Hesse, Germany, Lutheran Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1661-1957

About this collection

This collection contains parish registers from numerous Protestant communities that are today part of the German state of Hesse. The oldest church records in this collection date from the 17th century. However, most fall between 1808 and 1875. In addition to these records traditionally kept by the Church in the Prussian provinces of Hesse, the State mandated on October 1, 1874 that personal and vital statistics be recorded by local registry offices.

Hesse, beginning in the 13th century, was a Landgraviate or principality of the Holy Roman Empire. Upon the death of Philip I the Magnanimous in 1567, it was divided among four of his sons (Hesse becoming Hesse-Kassel, Hesse-Darmstadt, Hesse-Marburg, and Hesse- Rheinfels). When the descendent rulers of Hesse-Marburg and Hesse- Rheinfels died childless, those territories were incorporated into the other two. The Hessian territories, each with an eventful history, were not fully re-united until the formation of "Greater Hesse" in 1945 and the establishment of the German federal state of Hesse in 1946.

The collection includes the cities of Darmstadt, Michelstadt, Büdingen, Butzbach and Groß-Gerauamong as well as numerous communities mostly to the south of Marburg. These historically belonged to the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt then to the Grand Duchy of Hesse (1806-1919).

These parish records primarily contain information about births and baptisms, marriages, and deaths and burials.

More about using this collection

Search for names, dates or places using the search form. Images of the records themselves are not included. The following details may be found:

• Last Name, Given Names
• Event Type (Birth, Baptism, Marriage, Death, Burial)
• Event Date
• Event Place, Community
• Relatives (usually Parents or Children)