Research
trip to Germany in November 2005: Now accepting clients
For
those persons lucky enough to already know an exact place of origin for their European
ancestor(s), CGS can immediately begin
research with European records. The FHL houses an extensive collection of old German Empire records, as
well as records of Switzerland, France, Austria and Scandinavia. Parish
registers are available as early as the 1500's in some areas (specifically Baden
and Württemberg) but at least one to two
hundred years later in other areas. Wars and other catastrophes caused destruction
of some registers (as might be expected), thus availability varies greatly from place to
place.
Civil
registration was instituted much later. The French introduced civil registration in
1798 in those areas of Germany annexed by Napoleon Bonaparte. Baden began civil
registration in 1810, and records from Prussia are available beginning 1 October
1874. On 1 January 1876, civil registration was officially mandated in all areas of
the German Empire.
If an exact place
of origin is unknown, research will need to begin with U.S. sources.
Emigration lists for Hamburg, Germany are available from 1850-1934. Passenger lists
for most major American ports also are available through the mid-Twentieth Century, and
generally are indexed. In addition, naturalization, military, census, church, vital,
and other records can be used to establish European origins.
There are similar types of
records for Switzerland and portions of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire (now part of the
modern-day countries of Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Italy and
Yugoslavia). Swiss records are more plentiful at the FHL than those from other
Eastern European countries, but always inquire about specific areas.
The following areas of the old German Empire have been
highlighted below, as they have the most complete records at the FHL. Other areas of
Germany, Poland, Switzerland and Austria may also be available, so please inquire in all
cases.
Baden
Bayern (Bavaria)
Brandenburg, Prussia [now partially Poland]
Elsass-Lothringen (Alsace-Lorraine) [now in France]
Hannover, Prussia (Hanover)
Hessen (often referred to as Hesse Darmstadt)
Hessen-Nassau, Prussia
Mecklenburg (Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Mecklenburg-Strelitz)
Oldenburg
Ostpreussen, Prussia (East Prussia) [now in Poland, Russia and Lithuania]
Pfalz (Palatine/Palatinate)
Rheinland, Prussia (Rhineland)
Schlesien, Prussia (Silesia) [now partially in Poland & the Czech Republic]
Westfalen, Prussia (Westphalia)
Westpreussen, Prussia (West Prussia) [now Poland]
Württemberg (Wuerttemberg)
Read what previous clients have had to say about Carpenter Genealogical Services