If you’re among the one-in-eight Americans who have German ancestry, you might be intimidated by the prospect of writing to German churches and archives to request information about your ancestors. But, in fact, so many German church records are now online that you might not need to draft a letter in German or hire a researcher in Germany.
I’ll point you to the four websites with the largest collections of German church records and share tips for how to decipher seemingly impenetrable handwriting and vocabulary.
WHAT TO EXPECT: GERMAN CHURCH REGISTERS
First, some background: Lutheran (Lutherische) churches began requiring records around 1540, Catholic (Katholische) churches in 1563, and Reformed (Reformierte) parishes by 1650. The Lutheran and Reform churches more or less consolidated in 1817 to form the Evangelical Church (Evangelische).
Amazingly, despite rebellions, invasions and devastating World Wars, most German church records survive intact. The most useful church records for genealogy are baptism, marriage and burial registers.
• A child was usually baptized a few days after birth. The registers typically provide the names of the infant and parents, as well as witnesses or godparents (who could be relatives). The records also note if the birth was illegitimate. They may include
