Speyer, Germany, Domestic Help, 1875-1914

About this collection

This is a collection of registers of "Domestic Help" workers. It contains records of employees, workers and servants in Speyer covering the years 1875 up to and including 1914. Speyer, (also spelled "Speier" until 1825) is located about 12 miles south of Ludwigshafen and Mannheim in the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region of the Upper Rhine. Speyer is one of the independent cities in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate which was established in 1946.

Founded by the Romans, Speyer is one of the oldest cities in Germany and home to the Speyer Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. During the time period of this collection, Speyer belonged to the Kingdom of Bavaria.

These registers were created by the local police registration office. Each is bound chronologically and consists of an extensive collection of documents covering several years. Records begin on February 1, 1875.

What you can find in the records

The employees, also known as domestics or servants, were documented using preprinted forms that were filled in by hand by the by officers of the royal police registration office. Depending on the forms used, you may find the following details about employees and employers:

• Serial/Reference Number
• Last Name, Maiden Name, Given Names, Denomination (in later year-ranges)
• Occupation/Trade
• Documents
• Employment start and end date
• Last and Given Names of the master or employer and their Place of Residence/Address
• Notes (for example, on Termination, Future Residence, Special Services)

More about using this collection

Under "Browse this collection,” select Domestic Help Men or Domestic Help Women. Then, select the desired year-range. Each record consists of two pages, which are displayed one after the other. In the records about employers you may also find references to residents lists.