Württemberg Compiled Genealogies

Back to Württemberg Page►

Ortssippenbücher/Village Lineage Books
Collected genealogies are sometimes available in Württemberg and are called Ortsippenbücher [village lineage books]. When available at the FamilySearch Library, they are listed under the topic of "Genealogy". To find an Ortsippenbuch (OSB) for your village in the FamilySearch Catalog, you would search by the name of the parish where your ancestors attended church. Not all locations have an OSB. Many OSBs can be found online as well. They are also called Ortsfamilienbücher or OFB for short.

These are wonderful sources which link many generations of families together. However, when church books are available, you should double check to make sure that all the information in the books is correctly listed. Some mistakes may occur in the OSBs and it is always a good idea to verify information when you can.

For some online OSBs see http://www.ortsfamilienbuecher.de/

Others can be found at Genealogy.net.

The FamilySearch Library has a large collection of these books. New Ortssippenbücher (OSB’s) continue to be published from various areas. When searching the FamilySearch Catalog, you will find these books under the topic “Genealogy”. There are also other terms that can be used to describe these books in the Catalog, such as Ortsfamilienbücher (OFB) and Familienbücher. Time periods covered can range from the 1500's to the 1900's depending on the records available for the locality.

The FamilySearch Library has a list of books regarding genealogy. The books are not lendable but are available on site. Here is a link to the list spoken of. http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=topicdetails&amp;subject=360605&amp;subject_disp=Germany%2C+W%C3%BCrttemberg+%2D+Genealogy&amp;columns=*,0,0

Here is a link to a collection of family names from Göppingen and surrounding villages:

http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=kbonnell

Deutsches Geschlechterbuch
There are many Württemberg genealogies that have been put together in various sources. One of these sources is called the Deutsches Geschlechterbuch. You can determine if your village has been compiled by first checking the FamilySearch Catalog for your town and then checking for the topic "Genealogy-Collected Works". These books contain many genealogies and are arranged by generation and often span many generations. Occasionally old portraits and copies of some documents and coats of arms may also be included in this source.

Generally speaking these books cover years as early as the beginnnig of church books between 1550-on. This can be a great record if others are not available in filmed version or to make research easier to do.

The FamilySearch Catalog also shows that there is a cumulative index for this very large collection of materials. This index is on CD and is available at the Salt Lake City FamilySearch Library. This CD gives the surnames and the volume number where they can be found. Click here for information about theCD. Because this is a German publication, it is in the German language.

Histories of Some families of the Calw District of Württemberg
If your ancestors are from the region of Calw, then this 20 book series may be very valuable in your genealogical research. About these volumes:


 * In English language
 * Multi-generational families arranged in their family groups
 * Well indexed
 * Contains information gathered and extracted from church records