Church records are some of the most important documents a genealogist can use. Filled with dates, maiden names, hometowns, and oftentimes extra biological notes, these records are incredible glimpses into the lives of our ancestors. And while of course it’s important to be able to read the old German handwriting to understand these records, the first step is to be able to understand the headings.Â
These headings, sometimes handwritten but often printed in Fraktur (what many think of as Gothic), can be important clues as to what can be found in the column below. So before you jump straight to your ancestor’s entry, always, always decipher the column heading first. This heading will tell you what type of information you are looking for in that specific section of your ancestor’s record – and knowing whether the handwritten word is an occupation, a town, or something else entirely often makes all the difference in how easy that word is to decipher. So what are some common church record headings, and what do they mean?
One of the most important column headings you will find is a reference to the town. To indicate a town, you may see words such as “Ort”, “Ortschaft” (town/place), or “Wohnort” (place of residence). See the example headings below.Â
Additional columns of importance are columns relating to people. For these columns, you may see words such as “Name(n)” (name(s)), “Das getaufte Kind” (the baptized child), “Braut” (bride), “Bräutigam” (groom), (A)eltern (parents – the initial “A” is an old-fashioned spelling), “Der taufende Pfarrer” (the baptizing clergyman), “Verstorbene” (the deceased), “Pat(h)en”, “Beistände”, “Zeugen” (witnesses).Â
On many church records, there are often thin vertical columns with more information about the people they are referencing. These columns usually include the “Geschlecht” (gender), whether the person is “ehelich” (legitimate) or “unehelich” (illegitimate), the religion – “katholisch” (Catholic), protestantisch/evangelisch (Protestant), mosaisch/jüdisch (Jewish), and the “Alter” (age).Â
One of the most important columns for your research – and one of the most fun – is usually one of the last columns. This column is the comments section, where the scribe usually put additional notes related to the birth, marriage, or death (if applicable). This was usually denoted as “Anmerkungen” or “Bemerkungen”.Â
While the above are important columns to pay attention to, there are of course additional columns as well. Below, see a sample baptismal, marriage, and death record – with their transcriptions and translations. Happy transcribing!
