Minden, Germany, Births, 1874-1905

About this collection

This collection contains birth records and name directories from Minden Germany covering the years 1874 up to and including 1905. Minden is the administrative center of the district of Minden-Lübbecke. It is located on the Weser River about 63 miles south of Bremen in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It was first mentioned in a document from the year 798. Notable attractions include buildings from the Weser Renaissance and especially the city's architectural landmark, the Minden Cathedral. During the time period of this collection, Minden belonged to the Prussian Province of Westphalia. This collection also includes records from Barkhausen and Unterlübbe as well as from the modern districts of Dankersen, Dützen, Haddenhausen, Hutenhausen and Todtenhausen. The records cover varying time periods.

Beginning on October 1, 1874, local registry offices were made responsible for creating birth, marriage and death records in the former Prussian provinces. The collected records are arranged chronologically and usually in bound yearbook form which are collectively referred to as "civil registers." For some of the communities included in the collection, corresponding directories of names were also 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

Birth records were created using preprinted forms that were filled in by hand by the registrar. In each record the date of a birth usually differs from the date it was registered. Depending on the individual form or on the formulations used by the registrar, you may find:

• Sequential or Certificate Number
• Registration Date
• Informant: Occupation, Given Names, Last Name, Maiden Name, Residence/Address, Denomination
• Mother: Given Names, Last Name, Maiden Name, Spouse, Denomination, Residence/Address
• Child: Birth Date, Time of Birth, Sex, Given Names
• Signatures

Depending on the form used, the name directories are arranged alphabetically by child's last name and then chronologically within the first letter of the last name. They are generally bound as separate volumes covering several years each. They contain the following details:

• Last Name and Given Names of the Child (sometimes including Parent's Denomination, Child's Sex, Father's Occupation)
• Cross-reference to birth register

More about using this collection

Each record comprises one page. Additional events from the life of the child 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. In cases where the child had not yet received a name at birth, the name was later added in the margin notes. The “Informant” was often a midwife or the child's father. Entries for Address often include placenames and house numbers. Street names were not common in smaller communities.

Under "Browse this collection,” select the Civil Registry Office and Year Range of the register desired. When name directories (Namensverzeichnis) are available for a registry office, they are separately displayed and selectable at the end of the list.