Since there is no central archive for German records, it will be necessary to first determine where your ancestors lived. You may then contact the relevant archives that hold records for that town. There are several different types of archives in Germany: Bundesarchiv (national), Staatsarchiv or Landesarchiv (state), Bezirkarchiv (district), Stadtarchiv (city), and Dorfarchiv or Gemeindearchiv (village). Records such as address books, census returns, citizenship lists, emigration lists, and family registers are usually found in the city or village archives, but may also be scattered among archives at the district or state level. To locate archives that may be relevant to your research, you may browse an online directory of German archives [Gerrman only]. It is also recommended that you contact the local library where your ancestors lived, since many have extensive histories of the Jewish communities, especially in the larger towns. To locate libraries that may be relevant to your research, you may browse an online directory of German libraries [German only].
In 1876, Germany enacted a law requiring nationwide civil registration of all births, marriages, and deaths, irrespective of religion. Pre-1876 civil registration records survive from some German states and are held in their respective state archives. Those from 1876 on are held at local registrar offices, called standesämter. Large cities, like Berlin, have several such offices, while a single standesamt may serve several small villages. Records for direct ancestors only may be obtained from these offices for a small fee. Many standesämter have online record request forms on their websites. The easiest way to locate contact information for a particular registrar office is to go to Google.com and search for [name of the city or town] AND “standesamt.” German archives are beginning to work on digitizing their civil vital registration records and making these documents accessible online. At this point, one can search indexes or view images of vital records from the Northern and Central portions of the state of Hesse, the city of Köln (Cologne) [German only], and the city of Nürnberg (Nuremberg) [free registration required].
In the 1920’s and 1930’s, the Gesamtarchiv der deutschen Juden, or Collected Archives of German Jews, attempted to collect all German-Jewish community records. The Gesamtarchiv succeeded in collecting thousands of documents, including vital records and various types of administrative records, from cities and towns all over Germany. The largest portion of the surviving Gesamtarchiv records are held at the Stiftung Neue Synagoge Berlin-Centrum Judaicum. Smaller portions are held at the Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People in Jerusalem and at the Leo Baeck Institute at the Center for Jewish History, where it is known as the Jacob Jacobson Collection. Most of the Gesamtarchiv’s vital records are also available through the Family History Library (see below).
The Family History Library has microfilmed many genealogical records from across Germany. To find microfilms relevant to your family history, go to the FHL Online Catalog and search by “Places” for a town or county of origin.
The Family History Library is in the process of digitizing and indexing their collections. Many record collections are already available on their website, as either images only, indexes only, or both images and indexes. You may browse their digitized collections from Germany here.
