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 BRANDENBURG GERMANY

 

 

The purpose of the World GenWeb Project is to allow free access to a variety of genealogical data. The various countries are hosted by volunteers who have a deep love for genealogy research.

If you would like to contribute your information to this page, please let me know. Links to your genealogy web pages (concerning Brandenburg) are welcome. Please donate your (un)transcribed/German primary data (church records, cemetery lists, town records) to this web site for others to use. If you are searching for specific names, please use the message board.


Please do not request that I do your research for you. I do not maintain surname lists nor do I monitor list-boards. You are welcome to post your queries, so far as it is concerning this state, using the Brandenburg Message Board. I do not manually post queries. Sometimes we get stuck in our research, so it helps to ask others who might be able to give clues as what can be done next.


If you do not know exactly which state your German ancestors came from, but you know the town or city name, try GEOserv. If you have a town name but are unsure where it is in Germany, try Arthur Teschler's GEO server - send him an email as instructed on this page and he will return an email with the information on your town!! http://www.genealogy.com/gene/www/abt/geoserv.html

Queries:

Homepages:

State Archives:

Genealogical Societies: (LDS Family History Library Research Outline) There are many genealogical societies in Germany that publish helpful periodicals and compiled genealogies. The may also have special indexes, collections, and projects. Some publish queries about German ancestors or maintain a list of members' research interests. While many societies cannot give research assistance, they will inform you of addresses of researchers and other sources that may assist you in your research. When contacting a society for help, remember the following:

Military Records:There is no central archive for German military records. German states each had their own system of keeping military records before 1867. These records are now stored in several German state archives. In 1867 the armies of all but three German states were integrated into the armies of Prussia. The following pamphlet lists the archives where existing military records for each state are found:

Reschke, Horst A. German Military Records as Genealogical Sources. Salt Lake City, Utah: Reschke, 1990. (FHL book 943 M2r; fiche 6001596; computer number 592812.)

Church Directories: Church directories exist for each individual Catholic dioceses; the LDS Family History Library does not have copies of directories for all dioceses. Church directories may include the following information:

Church directories are listed in the Locality Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:

GERMANY - CHURCH DIRECTORIES

GERMANY, [STATE], [TOWN OF DIOCESE] - CHURCH DIRECTORIES

Cemeteries: Many older German graves have been replaced with recently deceased persons and new tombstones. However, copies of some old tombstone inscriptions are available, especially for private or church cemeteries and crypts. Parish register burials, funeral sermons, bell tolling accounts, and civil registration death records are easier to find than tombstones. Cemetery records may include the deceased's name, age, death or burial date, birth year or date, and marriage information. They may also provide clues about military service, religion, occupation, place of residence at time of death, or membership in an organization. The LDS Family History Library has a copy of a few German cemetery records. (LDS Family History Library Research Outline). More information can also be found at the Evangelical Church in Brandenburg (in German)

History: The state of Brandenburg has approximately 1000 years of history. During the middle ages, the rulers of Brandenburg were among the Grand Electors, or those who could elect a Holy Roman Emperor.

The state rose to the fore during the reign of Frederick-William (1620-1688). He helped rebuild the state after the Thirty Years' War. He was a Calvinist, and allowed thousands of French Huguenots into his kingdom as immigrants, after King Louis XIV of France expelled them.

In the early 18th century the ruler of Brandenburg became King of Prussia. Frederick III (1657-1713), through deft political intrique was crowned King in the Duchy of Eastern Prussia and became Frederick I, King of Prussia. Brandenburg had become its' own kingdowm, with the Hohenzollern Family as the rulers. Later Western Prussia was annexed by Brandenburg during the first partition of Poland in 1772.

Eastern Brandenburg is now part of Western Poland. For more historical information see the Timeline of Brandenburg History. For a Catholic perspective, see the Catholic Encyclopedia: Brandenburg.

Maps: Brandenburg in the 1700s
German Empire East - 1882 - Brandenburg
Brandenburg in the 1920s

Counties: (Post 1945)

Counties: (Pre 1945 including what is now part of Poland) Brandenburg was divided into 2 districts with a total of 38 counties.

