Places to Find German Genealogy Records and Databases Online

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, Regensburg, and Rottenburg-Stuttgart; and from the Official Archives in Vechta for churches in the former state of Oldenburg (part of the diocese of Münster)

• Hamburg Passenger Departure Lists Guide, 1850-1934

• You can search an index of these military graves at Ancestry: Germany, Volksbund, Indexes of Victims of War, WW1 and WW2, 1870-1955 requires payment

• Database of Brakel/Erkeln Families
  Online database of about 10,000 individuals who lived in Brakel/Erkeln (Nordrhein-Westfalen).

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

Baden-Württemberg
Includes Baden, Hohenzollern, and Württemberg.

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

Karlsruhe, Germany, Deaths, 1870-1951 (at Ancestry/requires payment); Ancestry also has Births, 1870-1904; and Marriages, 1870-1921 for Karlsruhe

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

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

Bayern (Bavaria)

• Ansbach, Germany, Lutheran Parish Register Extracts, 1526-1940 at Ancestry/requires payment
• Ansbach, Middle Franconia, Brenner Collection of Genealogical Records, 1550-1900 at FamilySearch/free with registration; a digitized collection of family group sheets from the district of Ansbach, Mittelfranken, Bavaria

• Diocese of Augsburg Catholic Church Records at Matricula/images only; not indexed
• Augsburg, Bavaria Church Records from FamilySearch

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.

• Mühldorf am Inn, Germany, Deaths, 1876-1950 at Ancestry/requires payment; Ancestry also has Births, 1876-1899 and Marriages, 1876-1920 for Mühldorf am Inn
• Mühldorf, Germany, Deeds, 1300-1873 at Ancestry/requires payment; images only, not indexed

• The Digital Archive of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising has some digitized catholic church records for churches in the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising.
• Archdiocese of München (Munich) and Freising - Digitized Catholic Church Books at Matricula
• Genealogy and House Chronicles in the Area Northwest of Munich

• Nuremberg (Nürnberg), Germany, Deaths, 1876-1983 at Ancestry/requires payment; Ancestry also has Marriages, 1876-1925; and Births, 1876-1905 for Nuremberg
• Nuremberg Civil Registration, 1803-1886 at FamilySearch (index is available online with free registration)

• Roman Catholic Diocese of Passau Church Records digital images from the church books
• Passau, Bavaria, Miscellaneous City Records, 1700-1940 at FamilySearch; images only, not indexed

• Diocese of Regensburg Church Records from Matricula; ongoing project; more parishes are being added

• Traunstein, Germany, Deaths, 1876-1978 at Ancestry/requires payment; Ancestry also has Births, 1876-1905; Marriages, 1876-1934; and other records for Traunstein
  • Traunstein, Germany, Residence Registers, 1840-1910 at Ancestry/requires payment
  • Berlin, Germany, Births, 1874-1908 at Ancestry/requires payment
  • Berlin, Germany, Marriages, 1874-1936 at Ancestry/requires payment
  • Berlin, Germany, Deaths, 1874-1986 at Ancestry/requires payment

  
  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 an der Havel, Germany, Birth, Marriage, and Death Records, 1874-1990 at Ancestry/requires payment; images only, not indexed, but some volumes include handwritten indexes; includes Gollwitz/Wust, Kirchmöser and Plaue
  Brandenburg an der Havel, Germany, Address Books, 1847-1923 at Ancestry/requires payment; images only

  Prenzlau, Germany, Deaths, 1874-1950 at Ancestry/requires payment; Ancestry also has Marriages, 1874-1923; and Births, 1874-1901 for Prenzlau; Prenzlau is in the district of Uckermark.

  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

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

  • 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)
  • Birth and Baptism Register, 1816-1866
  • Proclamation and Marriages Registers, 1816-1830
  • Register of Deaths, 1816-1866

  
  Hannover: see the Niedersachsen section below

  
  Hesse (Hessen)

  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, Hesse-Kassel, Hess Darmstadt, Hess-Marburg, Hess-Reinfels, Rhineland, and Waldeck, Germany, Lutheran Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1661-1957 (at Ancestry/fee-based) coverage varies by place
  • Hesse, Germany Births, 1851-1901 (at Ancestry/fee-based) coverage varies by civil registration office
  • Hesse, Germany, Marriages, 1849-1930 (at Ancestry/fee-based) coverage varies by civil registration office
  • Hesse, Germany, Deaths, 1851-1958 (at Ancestry/fee-based) coverage varies by civil registration office
  • Hesse Civil Registration, 1874-1927
  • Hesse-Nassau Civil Registers and Church Books, 1701-1875
  • Hessen-Nassau, Diocese of Limburg, Catholic Church Records, 1601-1919
  • Frankfurt Civil Registration Deaths Indexes, 1928-1978
  • Frankfurt, Civil Registration, 1811-1814, 1833-1928

  
  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

  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.

  Rehna, Germany, Deaths, 1876-1950 (at Ancestry/fee-based) Ancestry also has Births, 1876-1899; and Marriages, 1876-1920 for Rehna

  • Rostock, Germany, Parish Register Transcripts, 1580-1945 (at Ancestry/fee-based)
  • Rostock, Germany, Cemetery Lists, 1831-1959 (at Ancestry/fee-based)
  • Ancestry also has Births, 1876-1911; Marriages, 1876-1941; and Deaths, 1876-1981 for Rostock
  • City Archive of Schwerin, Germany, Deaths, 1876-1940 (at Ancestry/fee-based) Ancestry also has Births, 1876-1909; and Marriages, 1876-1921 for the city of Schwerin.

  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.

