Source Information

Ancestry.com. Teltow-Fläming, Germany, Marriages, 1874-1938 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016.

Original data:

Ehebücher, 1874-1938. Gemeindearchiv Blankenfelde Mahlow, Blankenfelde Mahlow, Deutschland.

Ehebücher und Namensverzeichnisse, 1874-1938. Archiv des Landkreises Teltow-Fläming, Luckenwalde, Deutschland.

About Teltow-Fläming, Germany, Marriages, 1874-1938

About the Teltow-Fläming, Germany, Marriages, 1874-1938

General collection information

This collection contains marriage records from Teltow-Fläming, Germany between 1874 and 1938. All records are in German. Registries were handwritten onto pre-printed forms. Per German law, marriage records are accessible to the public 80 years after the marriage occurred.

Using this collection

Marriage records may contain the following:

Names of bride and groom

Date and time of marriage

Marriage place

Ages of bride and groom

Birth dates of bride and groom

Birthplaces bride and groom

Residences of bride and groom prior to marriage

Occupations of bride and groom

Religious affiliations of bride and groom

Marital status prior to the recorded marriage

Names of family members

Details about family members

Names of witnesses and relationship to the couple

Certificate number

If you don't speak German, knowing a few common words can aid in your search:

Ehe is German for "marriage."

Trauung is German for "wedding."

Geboren is German for "born."

Tochter von is German for "daughter of."

Sohn von is German for "son of."

Mutter is German for "mother."

Vater is German for "father."

Ehefrau is German for "wife."

Ehemann is German for "husband."

Kind is German for "child."

These records are handwritten on pre-printed forms, however; extra details are often added in the margin notes. Margin notes may include other details about life events, for example the words "Zwillinge," "Bliźniak," or "Gemina" may be written in the margins and indicate the birth of twins. Often, birth certificate numbers can also be found in the margin note. While not a margin note, the parents' occupations may also be found in these documents, written in front of their names.

If you can't find a marriage certificate, it is possible that the couple may have been married outside of Teltow-Fläming. Most marriages were recorded where the bride lived prior to marriage. You may also want to check the registers of local churches as many couples also had religious ceremonies.

This collection contains high quality images of the original documents. Though German civil registration records are an excellent starting point, it may be beneficial to try searching Ancestry's catalogue of German records for additional information.

Collection in context

Civil registration was first introduced to Germany via the French Civil Code. While France occupied parts of Germany in the 1790's, citizens were required to register with the state. Previously, churches were the ones to keep records of birth, marriage, and death. Civil registration on a national level would not exist in Germany until 1876. Records in this collection are from the Prussian Province of Brandenburg, now known as Teltow-Fläming. Prussia began collecting civil records in 1874. The Teltow-Fläming district was created in 1993 when the districts Luckenwalde, Jüterbog and Zossen were merged.

Bibliography

Ancestry. "German Civil Registrations." Last Modified November 2016. https://www.ancestrycdn.com/support/de/2016/11/germancivil.pdf.

Beidler, James M. "Finding Digitized German Records Online." Familytree Magazine. Last Modified 2022. https://familytreemagazine.com/heritage/german/online-german-civil-records/.

Powell, Kimberly. "Records of Births, Marriages, and Deaths in Germany." ThoughtCo. Last Modified March 3, 2019. https://www.thoughtco.com/germany-vital-records-1422812.