View source for Anhalt, German Empire Genealogy

{{breadcrumb
| link1=[[Germany Genealogy|Germany]]
| link2=
| link3=
| link4=
| link5=Anhalt, German Empire
}}
Guide to '''Anhalt, 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.
{{Anhalt sidebar}}
==Historical Background==
*The '''Duchy of Anhalt''' was a historical German duchy. The territory is now part of the federal state of Saxony-Anhaly (Sachsen-Anhalt). 

*Anhalt’s origins lie in the '''Principality of Anhalt, a state of the Holy Roman Empire.''' 

*In 1806, Napoleon elevated the states of Anhalt-Bernburg, Anhalt-Dessau and Anhalt-Köthen to duchies. These duchies were united in 1863 to form a united '''Anhalt'''.

*The new duchy consisted of two large portions – Eastern and Western Anhalt (separated by part of Sachsen), and of five small enclaves, each  surrounded by Prussian territory: 
**Alsleben
**Muhlingen, 
**Dornburg, 
**Gödnitz, and 
**Tilkerode-Abberode. 

*In 1918, Anhalt became a state within the Weimar Republic. After World War II. It was united with the Prussian parts of Saxony in order to form the new area of '''Saxony-Anhalt (Sachsen-Anhalt)'''. 

*Once or twice, Calvinism was favored by a prince, but in general the house was loyal to the doctrines of Martin Luther. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principality_of_Anhalt Wikipedia]

==Getting Started ==
{| style="vertical-align: top;"|
|-
| style="vertical-align: top; width: 20%; padding-right: 15px;"|
<h3>Getting Started with Germany Research</h3>
Links to articles on getting started with German research:
*[[Germany How to Guides|"How to" Guides]]
*[[Germany Finding Town of Origin]] 
*[https://familysearch.org/ask/learningViewer/12 German Church and Civil Records]

:[[Anhalt, German Empire Genealogy#More Research Strategies and Tools|'''''See More Research Strategies''''']]

| style="vertical-align: top; width: 20%; padding-left: 10px"|
<h3>Germany Research Tools</h3>
Links to tools and websites that assist in German research:
*[http://www.meyersgaz.org Meyers Gaz Online Gazetteer]
*[[German Word List|German Genealogical Word List]] 
*[[Latin Genealogical Word List|Latin Genealogical Word List]]
*[[French Genealogical Word List]]
*[https://familysearch.org/ask/learningViewer/375 Old German Script]--Three parts
*[https://script.byu.edu/Pages/the-german-documents-pages/the-german-documents(english) German Script Tutorial]
*[[German Letter Writing Guide]]
:[[Anhalt, German Empire Genealogy#More Research Strategies and Tools|'''''See More Research Tools''''']]
|}
{|
|<div id="fsButtons"><span class="online_records_button">[[Anhalt, German Empire Online Genealogy Records]]</span>
|<div id="fsButtons"><span class="online_records_button">[[Germany Online Genealogy Records]]</span>
|<span class="community_button">[[FamilySearch Genealogy Research Groups|Ask the <br>Community]]</span></div>
|}

==Historical Geography==

{|
|- 
|style="border: solid black 2px; padding:10px; width:700px; padding-left:10px"|
<center>'''Anhalt within the German Empire'''<br>
[[File:Anhalt in empire.png|400px]]</center>
|}
{|
|-
|style="border: solid black 2px; padding:10px; vertical-align:top; width:450px"|
<center>'''Anhalt 1871-1946'''</center><br>
[[File:Map of Anhalt (1747-1793).svg.png|400px]]
<br>
<br>

[https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Anhalt,_German_Empire_Genealogy#/media/File:Map_of_Anhalt_(1747-1793).svg.png '''For a larger map, click here.''']
|style="border: solid black 2px; vertical-align:top; padding:10px; width:250px"|
<center>'''Modern State of Saxony-Anhalt (Sachsen-Anhalt)'''<br>
<center>'''With Former States'''<br>
<p style="font-size:15px">
'''Green: Anhalt'''<br>
'''Orange: Province of Saxony (Sachsen)'''<br>
'''Brown: Brunswick (Braunschwieg): '''<br>
'''Blankenburg and Calvorde enclaves'''<br>
'''Yellow:Thüringen'''</p>
</center>
[[File:Sachsen-Anhalt Landesteile Beschriftet.png|250px]]
<br>

[https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Anhalt,_German_Empire_Genealogy#/media/File:Sachsen-Anhalt_Landesteile_Beschriftet.png'''For a larger map, click here.''']
|}
<br>
{| class="wikitable" 
|style="width:10%"|
<center>'''History of Anhalt in the German Empire'''
|style="width:40%"|
<center>'''Geo-Political Differences Today'''</center>
|style="width:10%"|
<center>'''FamilySearch Catalog'''</center>
'''<center>(organized by 1871 Meyer's Gazetteer)'''</center>
|style="width:40%"|<center>'''Wiki Pages'''</center>
|-
|style="vertical-align:top"|
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duchy_of_Anhalt Anhalt] 
|style="vertical-align:top"|
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saxony-Anhalt 1945: Merged into current state of Saxony-Anhalt (Sachsen-Anhalt)] with the Province of Saxony, Magdeburg, Halle, and the Brunswick enclaves of  Calvorde and eastern Blankenburg. 
|style="vertical-align:top"|
[https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/results?count=20&placeId=29343&query=%2Bplace%3A%22Germany%2C%20Anhalt%22 Anhalt]<br>
|style="vertical-align:top"|
*[[Anhalt, German Empire Genealogy]] (before 1945)
*[[Saxony-Anhalt (Sachsen-Anhalt), Germany Genealogy]](after 1945)

