Germany, Prussia, Brandenburg and Posen, Church Book Duplicates - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Records
Deutschland, Preußen, Brandenburg und Posen, Kirchenbuchduplikate

Record Description
This collection will include records from 1794 to 1874.

Entries are usually arranged in chronological order in a column format. The baptisms, marriages and deaths for one year are grouped together before the baptisms, marriages and deaths for the next year (some of the records include only marriages and deaths, or only births and marriages, etc.). Some of the records are on preprinted forms. Some include indexes. These records are in German/Gothic. Many church book duplicates were lost but those that remain are well kept in civil archives.

In Germany, a parish was an ecclesiastical jurisdiction made up of many villages and hamlets, with one of the villages designated as the main parish town. This set of church book duplicates do not usually include records from all of the villages within a parish, but only records from one village, or from a few of the villages within the parish. In larger cities, where there was more than one church, each church is listed separately.

German states successively began creating church book duplicates from 1792-1876. The duplicates ended with the institution of civil registration in 1876 (October 1, 1874 in Prussia). Inspired by the institution of church book duplicates in the Hapsburg Empire under Joseph II and the beginning of civil registration in France in 1792, the state of Brandenburg began creating church book duplicates.The German states required the clergy to create a transcript of their church books and turn them in annually to the state. Civil authorities assumed the registration function in Brandenburg in January 1876.

Outside of Prussia, the clergy were required to record the vital events (births, marriages and deaths) of people living within their jurisdiction regardless of their religion. For example, Catholic or Jewish people living in an area that did not have a Catholic church or Jewish synagogue were often recorded in the Lutheran records. The reverse was also true in Catholic areas, where Lutherans and Jews were recorded in Catholic records. However, in Prussia--including Brandenburg and, from 1793 onward, Posen--this was not the common practice. Some Posen church books have entries for Jews during the period 1807-1814, i.e., the Napoleonic occupation.

Large cities had many churches or parishes, each serving part of the city. Rural churches often served several villages and hamlets. The church book duplicates for Posen cover a majority of the population.

German church book duplicates, like the originals, are the most reliable and accurate family history source until 1876 when civil registration of births, marriages and deaths began in all of Germany. Ages, birth dates and birth places found in marriage and death entries may be inaccurate, depending on the informant's knowledge. Church book duplicates may differ slightly from the originals because of transcription variations. They are often more legible than the originals.

Record Content
Baptismal records generally contain the following information:


 * Names of the deceased, spouse and parents
 * Date and place of death and burial
 * Age and residence of deceased (sometimes date and place of birth)
 * Cause of death

How to Use the Records
German church book duplicates are a back up source for church books (parish registers) which are the best German records to identify individuals, parents, and spouses before the civil registration of vital events. German states instituted registration at different times from 1792-1874. There are more duplicates in the Family History Library and on FamilySearch, making them the best records available at this time.

Search the records for the villages where the person lived. If you do not find record of the person you need, you might want to: a) look for other people with the same surname in the village as that information might lead you to the records you need, b) search several years before and after the event you are looking for, and c) search surrounding villages for the individual.

Search the Collection
Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination. Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

For a browse collection: To search the collection image by image ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select "Province" ⇒Select "Town (district): Affiliated Towns" ⇒Select "Religion" ⇒Select "Event, Year Range (Archival Call Number)" which will take you to images

For Help Reading These Records
These records are in German- Gothic. For help reading the records, see the following wiki articles:


 * German Word List
 * Deciphering German Script (Kurrentschrift)

Related Web Sites
Kirchenbuchportal Germany Church Book Portal

Related Wiki Articles

 * Germany Church History
 * Germany Church Records

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
Citations for individual image records are available for this collection. Browse through images in this collection and click on the "Show Citation" box: Germany, Prussia, Brandenburg and Posen, Church Book Duplicates, 1794-1874

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