Altenburg, Germany, Births, 1874-1901

About this collection

This collection contains birth records from Altenburg covering the years 1876 up to and including 1901. Altenburg is the administrative center of the district of Altenburger Land in the German state of Thuringia. The city is located about 25 miles south of Leipzig along the Pleiße River. Altenburg is the site of the former Imperial Palace. The first documentary mention of Altenburg was in 976. The city is known for producing playing cards and as the place where, in 1815, the popular German card game "Skat" was invented. During the time period of this collection, Altenburg belonged to the Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg. In addition to Altenburg, another 17 communities are included. The birth register for Zipsendorf begins in 1874 because Zipsendorf lay along an administrative boundary and belonged to the former Prussian province of Saxony.

Beginning on January 1, 1876, birth, marriage and death records in the former German Empire were created by local registry offices. The collected records are arranged chronologically and usually bound together in the form of yearbooks. These are collectively referred to as "civil registers." Complementary alphabetical directories of names may also have been 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

Birth 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 Names, Last Name, Maiden Name, Residence/Address, Denomination
• Mother: Given Names, Last Name, Maiden Name, Denomination, Residence/Address
• Child: Birth Date, Time of Birth, Sex, Given Names
• Signatures

More about using this collection

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 be found via the search form. In cases where the child had not yet received a name at birth, the name was later added in the margin notes. The “Informant” was often a midwife or the child's father. Under "Browse this collection,” select the Civil Registration Office and Year Range of the register desired.