Speyer, Germany, Civil Registry Vital Records, 1798-1875

About this collection

This collection contains birth, marriage and death records from Speyer covering the years 1798 up to and including 1875. Speyer, (also spelled "Speier" until 1825) is located about 12 miles south of Ludwigshafen and Mannheim in the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region of the Upper Rhine. Speyer is one of the independent cities in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate which was established in 1946.

Founded by the Romans, Speyer is one of the oldest cities in Germany and home to the Speyer Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. During the time period of this collection, Speyer belonged to the French Département du Mont-Tonnerre (Donnersberg) until 1814 and thereafter to the Kingdom of Bavaria.

Beginning on May 1, 1798, birth, marriage and death records in German left-bank areas of the Rhine, including Speyer, followed the model of the French civil registry. Throughout the entire former German Empire, civil registration was taken over and performed by local registry offices beginning in January 1, 1876.

The collected records are arranged chronologically and usually in bound yearbook form which are collectively referred to as "civil registers." Occasionally, 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

Registrars recorded births, marriages and deaths initially in French and without preprinted forms. After 1814, the forms are preprinted and filled out in German. In each record the birth date and the death date usually differ from the date they were registered. Depending on the individual form or on the formulations used by the registrar, you may find:

For Births:

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

For Marriages:

• Sequential or Certificate Number
• Marriage Date
• Groom: Given names, Last Name, Occupation, Residence, Birthdate and Birthplace, details about his Parents
• Bride: Given names, Last Name, Maiden Name, Occupation, Residence, Birthdate and Birthplace, details about her Parents
• References to, among others, birth records and marriage banns

For Deaths:

• Sequential or Certificate Number
• Registration Date
• Informant: Given Names, Last Name, Occupation
• Deceased: Given Names, Last Name, Maiden Name, Occupation, Age, Residence, Birthplace, Spouse/Parents, Place/Date of Death, Time of Death
• Signatures

More about using this collection

• In early years, birth registers have multiple entries per page which are recorded consecutively. Later, each record comprises one page. The “Informant” was usually a midwife or a relative of the child.
• Marriage entries usually consist of two pages, which are displayed one after the other.
• Death records initially have two entries per page. Later, each record comprises one page.

Civil Registry records may have had additional events from the life of the person 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.

The French Republican Calendar was used in the registers (until December 31, 1805).

Under "Browse this collection,” select "Geburtsregister" to browse birth records, "Heiratsregister" to browse marriage records, or "Sterberegister" to browse death records. Additionally you can select "Mixed" for the years 1798 and 1803-1804 which have births, marriages and deaths combined.