Places to Find German Genealogy Records and Databases Online


General

FamilySearch Genealogy Records - Germany (requires free registration; to view some of the images you must be at an LDS Family History Center or a FamilySearch affiliated library). Includes some German baptism, marriage, and death indexes, and other items. FamilySearch also has some digitized microfilm of German genealogy records...
  • Do a "place search" in the FamilySearch Catalog for the village or place you're looking for. Select a topic (church records for example) for that place. Then look for the camera icon next to the listing for the microfilm roll you want. The camera icon indicates the microfilm roll has been digitized and is available for viewing online, however for the microfilm listings with a key above the camera icon, you have to be at a Family History Center, a FamilySearch affiliated library, or the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.
  • FamilySearch also has some genealogy databases for individual German states and cities. Some of these are listed by German state below.
German Genealogy Records at Ancestry (requires payment) Ancestry's World Explorer collection of genealogy records includes 500 German city directories and address books (Adressbuch) with about 27 million total listings; and some German church books, German emigration indexes, German military records, and other items. Here are some highlights of Ancestry's German genealogy records collection... Archion German Digital Church Book Portal (requires payment) scanned church books for some German Evangelical (Protestant) churches (ongoing project)

Matricula Online (ongoing project) has some digitized Catholic church books for the Archdioceses or Dioceses of Aachen, Augsburg, Bamberg, Dresden-Meissen, Eichstätt, Fulda, Hildesheim, Limburg, Magdeburg, München and Freising, Münster, Osnabrück, Paderborn, Passau, and Regensburg; and from the Official Archives in Vechta for churches in the former state of Oldenburg (part of the diocese of Münster)

German Emigration Lists and Records [on this website] People who left Germany: this webpage contains links to online German emigration lists and indexes. National German Military Grave Registration Service (this site is in German)
This organization maintains a database of more than 2 million names of missing and dead German soldiers from both World Wars. You can search this database online or write to them for assistance. Notes for searching: Nachname=surname; Vorname=first name; supplying a date of birth or death is optional. Click on "Suche beginnen" to start your search. You then must register with your name and address to continue the search. On the registration form, the following items are required: Vorname (first name), Nachname (last name), Straße / Nr. (Street & Number), Land/Plz/Ort (Country/Postal or Zip Code/City). Then click on "Zur Ergebniseite" to continue. On the next screen click "Suchanfrage ausführen." German War Memorial Website Database of war casualties from memorial inscriptions and other sources.

Online German Family Heritage Books - Ortsfamilienbücher (more than 100 listings including the example below) Historic German Newspapers Online from the German Digital Library (der Deutschen Digitalen Bibliothek)

Historical German Address Books Online

Gravestones in German Cemeteries - Grabstein-Projekt Photographs of gravestones from assorted cemeteries in Germany.


Baden-Württemberg
Includes Baden, Hohenzollern, and Württemberg.

Baden, Germany, Lutheran Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1502-1985 (at Ancestry/requires payment)

Baden, Church Book Duplicates, 1804-1877 at FamilySearch; indexes civil transcripts of church books from over 50 locations in Baden

Baden: Archdiocese of Freiburg im Breisgau, Catholic Church Records, 1678-1930 at FamilySearch

Mannheim, Germany, Family Registers, 1760-1900 (at Ancestry/requires payment); Ancestry also has Births, 1870-1900; Marriages, 1870-1920; and Death Records, 1870-1950 for Mannheim

Württemberg, Germany, Lutheran Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1500-1985 (at Ancestry/requires payment)
Württemberg, Germany, Family Tables, 1550-1985 (at Ancestry/requires payment)

Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg: Online Finding Aid System

Württemberg, Catholic and Lutheran Church Records, 1818-1915 from FamilySearch

Württemberg, Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart, Catholic Church Records, 1520-1975 from FamilySearch

Weil Schoenbuch, Wuerttemberg Lutheran Marriage Records 1591-1700

Kappel am Rhein Family Names from the Dorfsippenbuch for this village in Baden


Bayern (Bavaria)

