Bremen, Germany, Military Lists, 1712-1914

About this collection

This collection contains military records from Bremen covering the years 1712 up to and including 1914. Bremen, officially the "Free Hanseatic City of Bremen," lies on the Weser River about 31 miles south of the river's mouth to the North Sea. Bremen together with the city of Bremerhaven form the German state of Bremen.

The city's history since the Middle Ages has been characterized by commerce, seafaring, membership in the Hanseatic League, and by a persistent pursuit of political autonomy. Notable landmarks in Bremen include its historic Town Hall, a statue of Roland erected in 1404, St. Peter's Cathedral and a sculpture of Die Stadtmusikanten (the Town Musicians) from the Grimm's fairy tale. Bremen's many tourist attractions include the medieval neighborhood of Schnoor, Böttcherstraße street (famous for its expressionist architecture), and numerous significant museums and cutural centers.

This collection combines records from historic military sources from urban areas of Bremen as well as from rural portions of Vegesack. The earliest documents are military personnel rosters, also called muster rolls or lists. Other records include directories of all male military residents. These were created by relevant authorities in order to track replacement personnel.

The core of the collection are the muster rolls created by recruiting commmissions including actual musters from 1894-1917 for men born between 1874 and 1899. These records are arranged in chronological-alphabetical order and contain detailed information about male military personnel in the city. They are an important historical resource for Bremen.

What you can find in the records

Authorities captured the information about military personnel by year of birth and alphabetically by surname. It was recorded on preprinted forms filled in by hand. Depending on the form used and its purpose, the following details may be found:

• Sequential number
• Military Details: Last Name, Given Names, Birthdate/Place
• Parent Details: Last Name, Given Names, Alive at the time of Muster, Father's Occupation, Place of Residence
• Muster Date (usually 20 years after date of birth), Military Duty Station, Denomination, Occupation, Muster Details, Service Dates and Locations, Military Unit.
• Notes

More about using this collection

For muster rolls where the birth years (Geburtsjahr) begin in 1874 and later, each document consists of two pages which are divided into columns. The majority contain three records per dual page. Additional information that can be found in this collection may include notes about emigration of or assignments made to military personnel. To browse the images in this collection select the Collection (Ersatzkommission = Recruiting Commmission, Militärstammrollen = Military Personnel Rosters, Stammlisten = Muster Rolls) then Title for the year range desired. For example, under Ersatzkommission (Recruiting Commission) 1874-1914, you might select "...Geburtsjahr 1879, Bd· 03 L-R" for men born in 1879 whose last names begin with the letters L-R.