Worms, Germany, Births, 1876-1902

About this collection

This collection contains birth records from Worms covering the years 1876 up to and including 1902. Worms is an independent city situated on the left (west) bank of the Rhine in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate It is also known as the Nibelungen city and Luther City and is known for the Kaiserdom, a Romanesque imperial cathedral. In addition to Worms the collection includes records from 13 surrounding communities, among which is the traditional Mennonite-influenced community of Ibersheim. The date range of each individual collection may vary. Birth records from the town of Neuhausen start in 1859, those from Leiselheim in 1870 and those from Wiesoppenheim in 1871. During the time period of this collection Worms was part of the Grand Duchy of Hesse.

Beginning on May 1, 1798, birth, marriage and death records in left-bank areas, including the city of Worms, followed the model of the French civil registry. Throughout the entire former German Empire, civil registration was taken over and performed by local registry offices beginning in January 1, 1876.

The collected records are arranged chronologically and usually in bound yearbook form which are collectively referred to as "civil registers." Occasionally, alphabetical directories of names were also created. While churches continued to keep traditional records, the State also mandated that the personal or marital status of the entire population be recorded.

What you can find in the records

Births records were created using preprinted forms that were filled in by hand by the registrar. In each record the date of a birth usually differs from the date it was registered. Depending on the individual form or on the formulations used by the registrar, you may find:

• Sequential or Certificate Number
• Registration Date
• Informant: Occupation, Given Name, Last Name, Residence/Address, Denomination
• Mother: Occupation, Given Names, Last Name, Maiden Name, Spouse, Denomination, Residence/Address
• Child: Birthplace, Birth Date, Time of Birth, Sex, Given Names
• Signatures

More about using this collection

After 1876 each record comprises one page. Additional events from the life of the child were sometimes recorded later on in the margins. These notes, sometimes referred to as "narration," can contain very useful information but they have not been indexed. As a result, information from the notes will not found via the search form. The “Informant” was usually a midwife or the child's father. For birth registration prior to 1876 other forms were used. On those forms two birth records may be found per page. Images for individual year-ranges may be displayed by selecting the place of registration in the box "Browse this collection” then by selecting the year-range desired.