|}

==Finding Birth, Marriage, and Death Records for Anhalt, German Empire==
<span style="color:DarkViolet">'''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.'''</span>
===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.
===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|'''Finding Aids For German Records''']] for step-by-step instructions.

Germany was first unified as a nation in 1871.  An important gazetteer, [http://www.meyersgaz.org '''''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.  <br>
<br>

You can also consult [[Anhalt, German Empire Church Records#Parish Register Inventories|Anhalt Parish Record Inventories]] to learn the Lutheran or Catholic parish that would have kept records for your town.
<br>

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.<br>

===3. For birth, marriage, and death records from 1799-1811 and then after 1850, use civil registration.===
Follow the instructions in [[Anhalt, German Empire Civil Registration|'''Anhalt, German Empire Civil Registration'''.]]

===4. For baptism, marriage, and death records, use church records or parish registers.===
Follow the instructions in [[Anhalt, German Empire Church Records|''' Anhalt, German Empire Church Records'''.]]

<br>

== More Research Strategies and Tools  ==
*[[Germany Online Classes and Tutorials]]
*[https://www.familysearch.org/ask/learningViewer/38 Reading German Handwritten Records]   Practice exercises to build your skills and confidence.
*[http://altdeutsche-schrift.de/adsschreiben.php#schrifftfeld 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.<br>
*[[Finding Aids for German Records|Finding Aids for German Records]]
*[[Germany Research Tips and Strategies|Research Tips and Strategies]]
*Print these handouts for ready reference when reading German Handwriting:
**[https://ps-services-us-east-1-914248642252.s3.amazonaws.com/s3%2Fhelp-learningcenter-fh1-prod-s3%2F2017%2F05%2F02%2F921f0807-6f69-4694-91d3-47917fa95871%2FKurrent+Letters+Handout.pdf Kurrent Letters Handout]
**[https://ps-services-us-east-1-914248642252.s3.amazonaws.com/s3%2Fhelp-learningcenter-fh1-prod-s3%2F2017%2F05%2F02%2Fb1462e9c-7c83-42b5-ac39-9d1dad62472b%2FNumbers+Handout.pdf Numbers Handout]
**[https://ps-services-us-east-1-914248642252.s3.amazonaws.com/s3%2Fhelp-learningcenter-fh1-prod-s3%2F2017%2F05%2F02%2Fb13f88fc-7663-4776-8270-1d8a9ad7c28e%2FBirth+Record+Handout.pdf Birth Records Handout]
**[https://ps-services-us-east-1-914248642252.s3.amazonaws.com/s3%2Fhelp-learningcenter-fh1-prod-s3%2F2017%2F05%2F02%2Fff318037-9021-4e4d-acba-9c4770ebc806%2FMarriage+Record+Handout.pdf Marriage Records Handout]
**[https://ps-services-us-east-1-914248642252.s3.amazonaws.com/s3%2Fhelp-learningcenter-fh1-prod-s3%2F2017%2F05%2F02%2Fe9549fa8-1bc0-46da-94fa-0ac2975a8704%2FDeath+Record+Handout.pdf Death Records Handout]
**[https://ps-services-us-east-1-914248642252.s3.amazonaws.com/s3%2Fhelp-learningcenter-fh1-prod-s3%2F2017%2F05%2F02%2Fedbdbf50-fd9f-47a9-8a3c-087140ec8baa%2FDays+and+Months+Handout.pdf Days and Months Handout]
**[https://ps-services-us-east-1-914248642252.s3.amazonaws.com/s3%2Fhelp-learningcenter-fh1-prod-s3%2F2017%2F05%2F02%2F6c132970-9cab-46e6-bccf-457d2f90fa6d%2FCommon+Symbols+Handout.pdf Common Symbols Handout]
**[https://ps-services-us-east-1-914248642252.s3.amazonaws.com/s3%2Fhelp-learningcenter-fh1-prod-s3%2F2017%2F05%2F02%2F5a5a76b2-f785-4378-b86b-2aef51fe9107%2FCommon+Abbreviations+Handout.pdf Common Abbreviations Handout]
**[https://script.byu.edu/Plugins/FileManager/Files/Documents/List_of_Names_-_German.pdf List of Names in Old German Script] A comprehensive list of German  given names,  written in old script, with possible variations.
**[[Media:Fraktur_Font_help_-_Wiki.pdf|Fraktur Font]]--Many forms and books are printed in this font.
* [http://is.byu.edu/courses/pe/999022071006/public/start.htm German Research], BYU Independent Study, no cost.

__NOTOC__

[[Category:Anhalt, German Empire]]