Pomerania (Pommern), Prussia, German Empire Genealogy

Germany

Prussia

Pomerania (Pommern)

Guide to Pomerania (Pommern), German Empire ancestry, family history, and genealogy before 1945: birth records, marriage records, death records, both church and civil registration, compiled family history, and finding aids.

Pomerania (Pommern), German Empire Wiki Topics
Getting Started
Finding Town of Origin Finding Aids For German Records Research Strategies Record Finder
Pomerania (Pommern) Major Record Types
Church Records	Civil Registration
Reading the Records
German Word List Latin Word List French Word List	Handwriting Languages Feast Days Script Tutorial
Additional Pomerania (Pommern) Record Types
Directories Emigration and Immigration	Genealogies Land and Property
Pomerania (Pommern) Background
Church History Gazetteers	Jurisdictions Websites Maps
Pomerania (Pommern) Research Resources
Archives and Libraries Societies Family History Center
Germany Record Types
Cemeteries Census Court Records Displaced Persons Jewish Records Population Records Manumission Military Records Naturalization & Citizenship	Newspapers Obituaries Online Records Town Genealogies Periodicals Probate Records Religious Records School Records
Germany Background
Biography Church Directories Church History Former German Areas Funerary Customs Cultural Areas Gazetteers	Handwriting Historical Geography History Jurisdictions Languages Letter Writing Guide Maps Names Personal Nobility Websites

• This article has an emphasis on research in the part of Pomerania (Pommern) that became part of Poland in 1945.
• For information emphasizing the part of Pomerania (Pommern) that remained in Germany, see Vorpommern (region), Pomerania, Prussia, German Empire Genealogy.

In this region, part of Germany which was lost to other countries after World War II, many records, both church/parish registers and civil registration records, were damaged, destroyed, or misplaced.

Historical Background

• Prussia gained the southern parts of Swedish Pomerania in 1720, invaded and annexed Pomerelia from Poland in 1772, and gained the remainder of Swedish Pomerania in 1815, after the Napoleonic Wars.
• The former Brandenburg-Prussian Pomerania and the former Swedish parts were reorganized into the Prussian Province of Pomerania, while Pomerelia was made part of the Province of West Prussia.
• With Prussia, both provinces joined the newly constituted German Empire in 1871.
• Under the German rule the Polish minority suffered discrimination and oppressive measures aimed at eradicating its culture.
• Pomeranian Jews were deported to a reservation near Lublin.
• The Polish population suffered heavily during the World War II; more than 40,000 died in executions, death camps, prisons and forced labor, primarily those who were teachers, businessmen, priests, politicians, former army officers, and civil servants. Thousands of Poles and Kashubians suffered deportation, their homes taken over by the German military and civil servants, as well as some Baltic Germans resettled there between 1940-1943.
• After World War II, the German–Polish border was shifted west to the Oder–Neisse line, and all of Pomerania was under Soviet military control.
• The German citizens of the former eastern territories of Germany and Poles of German ethnicity were expelled, and the area was resettled primarily with Poles of Polish ethnicity, (some themselves expellees from former eastern Poland) and some Poles of Ukrainian ethnicity (resettled under Operation Vistula) and few Polish Jews.
• Most of Hither or Western Pomerania (Vorpommern) remained in Germany, and at first about 500,000 fled and expelled Pomeranians found refuge there, later many moved on to other German regions and abroad.
• Today German Hither Pomerania (Western Pomerania or Vorpommern) forms the eastern part of the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, while the Polish part is divided between the West Pomeranian and Pomeranian voivodeships, with their capitals in Szczecin and Gdańsk. Wikipedia

Getting Started

Getting Started with Germany Research Links to articles on getting started with German research: "How to" Guides Germany Finding Town of Origin German Church and Civil Records Many Roads See More Research Strategies

Germany Research Tools Links to tools and websites that assist in German research: Pommerscher Greif e. V., Association for Pomeranian Family and Local History. Source Search Instructions Meyers Gaz Online Gazetteer German Genealogical Word List Latin Genealogical Word List French Genealogical Word List Old German Script--Three parts German Script Tutorial German Letter Writing Guide See More Research Tools

Pomerania (Pommern) Online Genealogy Records

Germany Online Genealogy Records

Ask the Community

Historical Geography

Pomerania (Pommern) within the German Empire

The Split of Pomerania (Pommern) Between Germany and Poland

German Counties (Kreise) of Pomerania (Pommern) in 1871 Blue: Regierungsbezirk Stralsund Gold: Regierungsbezirk Stettin Orange: Regierungsbezirk Köslin

Western Pomerania (Vorpommern)

In 1945, the western portion of Pomerania (Pommern) became part of the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Genealogical research in that region uses somewhat different sources, archives, and address directories than the part of Pomerania (Pommern) that was given to Poland.

For research information and links emphasizing the part of Pomerania (Pommern) that remained in Germany, see Vorpommern (region), Pomerania (Pommern), German Empire Genealogy.

History of Pomerania (Pommern) in the German Empire	Geo-Political Differences Today	FamilySearch Catalog (organized by 1871 Meyer's Gazetteer)	Wiki Pages
Pomerania	1945: The western part became part of the current state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern 1945: The eastern part, Pomeralia became the Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland (Map)	Preussen, Pommern	Pomerania (Pommern), Prussia, German Empire Genealogy (before 1945) Vorpommern (region), Pomerania (Pommern), German Empire Genealogy (before 1945) West (Germany): Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern), Germany Genealogy (after 1945) East (Poland): Pomeranian (Pomorskie) Voivodeship, Poland Genealogy and Western Pomeranian (Zachodniopomorskie) Voivodeship, Poland Genealogy (after 1945)

Finding Birth, Marriage, and Death Records for Pomerania (Pommern)

Most of the information you need to identify you ancestors and their families will be found in two major record groups: civil registration and church records. To locate these records, follow the instructions in these Wiki articles.

