Bremen, German Empire Genealogy

Guide to Bremen, 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

 * At the unwinding of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, Bremen became a sovereign state officially titled Free Hanseatic City of Bremen.


 * The Vienna Congress of 1815 confirmed Bremen’s independence.


 * In 1827, the state of Bremen bought the tract of land from the Kingdom of Hanover (Hannover), where future Bremerhaven would be established.


 * Bremen became part of the North German Confederation in 1867 and became an autonomous component state of the new-founded German Empire in 1871.


 * In 1935, Bremen became a regular city at the de facto abolition of statehood of all component German states within the Third Reich.


 * It was re-established as the state of Bremen in 1947. Bremen (Wikipedia)

Finding Birth, Marriage, and Death Records for Bremen
'''Most of the information you need to identify you ancestors and their families will be found in two major record groups: civil registration and church records. To locate these records, follow the instructions in these Wiki articles.'''

1. Find the name of your ancestor's town in family history records.
Records were kept on the local level. You must know the town where your ancestor lived. If your ancestor was a United States Immigrant, use the information in the Wiki article Germany Finding Town of Origin to find evidence of the name of the town where your ancestors lived in Germany. Also, see:
 * Bremer Passagierlisten
 * Seaman's Licenses, 1806-1878. Index, ($)
 * Bremen, Germany Ships Crew Lists, 1815-1917 - at Ancestry.com,($). Index and images. In German.
 * Bremen, Germany Sailors Registry, 1824-1917 - at Ancestry.com, ($). Index and images. In German.
 * Bremen, German Desertions of Sailors, 1855-1874 - at Ancestry.com, ($). Index and images.
 * Germany, Bremen, Select Passenger Departure Lists, 1904-1914. - at Ancestry.com, ($). Index and images. In German.
 * - at FamilySearch. Index. Incomplete.
 * Bremen passenger lists, 1920-1939
 * Namenskartei aus den "Bremer Schiffslisten", 1904-1914 Index cards, arranged alphabetically by province and then by surname, of German emigrants, based upon the Bremen Passenger Lists. Includes marital status, occupation, passenger number, ship name, place of last residence, and destination. For some countries, such as Austria, the arrangement is chronological by departure date, with names grouped alphabetically by ship name for that date. Many cards are not in sequence. Includes index cards for Jewish emigrants.

2. Use gazetteers and/or parish register inventories to learn more important details.
Bremen and Bremerhaven have several smaller towns or parishes. Find the location of the Catholic or Lutheran (Evangelical) parish that served your ancestor's locality. Find the name of the civil registration office (Standesamt) that serves your ancestor's locality. Use the Wiki article Finding Aids For German Records for step-by-step instructions. The records you find might not state the specific smaller town or parish.
 * Bremen had several parishes. Directories or address books might give you the address where your family lived in Bremen. This can help you determine which parish has their records.
 * Bremen Address Books (Bremer Addressbuecher),1794-1955. in German.
 * Directories on die Maus, 1794-1955, ($)
 * This index to most parish records for Bremen can also help identify which parish they lived in.
 * Die Maus, Index to Births, Marriages, and Deaths in Bremen Church Books, index, ($)
 * Indexed civil registration records will give the address of events and help determine parish.
 * Die Maus, Standesamtsregister
 * This 1933 collection of family charts can help identify the parish.
 * Stammtafeln des Civilstandsamtes und des Standesamtes von 1824 bis 1933. Family Charts of the civil status office and registry office from 1824 to 1933.

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.
 * Kirchenbuch-Inventar der freien Staat Bremen
 * Wilhelm Jensen “Die Kirchenbücher Schleswig-Holsteins, der Landeskirche Eutin und der Hansestädte” (Neumünster: Karl Wachholtz Verlag, 1958); included in Quellen und Forschungen zur Familiengeschichte Schleswig-Holsteins, 2. Bd. Description of the parish registers of Schleswig-Holstein, the principality of Lübeck in Oldenburg, and the cities of Lübeck, Bremen and Hamburg.  (FHL Location 1: FHL INTL Ref) (FHL Location 2: FHL INTL book 943.512 D2q v. 2)(FHL Location 3: FHL INTL film 1183522, it. 5, 1936 version)  WorldCat

3. For birth, marriage, and death records beginning in 1811, use civil registration.
Follow the instructions in Bremen, German Empire Civil Registration.

4. For baptism, marriage, and death records, use church records or parish registers.
Follow the instructions in  Bremen, German Empire Church Records.

More Research Strategies and Tools

 * Germany Online Classes and Tutorials
 * Reading German Handwritten Records  Practice exercises to build your skills and confidence.
 * 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.
 * Finding Aids for German Records
 * Research Tips and Strategies
 * German Research, BYU Independent Study, no cost.


 * These printable handouts can be used for ready reference when reading German Handwriting.
 * Letters:


 * [[Media:Kurrent Letters.pdf|Kurrent Letters handout]]
 * [[Media:Kurrent Font Help Wiki.pdf|Additional Kurrent Letters handout]]


 * Vocabulary found on Specific Records:


 * [[Media:Birth Record Vocabulary-Kurrent-german.pdf|Birth Records Vocabulary handout]]
 * [[Media:Marriage Record Vocabulary-Kurrent-german.pdf|Marriage Records Vocabulary handout]]
 * [[Media:German marriage handout templated jan 2017.pdf|Overview of Marriage Laws and Customs (handout)]]
 * [[Media:Death Record Vocabulary-Kurrent german.pdf|Death Records Vocabulary handout]]


 * Dates, Numbers, Abbreviations:


 * [[Media:Days and Months Vocabulary-Kurrent-German.pdf|Days and Months handout]]
 * [[Media:Numbers Vocabulary.pdf|Numbers Vocabulary handout]]
 * [[Media:Kurrent Script Dates, Numbers, etc.pdf|Script Dates and Numbers handout]]
 * [[Media:Common Abbreviations-Kurrent-german.pdf|Common Abbreviations handout]]
 * [[Media:Common Symbols - Kurrent-german.pdf|Common Symbols handout]]


 * Miscellaneous Vocabulary:


 * [[Media:German Occupations Vocabulary.pdf|German Occupations Vocabulary handout]]
 * [[Media:Illnesses Vocabulary-Kurrent-german.pdf|Illnesses Vocabulary handout]]


 * Fraktur:


 * [[Media:Fraktur Font help - Wiki.pdf|Fraktur Font]] -- Many forms and books are printed in this font.


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