Germany, Bavaria, Catholic Church Records, 1650-1875 from FamilySearch
Germany, Bavaria, Catholic and Lutheran Church Records, 1591-1963 from FamilySearch

digiPress: Digitized Historical Newspapers from the Bavarian State Library

Bavaria, Germany, WWI Personnel Rosters, 1914-1918 at Ancestry/requires payment

Ansbach...
Augsburg and nearby villages...
Bamberg Erzbistum - Archdiocese of Bamberg Catholic Church Records at Matricula/images only; not indexed

Berchtesgaden, Germany, Births, Marriages, and Deaths, 1876-1950 at Ancestry/requires payment

Deggendorf, Bavaria, Miscellaneous City Records, 1600-1900 at FamilySearch; images only, not indexed

Dinkelsbühl, Bavaria, Miscellaneous City Records, 1804-1946 at FamilySearch; images only, not indexed

Ebersberg, Germany, Deaths, 1876-1951 at Ancestry/requires payment; Ancestry also has Births, 1876-1905; and Marriages, 1876-1921 for Ebersberg; includes records from Aßling, Dorfen, Ebersberg, Kirchseeon and Oberndorf.

Feuchtwangen Association for Local History has some indexed parish registers for Feuchtwangen, Breitenau, Dorfgütingen, Kloster Sulz, Mosbach, Steichele, Unterampfrach, Weißenkirchberg, Wieseth, and Wildholz

Freilassing, Germany, Births, Marriages, and Deaths, 1876-1985 at Ancestry/requires payment; coverage varies by type of record

Grafing, Germany, Deaths, 1876-1950 at Ancestry/requires payment; Ancestry also has Births, 1876-1906; and Marriages, 1876-1936 for Grafing; includes: Elkofen, Frauenneuharting, Grafing, Schalldorf, and Straussdorf.

Laufen, Germany, Births, 1876-1906 at Ancestry/requires payment; Ancestry also has Marriages, 1876-1936; and Deaths, 1876-1986 for Laufen; includes Heining, Laufen, Leobendorf, and Triebenbach.

Mindelheim Bavaria, Miscellaneous City Records, 1407-1950 at FamilySearch; images only, not indexed

Mühldorf am Inn:
Munich (and Freising):
Neuburg an der Donau (Bavaria) Miscellaneous City Records, 1808-1949 at FamilySearch; images only, not indexed

Neumarkt, Bavaria, Miscellaneous City Records, 1453-1973 at FamilySearch; images only, not indexed

Nördlingen, Bavaria, Miscellaneous City Records, 1385-1943 at FamilySearch; images only, not indexed

Nürnberg (Nuremberg)... Passau... Regen County, Germany, Death Records, 1876-1983 at Ancestry/requires payment; civil registration records; Ancestry also has Marriage Records, 1876-1934; and Births, 1876-1904 for Regen; includes March, Regen, Rinchnach, Schonau, Teisnach, Vietach, Wettzell, and Wiesing (coverage varies by place)

Regensburg... Saaldorf-Surheim, Germany, Births, Marriages, and Deaths, 1876-1983 at Ancestry/requires payment; civil registration records

Straubing, Bavaria, Miscellaneous City Records, 1765-1917 at FamilySearch; images only, not indexed

Traunstein... Würzburg Death Notices a collection of about 4900 death notices


Berlin

Berlin, Germany, Deaths, 1874-1955 at Ancestry/requires payment; Ancestry also has Births, 1874-1909; and Marriages, 1874-1936 for Berlin
Deaths of German Citizens Abroad, Registers from Berlin Standesamt 1, 1939-1955 at Ancestry/requires payment

Berlin Telephone Books, 1908-1991; and Address Directories, 1799-1943


Brandenburg

Brandenburg, Germany, Transcripts of Church Records, 1700-1874 at Ancestry/requires payment. Has transcripts of more than 650 sets of church records for the state of Brandenburg, Germany from the Brandenburgisches Landeshauptarchiv. Coverage varies by parish -- most are from 1795-1874. Most are for Protestant churches.

