Von: carlah@earthlink.net (Carla Heller)
  Datum: 17.07.98, 01:01:41
Betreff: Obtaining Birth Certificates from Germany

Dear Albert, Jim in Phoenix, and Baden-Wuerttemberg List Friends,

Records of vital events of the period are usually not stored in *centralized*
archives in Germany (like we Americans are accustomed to finding in the United
States, such as in a state capital).  You ordinarily need to write directly to
the place of the event in Germany.  For a birth date in 1864, this would likely
mean writing to the Catholic or Lutheran church attended by your ancestor, as
civil registration did not start in most of Germany until later (though there
are some exceptions for areas west of the Rhine).  I am not precisely familiar
with the location of Boblingen; you *could* try writing to the civil registry
(the "Standesamt") there (if Boblingen has its own Standesamt), on the chance
that their civil records began earlier.

You can also check to see if the particular denomination's church records for
Boblingen (or whatever parish served Boblingen) have been microfilmed by the LDS
(Mormon) Family History Library.  If so, copies of the films can be loaned by
the main branch in Salt Lake City to your local branch of the LDS FHL, and
rented by you for study for about $3.65 per roll for a minimum of 8 weeks. The
information on the microfilms is normally handwritten in German or Latin (and
sometimes other languages, depending on the area of Germany in question). The
FHC branches have printed research guides to help you read and understand the
microfilms of the records.  Utilizing microfilms (if the LDS has filmed the
records you seek) spares you the time, trouble and expense of corresponding with
Germany.

Note that if you write for records, you should compose your request in German
(or use a pre-translated German form letter), as not all clergy, Standesamt or
archive staff in Germany are sufficiently fluent in English to read and respond
to an English-language request.  Writing your request in English can delay a
response, while the recipient tries to have it translated.  If you write, you
also need to verify before writing that Boblingen itself is the specific place
where church or civil records for Boblingen were kept---it could easily be in
another place, such as a neighboring parish or Standesamt (in which case you'd
write to that place instead).  You also want to confirm that the location you're
writing to is still known under the same name in German as it was in your
ancestor's day (many places have completely different modern names).  You'll
also need to look up the German postal code for the location (available on the
Web) to insure that it goes to the correct place in Germany (as a number of
places have identical or similar names).  Include the current name of the German
"state" for Boblingen (such as Baden-Wuerttemberg) in the address.

It can sometimes take months to receive a response from Germany, even if you
write in the proper language (and remember that a response will usually be
written in German).  Orders for copies of microfilm take about 2-3 weeks to
process by the LDS, and you can keep the films at the branch for as long as you
need them.  If you find your family in the microfilms of the church records, you
also have the advantage of researching several generations (if they are
present), rather than just learning about one or two ancestors via letter (the
church or archive staff will not usually perform extensive research).

For more information on writing to a German parish, Standesamt or archive, see
the Web site at:

http://w3g.med.uni-giessen.de/gene/faqs/sgg.html#letter

For more information about the Family History Library branches and their
locations, see the following Web sites:

http://www.lds.org/Family_History/How_Do_I_Begin.html
http://www.onlinegenealogy.com/begin/beg004.htm

For pre-translated German form letters, see:

http://www.puffin.com/puffin/tree/letters.htm
http://www.on-line.de/~karin.schoepke/Briefe.htm#englisch

For German postal codes, see:

http://plz.postconsult.de/
http://www.informatik.uni-frankfurt.de/plz/plzrequest.uk.html

Hope this information is helpful to you!  Good luck!

Carla HELLER
Los Angeles
Baden-Wuerttemberg Mailing List Member
==============================
The5bels@aol.com wrote:

> Can someone out there help me obtain or advise me as to the procedure for
> obtaining the birth certificate of : Caroline Fredricka Maurer, born February
> 19, 1864, Boblingen, Germany
> Albert Schultheis,  Aurora, Colorado, USA,  ASchul3310@aol.com