  • Kurhannover, Kingdom of Hannover, and Province of Hannover, Germany, Lutheran Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1643-1887 at Ancestry/requires payment; for the region between Bremen and Hannover, extending south to the Harz Mountains.
  • Kingdom of Hannover and Province of Hannover, Germany, Lutheran Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1684-1892 at Ancestry/requires payment; for the district of Emsland including Papenburg, Meppen and Lingen; the county Grafschaft Bentheim including Nordhorn and Schüttorf; and Osnabrück including Bramsche, Quakenbrück and Melle.
  • Elbe-Weser Triangle, Germany, Lutheran Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1574-1945 at Ancestry/requires payment; for 100 communities in the northeastern portion of Lower Saxony and in the areas around Bremen and Bremerhaven; includes the communities of Achim, Bederkesa, Lehe, Lesum, Ritterhude, Scheeßel, Visselhövede and Worpswede and others.

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

  
  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

  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

  • Kirchenbuchportal des Bistumsarchives Essen (Essen Catholic Diocese Archive - Church Books)
  • Diocese of Cologne (Köln) Catholic Church Books (not complete)
    • Instructions for accessing the Cologne church books

    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

    • Paderborn, Catholic Church Records, 1653-1875 from FamilySearch; includes baptism, marriage and burial records from the Paderborn Archdiocese (Erzbistum Paderborn)
    • Archdiocese of Paderborn Catholic Church Records at Matricula/images only; not indexed

    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)

    • Germany, North Rhine-Westphalia, Wuppertal, Civil Registration, 1810-1930 at FamilySearch
    • Bergischer Datenpool (Data Pool) genealogy database with user contributed material for the Bergisches Land area including Wuppertal

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

    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

    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

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

    
    Rheinland-Pfalz (Rhineland-Palatinate)

    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.

    • Diocese of Mainz, Catholic Church Records, 1540-1952 from FamilySearch
    • Mainz, Germany, Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1798-1875 (at Ancestry/requires payment)
      Also included with a fee-based Ancestry subscription:
      • Mainz, Germany, Birth Records, 1872-1900
      • Mainz, Germany, Marriages, 1876-1920
      • Mainz, Germany, Deaths, 1876-1950
      • Mainz, Germany, Emigration Register, 1856-1877
      • Speyer, Germany, Civil Registry Vital Records, 1798-1875 (at Ancestry/requires payment)
      • Speyer, Germany, Domestic Help, 1875-1914 (at Ancestry/requires payment)
      • Trier Civil Registration Records and Census Records
        • Trier, Germany, Deaths, 1798-1950 (Civil Registration Records) (at Ancestry/requires payment) Ancestry also has Census Records (Inhabitants Lists), 1795-1864; Births, 1798-1904; Marriages, 1798-1924; and Catholic Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1600-1798 for Trier.
        • Trier Catholic Church Records
          • Trier, Germany, Catholic Church Records: Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1600-1798 (at Ancestry/requires payment)
          • Diocese of Trier, Catholic Church Records, 1704-1957 from FamilySearch

          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

          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, Germany, Deaths, 1876-1957 at Ancestry/requires payment; Ancestry also has Births, 1876-1907; and Marriages, 1876-1922 for Dresden
          • Dresden, Germany, Crematorium Registers, 1911-1952 at Ancestry/requires payment
          • Diocese of Dresden-Meissen, Catholic Church Records, 1621-1976 from Family Search
          • 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, Germany, Deaths, 1876-1951 at Ancestry/requires payment; Ancestry also has Births, 1876-1905; and Marriages, 1876-1922 for Frankenberg.
          • Frankenberg, Germany, Family Registers, 1717-1938 at Ancestry/requires payment
          • Limbach-Oberfrohna, Germany, Deaths, 1876-1952 at Ancestry/requires payment; Ancestry also has Marriages, 1809-1938; and Births, 1876-1907 for Limbach-Oberfrohna. Also.
          • Limbach-Oberfrohna, Germany, Residence Records, 1869-1932 at Ancestry/requires payment; includes residence registers and census records: "Einwohnerregister, Einwohnerverzeichnisse, Meldebücher, Anmelderegister, Vollkszählung. Limbach-Oberfrohna, Deutschland."

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

          • Halle (Saale), Germany, Deaths, 1874-1957 at Ancestry/requires payment; Ancestry also has Marriages, 1874-1933; Births, 1874-1903; and Burial and Cemetery Registers, 1720-1934 for Halle (Saale). Also.
            • Halle (Saale), Germany, Census and Citizen Lists, 1400-1915 at Ancestry/requires payment
            • Magdeburg, Germany, Deaths, 1874-1950 at Ancestry/requires payment; Ancestry also has Marriages, 1874-1923; and Births, 1874-1903 for Magdeburg.
            • Saxony-Anhalt, Diocese of Magdeburg, Catholic Church Records, 1608-1945 from FamilySearch
            • Obere Aller, Germany, Civil Records of Deaths, 1874-1969 at Ancestry/requires payment; Ancestry also has Civil Records of Births, 1874-1903; and Marriages, 1874-1941 for Obere Aller.
            • Oschersleben, Germany Deaths, 1874-1985 at Ancestry/requires payement; Ancestry also has Births, 1874-1905; and Marriages, 1874-1935 for Oschersleben.
            • 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

            
            Schleswig-Holstein

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

            • 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

            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

            • Flensburg, Germany, Birth Index Cards, 1874-1902 at Ancestry/requires payment
            • Flensburg, Germany, Marriage Index Cards, 1874-1932 at Ancestry/requires payment
            • Flensburg, Germany, Death Index Cards, 1874-1987 at Ancestry/requires payment

            
            Thüringen (Thuringia)

            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.

            Meiningen, Germany, Deaths 1874-1990 at Ancestry/requires payment; Ancestry also has Births, 1874-1910; and Marriages, 1874-1940 for Meiningen.

            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

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