Landkreis Barnim, Germany, Deaths, 1874-1966 at Ancestry/requires payment; Ancestry also has Births, 1874-1906; and Marriages, 1874-1936 for Landkreis Barnim

Brandenburg and Posen, Church Book Duplicates, 1794-1874 at FamilySearch


Bremen

Bremer Adressbücher, 1794-1955 (Bremen Address Directories)

Bremen, Catholic and Lutheran Church Records, 1746-1970 at FamilySearch

Bremen, Germany, Military Lists, 1712-1914 at Ancestry/requires payment

Bremen, Germany Ships Crew Lists, 1815-1917 at Ancestry/requires payment; Ancestry also has: Bremen, Germany Sailors Registry (Bremer Seeleuteregister), 1824-1917.


East Prussia (Ostpreussen) now in Poland

East Prussia, Catholic and Lutheran Church Records, 1551-1992 at FamilySearch

Also see the first two links in the West Prussia section below


Hamburg

Hamburg Civil Registration Registers PDFs; includes...
  • General Register of Births, 1876-1910
  • General Register of Marriages, 1876-1916
  • General Register of Deaths, 1876-1950
  • General Register of Births (Prussian Registry Offices), 1900-1909
  • Registers from Individual Civil Registration Offices (Standesämter)
Hamburg City Archive Duplicate Church Registers PDFs; includes...
  • Birth and Baptism Register, 1816-1866
  • Proclamation and Marriages Registers, 1816-1830
  • Register of Deaths, 1816-1866
Hamburg, Germany, Marriages, 1874-1920 at Ancestry (requires payment) Ancestry also has Hamburg Births, 1874-1901, and Deaths, 1874-1950.

Hamburg Address Books


Hannover: see the Niedersachsen section below


Hesse (Hessen)

Hessian Archive Documentation and Information System - Arcinsys includes Hessian Death Records 1876-1929, and other items

Hessian Regional History Information System (LAGIS): Hessian Vital Records Search (by Standesamt) type in a standesamt (civil registration office) to see what digitized civil vital records are available online for that place

Hesse Records Online at Ancestry (these require payment)... Hesse Records Online at FamilySearch (free with registration)... Adreßbuch von Kassel und Umgebungen (Address Books for Kassel and Surroundings)


Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Mecklenburg-West Pomerania)

Mecklenburg, Germany, Parish Register Transcripts, 1740-1918 (at Ancestry/fee-based) has transcripts of some duplicate church registers from Lutheran and Catholic parishes in the former Duchies of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Mecklenburg-Strelitz, now part of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern; coverage varies by parish

Mecklenburg-Schwerin Census Records Online for 1819, 1867, 1890 and 1900 (at Ancestry/fee-based)
Mecklenburg-Schwerin Census Records, 1867, 1890 and 1900 at FamilySearch
Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Catholic and Lutheran Church Records, 1639-1943 at FamilySearch

Bad Doberan, Germany, Births, Marriages, and Deaths, 1876-1981 (at Ancestry/fee-based) coverage varies by type of record

Fürstenhagen, Feldberg, Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Catholic and Lutheran Church Records, 1664-1937 from FamilySearch; currently has coverage for Fürstenhagen, Feldberg

Grevesmühlen, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany, Marriages, 1876-1920 (at Ancestry/fee-based) Ancestry also has Grevesmühlen Births, 1876-1901 and Deaths, 1876-1950; includes Grevesmühlen and the communities of Börzow, Diedrichshagen, Friedrichshagen, Roggenstorf, and Bössow.

Rostock...

Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony)

Suche in den Online-Findbüchern des Niedersächsischen Landesarchivs general search engine for the Niedersachsen state archive (includes some emigration records)

Diepholz, Germany, Residence Registration, 1874-1913 at Ancestry/requires payment; Ancestry also has Births, 1874-1899; Deaths, 1874-1950; and Marriages, 1874-1920 for Diepholz.

