Worms, Germany, Marriages, 1876-1923

About this collection

This collection contains marriage records from Worms covering the years 1876 up to and including 1923. Worms is an independent city situated on the left (west) bank of the Rhine in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate It is also known as the Nibelungen city and Luther City and is known for the Kaiserdom, a Romanesque imperial cathedral. In addition to Worms the collection includes records from another 13 communities with records from varying time periods, among which is the traditional Mennonite-influenced community of Ibersheim. During the time period of this collection, until 1919, Worms was part of the Grand Duchy of Hesse.

Beginning on May 1, 1798, birth, marriage and death records in left-bank areas, including the city of Worms, 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. For some of the communities in this collection, records from before 1876 may also be found.

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

Marriage records were created using preprinted forms that were filled in by hand by the registrar. Depending on the individual form or on the formulations used by the registrar, you may find:

• Sequential or Certificate Number
• Marriage Date
• Groom: Occupation, Given names, Last name, Denomination, Age/Birthdate, Birthplace, Residence as well as details about his parents and their place of residence
• Bride: Occupation, Given Names, Last Name, Maiden Name, Denomination, Age/Birthdate, Birthplace, Residence as well as details about her parents and their place of residence
• Witnesses
• Signatures

More about using this collection

Records from west-bank areas before 1876 have portions that were extensively handwritten and generally comprise 1½ pages. The handwritten portions decreased significantly after a number of uniform formats were introduced. Each document then had a front and back, which are one ofter the other. Additional events from the life of the couple 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. Images for individual year-ranges may be displayed by selecting the place of registration in the box "Browse this collection” then by selecting the year-range desired.