Ostprignitz-Ruppin, Germany, Births, 1874-1905

This collection contains birth records from the modern administrative district of Ostprignitz-Ruppin and covers the years 1874 up to and including 1905. The district of Ostprignitz-Ruppin is located in the northwestern portion of the state of Brandenburg, Germany, and was created as part of the Brandenburg district reform of 1993. Recreational tourism figures significantly in its economy. During the time period of this collection, the area fell within the Prussian Province of Brandenburg. The district entails 65 communities including the cities of Kyritz, Lindow, Neuruppin, Neustadt (Dosse), Rheinsberg and Wittstock/Dosse.

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 most of the communities included in the collection, corresponding alphabetical 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

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.

Under "Browse this collection,” select the Civil Registration Office and Year Range of the register desired.