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Guide to Hesse (Hessen), German Empire ancestry, family history, and genealogy before 1945: birth records, marriage records, death records, both church and civil registration, compiled family history, and finding aids.

Historical Background

 * 1806: The "Grand Duchy of Hesse" was originally formed on the basis of the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt.
 * 1816: Changed its name in 1816 (after the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815) to distinguish itself from the Electorate of Hesse, which had formed from neighboring Hesse-Kassel. Colloquially, the grand duchy continued to be known by its former name of Hesse-Darmstadt.
 * 1867: Northern half of the Grand Duchy (Upper Hesse) became a part of the North German Confederation, while the half of the Grand Duchy south of the Main (Starkenburg and Rhenish Hesse) remained Independent.
 * 1871: Joined the German Empire.
 * 1918: Became a republic after German defeat in World War I.
 * 1945: After World War II, the majority of the state combined to form the new state of Hessen, composed of:
 * most of Hessen-Darmstadt
 * Frankfurt am Main
 * the Waldeck area (from Rheinland)
 * the former Prussian province of Hesse-Nassau.
 * Excluded were:
 * the Montabaur district from Hessen-Nassau, and
 * that part of Hessen-Darmstadt on the left bank of the Rhine (Rheinhessen), which became part of the Rhineland-Palatinate state, and
 * (Bad) Wimpfen, an exclave of Hessen-Darmstadt, became part of Baden-Württemberg.
 * The term "Rhenish Hesse" (German: Rheinhessen) refers to the part of the former Grand Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt located west of the Rhine. It has not been part of the State of Hesse (Hessen) since 1946. This province is now part of the State of Rhineland-Palatinate.

Civil Registration

 * 1811-1814, 1833-1928 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1848-1990 Germany, Hesse, Deaths at MyHeritage - index & images ($)
 * 1849-1930 Hesse, Germany, Marriages, 1849-1930 at Ancestry - index & images ($)
 * 1849-1930 Germany, Hesse Marriage Index, 1849-1931 at MyHeritage - index & images ($)
 * 1851-1901 Hesse, Germany, Births, 1851-1901 at Ancestry - index & images ($)
 * 1851-1958 Hesse, Germany, Deaths, 1851-1958 at Ancestry - index & images ($)
 * 1874-1911 Germany, Hesse Birth Index, 1874-1911 at MyHeritage - index & images ($)
 * 1874-1927 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1928-1978 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images

Church Records

 * 1540-1952 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index; Collection inventory
 * 1600-1925 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images; incomplete. These records cover: 'Alzey, Oppenheim, and Osthhofen.
 * 1661-1957 Hesse, Hesse-Kassel, Hess Darmstadt, Hess-Marburg, Hess-Reinfels, Rhineland, and Waldeck, Germany, Lutheran Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1661-1957 at Ancestry - index, ($)
 * 1730-1875 Hesse, Hesse-Kassel, Hess Darmstadt, Hess-Marburg, Hess-Reinfels, Rhineland, and Waldeck, Germany, Lutheran Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1730-1875 at Ancestry.com - index & images, ($)