Ludwigslust, Germany, Birth Records, 1876-1902

About this collection

This collection contains birth records and name directories from Ludwigslust covering the years 1876 up to and including 1902. Ludwigslust is an independent city in the district of Ludwigslust-Parchim in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. It is situated about 22 miles south of the capital Schwerin. The history of this city is closely linked with its baroque Ludwigslust Palace also known as "Versailles of the North." Originating from a favorite medieval estate of Prince Christian Ludwig, built near the village Klenow, it became known as Ludwigslust (Ludwig's pleasure) in 1754 when he succeded to the Dukedom of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. His successors made Ludwigslust the residential palace and relocated the court of Schwerin there. They enlarged the castle and created some of the largest landscaped grounds in Northern Germany. In addition to Ludwigslust the collection includes Leussow and Groß Laasch with records covering varying time periods.

Beginning on January 1, 1876, birth, marriage and death records in the former German Empire were created by local registry offices. The collected records are arranged chronologically and usually bound together in the form of yearbooks. These are collectively referred to as "civil registers." Complementary alphabetical directories of names may also have been 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, Residence/Address, Denomination
• Child: Birth Date, Time of Birth, Sex, Given Names
• Signatures

The name directories are arranged alphabetically according to the last name of the child. They are generally bound as separate volumes covering several years each. They contain the following details:

• Last Name and Given Names of the child
• Last Name, Given Names, Occupation and Residence of the father (or for an illegitimate child, the mother)
• Cross-reference to birth register

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. Name directories appear at the end of the Year Range lists.