Altenburg, Germany, Marriages, 1876-1920

About this collection

This collection contains marriage records from Altenburg covering the years 1876 up to and including 1920. 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 until 1918, Altenburg belonged to the Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg. In addition to Altenburg, another 20 communities are included. The marriage 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

Marriage records were created using preprinted forms that were filled in by hand by the registrar. Depending on the individual form or on the formulations used by the registrar, you may find:

• Sequential or Certificate Number
• Marriage Date
• Groom: Occupation, Given Names, Last Name, Denomination, Age, Birthdate and Birthplace, Residence/Address as well as details about his Parents and their Place of residence
• Bride: Occupation, Given Names, Last Name, Maiden Name, Denomination, Age, Birthdate and Birthplace, Residence/Address as well as details about her Parents and their Place of Residence
• Witnesses
• Signatures

More about using this collection

Each document has a front and back. These are displayed one after the other. Additional events from the life of the couple 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. Under "Browse this collection,” select the Civil Registration Office and Year Range of the register desired.