1. Find the name of your ancestor's town in family history records.

Records were kept on the local level. You must know the town where your ancestor lived. If your ancestor was a United States Immigrant, use the information in the Wiki article Germany Finding Town of Origin to find evidence of the name of the town where your ancestors lived in Germany.
Also, see:

• Hinterpommern- List of emigrants from Pomerania
• Germany, Pomerania Passenger Lists, ($). 1869-1901. Index and images. In German ($) - Ancestry.com
  
• Untitled surname list of Pomerania emigrants. by Rebel Kreklow.
• Germany Displaced Persons Research: If your ancestors were evacuated from their homes at the end of World War II, see this article.
• Are Your Ancestors From Pommern, Cochem-Zell or From Pomerania (Pommern)?

2. Use gazetteers and/or parish register inventories to learn more important details.

Your ancestor's town might have been too small to have its own parish church or civil registration office. Find the location of the Catholic or Lutheran (Evangelical) parish that served your ancestor's locality. Find the name of the civil registration office (Standesamt) that serves your ancestor's locality. Use the Wiki article Finding Aids For German Records for step-by-step instructions.

Germany was first unified as a nation in 1871. An important gazetteer, Meyers Orts- und Verkehrs-lexikon des deutschen Reichs, "Meyer's Gazetter" for short, details the place names of villages, towns, counties (kreise), and higher jurisdictions used at that time. In the Research Wiki, FamilySearch Catalog, and FamilySearch Historical Records, the records of Germany are organized using those place names.

At the end of both World Wars, the boundaries of the states were changed dramatically, as areas of Germany were distributed among the Allied nations. Eventually, after re-unification in 1990, the states of Germany settled into what they are today. It is also necessary to understand Germany by this system, as it affects the locations of civil registration offices, archives, and mailing addresses used in correspondence searches.

Consult Kartenmeister for parish and Standesamt information.

If Kartenmeister is having temporary technical difficulties, check back later.
For the Polish part of Pomerania (Pommern) the online gazetteer Kartenmeister most efficiently tells you parish information:

• Class: Kartenmeister.com Finding Places in the Former German Area of Poland

Example:

Kartenmeister Search Engine To use Kartenmeister, simply enter the German name of the town in the search field.

A Typical Kartenmeister Record The most important information points here are the name of the Lutheran parish, the name of the Catholic parish, and the location of the civil registry office (Standesamt):

3. For birth, marriage, and death records after 1 October 1874, use civil registration.

Follow the instructions in Pomerania (Pommern), German Empire Civil Registration.

4. For baptism, marriage, and death records, use church records or parish registers.

Follow the instructions in Pomerania (Pommern), German Empire Church Records.

More Research Strategies and Tools

• Germany Online Classes and Tutorials
• German Paleography Seminar - Lessons on German Handwriting
• Old German Script Transcriber (alte deutsche Handschriften): See your family names in the script of the era. Type your name or other word into the font generator tool. Click on the 8 different fonts. Save the image to your computer and use it as you work with old Germanic records.
  
• Finding Aids for German Records
• Research Tips and Strategies
• German Research, BYU Independent Study, no cost.

• These printable handouts can be used for ready reference when reading German Handwriting.
  

Letters:

• Kurrent Letters handout
• Additional Kurrent Letters handout

Vocabulary found on Specific Records:

• Birth Records Vocabulary handout
• Marriage Records Vocabulary handout
• Overview of Marriage Laws and Customs (handout)
• Death Records Vocabulary handout

Dates, Numbers, Abbreviations:

• Days and Months handout
• Numbers Vocabulary handout
• Script Dates and Numbers handout
• Common Abbreviations handout
• Common Symbols handout

Miscellaneous Vocabulary:

• German Occupations Vocabulary handout
• Illnesses Vocabulary handout

Fraktur:

• Fraktur Font -- Many forms and books are printed in this font.

German Given Names:

• List of Names in Old German Script -- A comprehensive list of German given names, written in old script, with possible variations.

More Research Tools Specific to Pomerania (Pommern)

• The Province of Pommern in the former Free State of Prussia:

Go to top right of screen. > Click "in English". > Go to "Town search in Pomerania". > Enter locality name. > Select from list of results. > Scroll down. > Click to interact with map

• Finding Genealogy Data in Central & Eastern Europe
• Researching “Lost” Eastern German Provinces
• Finding Former Eastern German Place Names
• Prussian Mennonite Research Materials
• Finding Online Records in Poland

Take These Online Classes to Prepare

Because there was a heavy loss and misplacement of records, there have been many organizations invested in gathering, preserving, and indexing the remaining records. Learning how to use the collections produced by these efforts will be key in your ability to successfully locate records. These classes will demonstrate the use of these tools.

• Pommerscher Greif e. V., Association for Pomeranian Family and Local History.
  • Source Search
  • Instructions
• German Research: Strategies and Sources for Eastern Provinces. Be sure to download the class syllabus.

1. Watch the Specific Geography portion to learn how to use MeyersGaz.org and Kartenmeister.com to get the details of the German and Polish names of your town and its higher jurisdictions.
2. Watch the General Resources portion to learn how to check for parish registers using
   1. The PRADZIAD Database
   2. Szukaj w Archiwach
   3. The Lost Shoe Box, with links to:
      1. Geneteka
      2. Metryki GenBaza
      3. Szukaj w Archiwach
   4. Archion, Cooperative of protestant archives ($)
   5. Archives Portal Europe
3. Watch the Pomerania portion, which begins at 28:52 minutes.

• Kartenmeister.com: Finding Places in the Former German Area of Poland

This website requires a paid subscription for full access.