Baden, Germany Emigration Index, 1866-1911

In 1814 the Congress of Vienna recognized Baden as a sovereign member of the German Confederation. For more than 100 years following this event, Baden would be involved in both political and economic turmoil, which led many people to leave the area. While it may take months or years to find an American document stating where an immigrant ancestor was born or resided in Germany, searching emigration records may produce that information in far less time. This index, compiled by the Badischen Generallandesarchive Karlsruhe and microfilmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, contains the names of over 28,000 persons who left Baden between 1866 and 1911. Each entry includes the emigrant's name, residence or place of birth, and the year of departure. Wives were not indexed separately unless they traveled alone or with their children. Children who left with one or both parents were not indexed. Some cards state that the person whose name is listed was traveling with "five persons" without naming each individual. The emigration lists were sent from district offices scattered throughout the state of Baden, to one central office. From these lists a card index was developed. This electronic index was translated and keyed from the microfilmed copy of the records. Anyone with ancestry based in this German state should find these records interesting.

Not everyone who left Baden applied for permission to emigrate, but others of the same surname may have emigrated at another time. When tracking an ancestor with an uncommon surname who can't be identified in the database, it may be worthwhile to search the church records of the towns where others with the same surname originated.

Since Germans often were known by a middle name (some were given three middle names), it's a good idea to review the record of each person listed under an ancestor's surname. Someone known as George Bower in the United States may be appear in German records as Georg Bauer or Baur. Michael Palmer could be listed as Georg Michael Balmer.

Copies of the original emigration records may be obtained from the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.