East Frisia, Germany, Fire Insurance Registration, 1768-1937 at Ancestry/requires payment

Former Kingdom/Province of Hannover Nienburg, Germany, Deaths, 1874-1974 at Ancestry/requires payment; Ancestry also has Nienburg, Germany, Births, 1874-1905

Oldenburg, Germany, Death Records, 1876-1950 at Ancestry/requires payment; Ancestry also has Birth Records, 1876-1900; and Marriage Records, 1876-1920; for Oldenburg

St. Martin Church of Hohnhorst, Schaumburg Province (Formerly Hessische Grafschaf Schaumburg), Lower Saxony index to church record extractions (marriages and confirmations)


Nordrhein-Westfalen (North Rhine-Westphalia)
Includes the former Prussian Province of Westphalia, the former Principality of Lippe, and the northern half of the former Prussian Rhine Province.

NRW State Archive: Landesarchiv, Rhineland, Digitized Death Registers, 1874/1876-1938 includes duplicates of the civil death records from the Rhineland region of North Rhine-Westphalia; not yet complete -- ongoing project; includes Aachen, Bonn, Duisburg, Dusseldorf, Essen, Mülheim an der Ruhr, and other places; coverage varies by place

Rhineland, Germany, Lutheran Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1610-1909 at Ancestry/requires payment

Zeitungsportal Nordrhein-Westfalen: Historical Newspapers from North Rhine Westphalia

Bocholt Population lists, 17th-19th Centuries lists of inhabitants for the city of Bocholt

Bornheim, Germany, Births, 1798-1900 at Ancestry/requires payment; Ancestry also has Marriages, 1798-1932; and Deaths, 1799-1932 for Bornheim

Dortmund Civil Registration Death Records

Köln (Cologne)... Menden (Sauerland), Germany, Deaths, 1874-1986 at Ancestry/requires payment; Ancestry also has Births, 1874-1906; and Marriages, 1874-1935 for Menden (Sauerland)

Minden, Germany, Deaths, 1874-1966 at Ancestry/requires payment; Ancestry also has Minden Births, 1874-1905; Marriages, 1874-1935; and other records for Minden

Moers, Germany, Births, 1798-1907 at Ancestry/requires payment; Ancestry also has Marriages, 1798-1935; and Deaths, 1803-1986 for Moers

Mönchengladbach, Germany, Death Records, 1798-1950 at Ancestry/requires payment; Ancestry also has Births, 1798-1903; and Marriages, 1798-1933 for Mönchengladbach

Münster: Diocese of Münster Catholic Church Records (images online) at Matricula; listed by parish; not indexed

Paderborn and nearby villages...
Troisdorf, Germany, Deaths, 1811-1968 at Ancestry/requires payment; Ancestry also has Births, 1811-1908; and Marriages, 1858-1937 for Troisdorf

Wehdem Evangelical Church Records (includes the villages of Wehdem, Oppendorf, Westrup & Oppenwehe)

Index of Some Surnames of Windheim Parish (includes the villages of Windheim, Ilse, Joessen, Haevern, Rosenhagen, Neuenknick, Seelenfeld & Doehren)

Wuppertal...

Pommern (Pomerania) parts now in Poland

Pomeranian Genealogical Association Databases includes christenings, marriages, deaths and more

Germany, Prussia, Pomerania Church Records, 1544-1945 at FamilySearch

Germany, Prussia, Pomerania, Catholic and Lutheran Church Records, 1544-1966 at FamilySearch

Pomerania, Germany, Parish Register Transcripts, 1544-1883 at Ancestry/requires payment

Geneteka has indexes for some parish registers in Pomerania

Pomeranian Pedigree Database contains over 100,000 names input by the members of the Pommerscher Verein Freistadt (Pomeranian Society of Freistadt)

Die Vorfahren Surname Database of Pomerania and Surrounding Regions This index has about 127,000 names that have apppeared in Die Pommerschen Leute (German Pomeranian Newsletter) from 1982-2012.

Greif-Index (personal database) indexes some Pomeranian church and civil registers; from the Pommerscher Greif eV, Association for Pomeranian Family and Local History

West Pomeranian Genealogical Society: Pomeranian Indexes

Genealogy in Archives - sources for the history of the inhabitants of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship has a database with genealogy records for the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Province

Stolp, Pomerania Family History Database Polish name: Słupsk

Germany, Prussia, Pomerania, Stralsund, Church Book Indexes, 1600-1900 at FamilySearch; includes the neighboring community of Voigdehagen

Also see the "Eastern Prussian Provinces" link in the Westpreussen section below.


