Rostock, Germany, Emigration Lists, 1855-1900

Rostock, Deutschland, Auswanderungslisten, 1855-1900

Source Information

Ancestry.com. Rostock, Germany, Emigration Lists, 1855-1900 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc., 2023.
Original data: Rostock, Germany, Emigration Lists, 1855-1900. Auswanderungsbücher, 1855-1900. Stadtarchiv Rostock.

About Rostock, Germany, Emigration Lists, 1855-1900

About the Rostock, Germany, Emigration Lists, 1855-1900

General collection information

This collection contains images of emigration registers created in Rostock, Germany, between 1855 and 1900. Rostock is a port city in northern Germany on the western tip of the Baltic Sea in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The register pages have printed column headers with handwritten entries in German.

Using this collection

Records in this collection may include the following information:

  • Name
  • Age
  • Place of residence
  • Family relationship
  • Departure place
  • Destination
  • Ship name
  • Emigration date

    • Knowing some key German words may be helpful in reading the emigration registers:

  • Geburt is German for "birth."
  • Ehe is German for "marriage."
  • Mutter is German for "mother."
  • Vater is German for "father."
  • Ehefrau is German for "wife."
  • Ehemann is German for "husband."
  • Tochter von is German for "daughter of."
  • Sohn von is German for "son of."
  • Familien u. Borname is German for "family and birth name."
  • Geb. am is German for "born on."
  • Geburtstag is German for "birthday."
  • Familienname is German for "family name."
  • Vornamen is German for "first name."
  • Alter is German for "age."
  • Wohnt is German for "resides."

    • The records in this collection can be used to learn or verify that your ancestor emigrated from Germany at a specific time and place. You also may find out the name of the ship your ancestor sailed on and their planned destination.

    Collection in context

    The emigration registers were created by government officials in Rostock. The registers are high-quality primary historical documents that may have information that can't be found in other records. The original documents are housed by Gould Genealogy.

    During the second half of the 19th century, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern experienced a period of mass emigration, largely from urban areas. About 146,000 people left the state for other countries between 1850 and 1890. Most went to the United States, while others headed for South America. The state also experienced an outmigration of city residents who moved to more industrialized German cities, such as Hamburg and Bremen. Many emigrants were working-class people whose lives were disrupted by the transformation from feudalism to capitalism.

    Bibliography

    Garling, Dieter. "Emigration - Introduction." State of Mecklenburg. Accessed June 16, 2023. http://www.emecklenburg.de/Mecklenburg/en/emi_intr.html.

    Gould Genealogy and History. "Home." Accessed June 16, 2023. https://www.gouldgenealogy.com/.