Rhineland, Bavaria, Palatinate and Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, Lutheran Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1556-1973

About this collection

This collection contains parish registers from numerous Protestant communities which for the most part are found in the modern German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The oldest church records in this collection date from the 16th century. However, many records begin in the 17th century. Year ranges often extend up to 1874. At that point, it was mandated that personal and vital statistics in the Prussian provinces be recorded by local registry offices following the French pattern of recordkeeping .

Many registers date to the beginning of, or just before, the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). These earlier documents often contain Latin terms. The majority of the collection, however, is in German. These parish records primarily contain information about births and baptisms, confirmations, marriages, and deaths and burials.

The territory covered by the records largely coincides with the historical boundaries of the left bank Bavarian Palatinate of the 19th century. This collection includes records from the cities of Alsenz, Bad Bergzabern, Homburg, Kusel, Pirmasens and Speyer, among others. In addition to records from localities in today's Rhineland-Palatinate, this collection also contains church books from Nuremberg.

What you can find in the records

Events in the original church registers were recorded by the local pastor. In the tradition of the "Unionskirche" (Union church) of the left bank Palatinate, events from the lives of Lutheran, Reformed and occasionally Catholic parishioners were recorded and combined together into a single register. However, the majority of the entries are about members of the Lutheran Church. Depending on the time period and on the individual formulations used, you may generally find the following details in these records:

For Births:

• Child: Given Names, Birthdate, Time of Birth, Legitimacy/Illegitimacy, Baptism, Witnesses
• Parents: Father's Given Names, Last Name, and Profession/Trade; Mother's Given Names, Maiden Name and Profession/Trade; Parents' residence

For Confirmations:

• Confirmation Date, Last Name, Child's Given Names, Birthplace, Birthdate, Baptism Date, Parents, Residence

For Marriages:

• Groom: Given names, Last Name, Occupation, Residence, Birthdate and Birthplace, details about his Parents
• Bride: Given names, Last Name, Maiden Name, Occupation, Residence, Birthdate and Birthplace, details about her Parents
• Date and Place of Wedding

For Deaths:

• Deceased: Given Names, Last Name, Maiden Name, Occupation/Trade, Age, Spouse/Parents, Deathplace, Time of Death, Cause of Death, Date of Funeral

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