Württemberg, Germany, Lutheran Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1500-1985

About this collection

This collection contains parish registers from more than 1,000 communities of the historic region of Württemberg, today part of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It does not include, however, records from historic Baden. The oldest of these church records date from the 16th century. Many begin in 1559 with the issue of Württemberg's "Great Church Order," or constitution. Many registers as well date to the beginning of, and just before, the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). Most records sets end in the late 19th century, but some extend up to the beginning of World War II and some into the 1980s.

In 1495 Württemberg became a duchy of the Holy Roman Empire. It served as an Electorate beginning in 1803, and in 1806, with the break-up of the empire, it became the Kingdom of Württemberg. It was a sovereign state until 1871 when it became part of the German Reich. During the Allied occupation of Germany from 1945 to 1952, the region was divided between the French and the Americans. In 1952, after the creation of the Federal Republic of Germany, Württemberg was combined with the territories of Baden and Hohenzollern into a new state, Baden-Württemberg. The collection contains records from Aalen, Calw, Crailsheim, Esslingen, Göppingen, Heilbronn, Ludwigsburg, Ravensburg, Reutlingen, Schwäbisch-Hall, Stuttgart, Tübingen and Ulm among other cities.

These parish registers also contain some confirmations, marriage banns and numerous family registers.

What you can find in the records

Events in the original church registers are recorded in the handwriting of the local pastor. Depending on the time period and on the individual formulations used, you may generally find the following details in these records:

For Births:

• Child: Given Names, Birthdate, Time of Birth, Legitimacy/Illegitimacy, Baptism, Witnesses
• Parents: Father's Given Names, Last Name, and Profession/Trade; Mother's Given Names, Maiden Name and Profession/Trade; Parents' residence

For Confirmations:

• Confirmation Date, Last Name, Child's Given Names, Birthplace, Birthdate, Baptism Date, Parents, Residence

For Marriages:

• Groom: Given names, Last Name, Occupation, Residence, Birthdate and Birthplace, details about his Parents
• Bride: Given names, Last Name, Maiden Name, Occupation, Residence, Birthdate and Birthplace, details about her Parents
• Date and Place of Wedding

For Deaths:

• Deceased: Given Names, Last Name, Maiden Name, Occupation/Trade, Age, Spouse/Parents, Deathplace, Time of Death, Cause of Death, Date of Funeral

For Family Registers:

• Father: Birthdate, Birthplace, Occupation, Names of Parents, Marriage Date and Place, Death Date, Death Place
• Mother: Birthdate, Birthplace, Names of Parents, Marriage Date and Place, Death Date, Death Place
• Children: Birthdate, Birthplace, Names of Parents, Marriage Date and Place, Death Date, Death Place

More about using this collection

Under "Browse this collection,” select the City or District. Then, noting the specific content of a book, select the desired year-range. For some communities, alphabetical directories of names may have been created. Family registers, usually covering 3 generations, may also appear. The sequence of birth, marriage or death records may not be consistent. In the church books, entries about the same persons may often be found on preceding or succeeding pages. Occasionally, separate registers for illegitimate children were created.