parish
Write a brief request in German to the proper church using this address as a guide, replacing the information in parentheses:

For a Protestant Parish:


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

For a Catholic Parish:


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


 * Click herefor postal code help for Germany.

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.'''

Other Religious Groups
To learn how to determine the location of other religious records, namely Jewish, French Reformed, German Reformed, etc., watch Hansen’s Map Guides: Finding Records with Parish Maps beginning at 48:00 minutes, to learn how to locate these congregations. Then go back and watch from the beginning to understand how to use the reference book. Also, you can read Map Guide to German Parish Registers. This video and handout teach you how to use a set of reference books found at the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. If you are not in Salt Lake City, use the Contact Us feature to request information from the books.

Also,

Town Genealogies (Ortssippenbuch or Ortsfamilienbuch)
See the class,, and Wiki article, Germany Town Genealogies and Parish Register Inventories on the Internet. Published town genealogies, Ortssippenbuch (town lineage book) or Ortsfamilienbuch (town family book), generally include birth, marriage, and death data for all persons found in the local records during a specified time period, compiled into families based on the opinion of the author. 'If one is available, it should only be used as an index or guide'' to finding the original records. They usually contain errors. Always verify their information in original records.
 * Over 620 online town genealogies are currently accessible at Online Ortsfamilienbücher.
 * A list of published Ortssippenbücher is found at:Category: Family Book on the same website.


 * For more information and online searchable collections of town genealogy books, by region, see Germany Town Genealogies and Parish Register Inventories on the Internet.
 * A bibliography of OFBs held by the Central Office for Person and Family History, and available in their archive in Frankfurt am Main-Höchst, is listed here. You can arrange for copied pages to be sent to you for a fee or donation. Use the "Find" function on your keyboard to search the bibliographies, as they are not alphabetical.

German Records

 * It's easier than you think! You do not have to be fluent in French and German to use these records, as there is only a limited vocabulary used in them. By learning a few key phrases, you will be able to read them adequately.  Here are some resources for learning to read German records.
 * German Genealogical Word List
 * French Genealogical Word List
 * Latin Genealogical Word List


 * These video webinars will teach you to read German handwriting:
 * Old German Script Part 1
 * Old German Script Part 2
 * Old German Script (German Church and Civil Records) Part 3
 * Reading German Handwritten Records  (Three parts) Practice exercises to build your skills and confidence.
 * German Script Tutorial


 * List of Names in Old German Script A comprehensive list of German given names,  written in old script, with possible variations.
 * 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.

Downloadable Handouts

 * 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
 * Fraktur Font--Many forms and books are printed in this font.

Latin Records
Records of the Catholic church will usually be written in Latin:
 * Latin Genealogical Word List

Feast Dates

 * Calendar Changes in France, Germany, Switzerland, and the Low Countries--class
 * Each day of the year had several patron saints and was a feast day to honor those saints. Some vital events are recorded in church records only by the holy day (feast day) on the church calendar. For example, the feast day called “All Saints Day” (Allerheiligentag) is “1 November.” An online feast date calculator may be found at the Albion College website. Simply enter the year and click "Calculate."

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.
 * Calculate the birth date of the parents, using age at death and/or marriage to search for their birth records.
 * 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.