Potsdam District
Counties: Angermuende, Beeskow-Storkow, Brandenburg-Stadt, Charlottenburg, Jueterbog-Luckenwalde, Niederbarnim, Oberbarnim, Osthavelland, Ostpriegnitz, Potsdam-Stadt, Prenzlau, Ruppin, Spandau-Stadt, Teltow, Templin, Westhavelland, Westpriegnitz, Zauch-Belzig
Frankfurt an der Oder
Arnswalde, Frankfurt(Stadt), Friedebrg, Guben(Stadt), *Guben-Land, Kalau, *Koenigsberg, Kottbus(Stadt), Kottbus-Land, Krossen, Landsberg-Stadt, Landsberg-Land, Lebus, Luebden, Luckau, Oststernberg, Soldin, Sorau, Spremberg, Weststernberg, Zuellichau-Schwiebus
* - Now in Poland

Cities: Altlewin, Bad Freienwalde, Beeskow, Borgsdorf, Borken, Brandenburg, Britz, Buchholz in der Nordheide, Buchholz, Burg, Caputh, Cottbus -- more to come!

Huguenot Mailing Lists Archives: Huguenots to Brandenburg
Brandenburg Huguenots
Fouquet and De La Barre Surnames

Genealogy Source Links:

Other German Genealogical Links:

 

Volunteers are scanning Ellis Island Records. (SF Examiner 2/2/99) Climbing the family tree will take a lot less clawing as soon as a nonprofit foundation finishes a more than $15 million project to post Ellis Island immigration records on the internet. By helping people to access information instantly that previously was buried in a bureaucratic quagmire, the project will revolutionize genealogicial research for many of the more than 113 million Americans who already actively pursue their family histories. Officials at the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation in NY, the same organization that gave Lady Liberty a face lift in 1986 without any public funding, estimate that more than 40% of Americans can trace their European ancestry back to Ellis Island. By the end of next year, the foundation hopes, people will be able
to enter any information they know about a progenitor and the program will search more than 20 million records for a match. The software will even be able to tolerate misspellings. If a match is found, the researcher can choose to print out a photo of the ship and a copy of the original manifesto that marked the immigrant's arrival. http://www.wallofhonor.com/entry-gen.asp

 

  • The Immigrant Ship Transcribers Guild (ISTG) began its work on September 16, 1998, with 50 volunteers within the first week. Now nearly 500 volunteers are transcribing ship passenger lists that will be posted on the ISTG Web site. The guild accepts new volunteers on a quarterly basis. The next group will be accepted in April, 1999, so if you are interested in joining at that time, please read the FAQ under Guild Information. More than 300 passenger lists are now posted at the Web site and new passenger lists are posted weekly. http://istg.rootsweb.com
  • German Emigration Records: The LDS Family History Library has the 1991 edition of the Germanic Emigrants Register (FHL fiche 6312192; computer number 445448) This list consists of 10 microfiche and contains about 118,000 names. You can also write to:
    Germanic Emigrants Register
    Postfach 10 08 22
    51608 Gummersbach
    Germany

 

Are you new to online research? Here's a list of links that will help you understand the process of using the Internet for family history research.

  • Internet Stuff You Need To Know
    http://www.CyndisList.com/internet.htm
    • Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet Your genealogical research portal onto the Internet
      http://www.CyndisList.com
  • RootsWeb
    http://www.RootsWeb.com
    See the RootsWeb Help Desk:
    http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com/
  • USGenWeb
    http://www.USGenWeb.org

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    Check the LDS Family History Library Research Outline for Germany for more details about services the library provides at your nearest FHC. You can also find examples of letters written in German asking for information.

     

      December 12, 2003

      Roger Kennedy
      Brandenburg Germany WorldGenWeb Coordinator

      In your message, please indicate that your comments are

      related to Brandenburg, Germany.

     

      © 2000 - 2001 Julia Krapfl
      © 2002 - 2003 WorldGenWeb
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