Heilbad Heiligenstadt, Germany, Marriages, 1874-1922

About this collection

This collection contains marriage records from Heilbad Heiligenstadt, Thuringia. It covers the years from 1874 up to and including 1920. It also includes records from Günterode (up until 1922) which was incorporated into the city in 1992. "Heilbad" was officially added as part of Heiligenstadt's name in 1950 but it does not appear in these records. Heiligenstadt is located near the point where the German states of Thuringia, Hesse and Lower Saxony meet. It is also considered the geographical center of Germany. The surrounding historical region, the Eichsfeld (Oaksfield), was part of the Archbishopric of Mainz in the Middle Ages and reflects a strongly Catholic tradition. Heiligenstadt received its town charter in 1227. Starting in 1813 and during the time period of this collection, Heiligenstadt belonged to the Province of Saxony in the Kingdom of Prussia. From 1918 to 1933 it was part of the Free State of Prussia under the Weimar Republic.

Mandated on January 1, 1876, birth, marriage and death records in Prussia and the former German Empire, were thereafter kept by local goverment registry offices. The collected records are arranged chronologically and usually bound together in the form of yearbooks. These are collectively referred to as "civil registers." Complementary alphabetical directories of names may also have been created. While churches continued to keep traditional records, the State also mandated that the personal or marital status of the entire population be recorded.

What you can find in the records

Marriage records were created using preprinted forms that were filled in by hand by the registrar. Depending on the individual form or on the formulations used by the registrar, you may find:

• Sequential or Certificate Number
• Marriage Date
• Groom: Occupation, Given Names, Last Name, Denomination, Age, Birthdate and Birthplace, Residence/Address as well as details about his Parents and their Place of residence
• Bride: Occupation, Given Names, Last Name, Maiden Name, Denomination, Age, Birthdate and Birthplace, Residence/Address as well as details about her Parents and their Place of Residence
• Witnesses
• Signatures

More about using this collection

Each document has a front and back. These are displayed one ofter the other. Additional events from the life of the couple were sometimes recorded later on in the margins. These notes, sometimes referred to as "narration," can contain very useful information but they have not been indexed. As a result, information from the notes will not found via the search form. Under "Browse this collection,” select the Civil Registration Office and Year Range for the desired records.