Posen (Poznan) now in Poland

Germany, Prussia, Posen, Catholic and Lutheran Church Records, 1430-1998 at FamilySearch

Poznan Marriage Indexing Project index for 817,000 marriages from the Prussian province of Posen

Brandenburg and Posen, Church Book Duplicates, 1794-1874 at FamilySearch


Rheinland-Pfalz (Rhineland-Palatinate)

Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, Lutheran Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1556-1973 (at Ancestry/requires payment)

Bingen: Die Binger Familienbücher (Bingen Family Books)
Bingen: also see the Diocese of Mainz link below.

Ludwigshafen, Germany, Births, Marriages, and Deaths, 1798-1875 (at Ancestry/requires payment); Ancestry also has Births, 1876-1903; Marriages, 1876-1924; Deaths, 1875-1950; and Family Tables, 1730-1903 for Ludwigshafen.

Mainz... Speyer, Germany, Civil Registry Vital Records, 1798-1875 (at Ancestry/requires payment)

Steinfeld, Germany Deaths, 1683-1793 (at Ancestry/requires payment)

Trier Genealogy Records and Indexes...
  • Trier Civil Registration Records and Census Records
Births and Marriages in the Eifel Region of Germany

List of Palatines from Germany to England in 1709 (most went on to America)

Totenzettel Sammlungen Database contains over 450,000 death notifications from the Westdeutsche Gesellschaft für Familienkunde eV (West German Society for Family Studies) for the former Prussian Rhine province. Includes today's administrative districts of Düsseldorf and Köln (North Rhine-Westphalia) and Koblenz and Trier (Rhineland-Palatinate).


Sachsen (Saxony) formerly the Kingdom, then Republic of Saxony

Historiche Adressbücher - Historical Address Books/Directories for Saxony

Bischofswerda, Germany, Deaths, 1876-1952 at Ancestry/requires payment; civil registration records; Ancestry also has Births, 1876-1902; and Marriages, 1876-1922 for Bischofswerda. Includes: Bischofswerda, Buehlau, Burkau, Frankenthal, Goldbach, Grossdrebnitz, Grossharthau, Jiedlitz, Putzkau, Rammenau, Shmiedefeld, Seeligstadt, and Uhyst.

Dresden... Leipzig...
  • Stadtarchiv Leipzig Genealogy Indexes includes indexes for Births (Geburten), Marriages (Eheschließungen), Deaths (Sterbefälle), and World War I Deaths (Kriegssterbefälle 1914-1918); scroll down to "Digitalisierte Verzeichnisse" (Digitized Directories); coverage varies
  • Leipzig, Saxony, Miscellaneous City Records from FamilySearch; includes births (1814-1877) and some census records; not indexed
Frankenberg... Limbach-Oberfrohna... Saxony, Church Book Indexes, 1500-1900 at FamilySearch; coverage varies by location. Includes the following places: Bärenwalde, Brehme, Chemnitz, Culitzsch, Deutschneudorf, Dippoldswalde, Dittersbach, Dresden, Ebersbrunn, Glösa, Göda, Grossgrabe, Hennersdorf, Hermsdorf, Hormersdorf, Krummenhennersdorf, Leuben, Liebenau, Nassau, Neuhausen, Neumark, Pirna, Pretzschendorf, Reichenberg, Reichstädt, Rottmansdorf, Stangengrün, and Zschaitz.


