Germany, Bavaria, Catholic and Lutheran Church Records, 1591-1963

What is in This Collection?

Church records (parish registers, church books) are the main source of genealogical information in Germany before civil registration began in 1876. They record details of baptisms, marriages, confirmations, deaths and burials. Generally, the majority of the population can be found in the records. Additionally, these records can contain financial account books which may detail expenses incurred in performing marriages, funeral masses, etc., Lists of persons receiving communion, penance registers, lists of church members and registers naming members of each family.

It is important to know the religious affiliation of your ancestors as Catholic and Protestant parishes kept separate records. Catholic registers, especially the earliest volumes, are generally written in Latin. In many regions, it was also common for the local church records to function in the role of civil registrar.

Additional records and/or images may be added to this collection in the future.

Reading These Records

These records are written in German and Latin. For help reading these records see:

• German Genealogical Word List
• Germany Handwriting
• Brigham Young University Script Tutorial : The German Documents
• Latin Genealogical Word List
• FamilySearch Learning Center - German Paleography Seminar

What Can These Records Tell Me?

The following information may be found in these records:

Collection Content

For more information about these records see Germany, Church Records - FamilySearch Historical Records.

Inventory

For a list of all the titles included in this Historical Records publication see Germany, Bavaria, Catholic and Lutheran Church Records - Inventory.