Rhineland (Rheinland), German Empire Church Records

Here is a link to the Stadtarchiv Düsseldorf archival holdings

http://www.duesseldorf.de/buergerinfo/41_203/003/01.shtml

Birth records of Trier from before 1600   German cities in medieval times saw a lot of migration movements on behalf of journeymen, merchants and female servants. The city of Trier was no exception. After some journeymen learned their trade in other cities under master craftsmen, they often found a bride and opportunity for employment away from home. In order to settle elsewhere they needed a birth certificate stating their roots. This practice was especially important because family names as such were not firmly in place, yet. For instance, Matthias Müller from Welschbillig, who was a baker in Trier had a son, who after receiving some education called himself henceforth Johannes Pistoris Welschbillig. Another possibility is that women’s family names become the name of the men they married, so that a son was named after the mother’s surname. Clemetten Hans von Angelsberg, the son of Schneider Claus from Christnach and Clemetten Else from Angelsberg, was such a case.

The author Heinrich Milz has extracted the information found in Briefbücher of the city of Trier and published his findings in Archiv für Sippenforschung, 11 Jahrgang, Heft 8 (1934) beginning with page 250. The periodical can be found at the Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah, International Floor. The call number is 943 2as.