Sachsen-Anhalt (Saxony-Anhalt) former Prussian province of Saxony

Saxony, Prussia, Lutheran Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1760-1890 at Ancestry/requires payment

Saxony, Prussia Census Lists, 1770-1934 at FamilySearch

Halle (Saale):
Magdeburg:
Obere Aller:
Oschersleben:
Wanzleben:
  • Wanzleben, Germany, Deaths, 1874-1984 at Ancestry/requires payment; Ancestry also has Birth Records, 1874-1909; and Marriage Records, 1874-1940 for Wanzleben.
  • Wanzleben, Germany, Soul Register, 1798-1888 at Ancestry/requires payment; these are population registries or fremdenbuch; also includes these villages: Domersleben, Klein-Rodensleben, Bottmersdorf, Dreileben, Eggenstedt, Groß Rodensleben, Hohendodeleben, and Seehausen - coverage may vary
Birth, Christening, Marriage and Death Records of St. Michael's, Zeitz, Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany, 1799-1874


Schleswig-Holstein

AKVZ-Databank Schleswig-Holstein Census Registers

Genealogy in Schleswig Holstein, Germany
Includes some census and emigration records for this German state.

Lübeck, Germany, Genealogy Records at Ancestry/requires payment; Includes:
  • Lübeck, Germany, Census Records for various years between 1807 and 1880
  • Lübeck, Germany, Burials, 1832-1988
  • Lübeck, Germany, Personal Index Cards, 1300s-1850
  • Lübeck, Germany, Births, Marriage Banns, and Deaths, 1811-1875
  • Lübeck, Germany, Draft Registration Lists for Persons Born 1807-1902
  • Lübeck, Germany, Citizenship Register, 1591-1919
  • And other items
Lübeck, Catholic and Lutheran Church Records, 1797-1961 at FamilySearch

Schleswig and Holstein, Denmark and Schleswig-Holstein, Prussia, Germany, Lutheran Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1597-1959 at Ancestry/requires payment; for some communities in what is now the district of Ostholstein in Schleswig-Holstein. Includes the following communities or parts thereof: Ahrensbök (including Gnissau), Bosau, City of Eutin, Gleschendorf, Malente, Neukirchen, Rensefeld, Stockelsdorf (including Curau), Süsel and West-Ratekau.

Genealogy Records from the Parish of Erfde, Schleswig features downloadable PDF files of church records, graves, census records & emigrants - includes: Erfde, Tielen, Bargen, Scheppern, Pahlhorn & Tielenhemme

Flensberg... Schleswig-Holstein: Kreis Steinburg, Civil Registration Records, 1874-1983 at FamilySearch


Thüringen (Thuringia)

Thuringia, Germany, Lutheran Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1591-1875 (at Ancestry/requires payment) has 2.9 million entries
Thuringia, Germany, Lutheran Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1557-1940 (at Ancestry/requires payment) has 544,000 entries

Erfurt, Germany, Births, 1874-1901 (at Ancestry/requires payment) Ancestry also has marriages, 1874-1900; and death records, 1874-1935 for Erfurt.
Erfurt, Germany, Transcripts of Church Records, 1806-1874 (at Ancestry/requires payment) Erfurt, Deutschland, Kirchenbuchduplikate, 1806-1874.

Saalfeld, Germany, Deaths, 1876-1951 (at Ancestry/requires payment) Ancestry also has Births, 1876-1904; and Marriages, 1876-1921 for Saalfeld.

Weimar, Germany, Deaths, 1876-1950 (at Ancestry/requires payment) Ancestry also has Weimar Births, 1876-1903; and Weimar Marriages, 1876-1920.


Westpreussen (West Prussia) now in Poland

Eastern Prussian Provinces, Germany [Poland], Selected Civil Vitals, 1874-1945 at Ancestry/requires payment; coverage varies by place; includes some civil vital records from West Prussia, East Prussia, Silesia, Brandenburg, Pomerania and Posen-West Prussia

Association for Family Research in East and West Prussia Databases (VFFOW)

West Prussia, Catholic and Lutheran Church Records, 1537-1981 at FamilySearch

The West Prussian Land Register of 1772-1773

Familienforschung in Westpreussen database of about 100,000 residents with 12,700 surnames in 3 counties: Briesen, Graudenz and Strasburg (and adjacent districts)

Putzig, West Prussia Genealogy Records 1660-1890
Assorted birth, marriage and death records extracted from the Catholic Church records of Putzig, West Prussia -- today called Puck, Poland.

Württemberg

See the Baden-Württemberg section above.



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