Adalbert Goertz's Regional German FAQs

West Preußen FAQ

By Adalbert Goertz, Colorado Springs, CO
Please, send any correction and suggestions to Adalbert Goertz
Back to Regions

 
 
CONTENTS:
 
Q1: What and where was Prussia?
Q2: What about the kings in Germany?
Q3: Who were the Prussian kings?
Q4: What were the administrative areas of Westpreussen (West Prussia)?
Q5: What were the "old" administrative areas of West Prussia?
Q6: What were the court districts in Westpreussen before 1900?
Q7: Are there secular records of interest to family researchers?
Q8: Is there a listserv for West Prussia family researchers?
Q9: How do I find locations and maps for Westpreussen before 1945?
Q10: What books discuss hints and sources for East German searchers?
Q11: How many Mennonites lived in Westpreussen (West Prussia)?
Q12: Is there a website which has Prussian Mennonnite records posted?
Q13: Where can I get information on archives in Poland?
Q14: What was the religion of people in Westpreussen (West Prussia)?
Q15: What were the land measurements in Prussia?
Q16: How do you pronounce place names?
Q17: What were the classes of country people before 1900?
Q18: When were civil registers introduced?
Q19: Are there links to dictionaries on the web?
Q20: Where do I look for emigration records?
Q21: Is there a genealogical society specializing in this area?
 
=============================================
Q1: What and where was Prussia?
 
A1: The answer depends on the time frame:
 
 1) pre-1806 2) 1806-1871 3) 1871-1918 and later.
 
 1a) Prussia was a region which before 1772 consisted of what was later
 known as East Prussia (Ostpreussen) with capital of Koenigsberg, a duchy
 since 1525, a kingdom of the Hohenzollern dynasty since 1701
 
 and
 
 West Prussia (Westpreussen) with the Hanseatic cities of Danzig, Elbing,
 Thorn, and Culm, part of Poland referred to as Polish Prussia before 1772.
 The German literture refers to East and West Prussia as Old or
 Original Prussia (Altpreussen).
 
 1b) In 1772 King Friedrich II of Prussia annexed Polish Prussia (without
 the Danzig Territory) calling it West Prussia (Westpreussen) and
 united it with East Prussia. In 1793 King Friedrich Wilhelm II also
 annexed the Danzig and Thorn Territories, and 1793/1795 larger areas
 of Poland which were called South Prussia (Suedpreussen) and New East
 Prussia (Neu-Ostpreussen).
 
The kingdom of Prussia at this time was not part of Germany. Koenigsberg was
capital and coronation city of the Prussian kings. Terms like
German government or German army have no meaning for this time period.
 
 2) In 1806 Napoleon Bonaparte conquered Europe and abolished the German
empire and the title of Kaiser for Germany (capital:Wien or Vienna).
The Kaiser in Wien-Vienna became Kaiser of Austria with no power in the rest
of Germany. After Napoleon's final defeat in 1815 the kingdom of Prussia
became known as "Die Vereinigten Preussischen Staaten" (United Prussian
States) which now also included provinces like Schlesien/Silesia,
Brandenburg,Pommern/Pomerania and areas as far west as the Rhine province.
Berlin now became the Prussian capital.
Until 1806 the Hohenzollern sovereign had many titles and hats from
Head of the Evangelic Church to King, Elector, Grandduke, Duke for the
various regions and realms under his rule. After 1806 he simply was
King of Prussia.
Terms like German government or German army have no meaning for this time
period until 1871.
 
Note: West Prussia geographically was NOT in the western part of
 19th century Prussia.
 
 3) In 1871 Germany as an empire with a Kaiser was reestablished with
Berlin as the capital of Germany and Prussia and with the Prussian king also
having the title of German Kaiser.
All monarchies in Germany were abolished in 1918, Prussia was declared
defunct in 1945 by the Allied victors. The original (East and West) Prussia
was cleansed of its ethnic German population and given to Poland and Russia.
The Western powers were silent on the ethnic cleansing of original Prussia
and Eastern Germany resulting in 12 millions of German refugees.
 
Q2: What about the kings in Germany?
 
A2: Before 1806 Germany was one kingdom and empire with one Kaiser and one
king who resided in Wien (Vienna). He was elected by the collegium of
Kurfuersten (electors) who in 1800 were the
 
3 archbishops of Koeln (Cologne), Mainz and Trier and the
4 secular electors of Rhine-Pfalz, Brandenburg, Sachsen(Saxony), and
Boehmen(Bohemia).
 
The electors of Brandenburg and Sachsen had also ambitions to acquire the
title of king. Since they could not acquire this title inside Germany they
succeeded outside Germany:
Brandenburg by declaring themselves "King in Prussia" at Koenigsberg in 1701,
Sachsen by getting elected as King of Poland in 1697.
The Kaiser in Wien was powerless to prevent this ploy.
 
By 1806 Napoleon Bonaparte changed all that. Germany no longer was a kingdom
and empire. The titles of Kurfuerst (elector) became meaningless and was
abolished and changed to Kings of Bohemia, Prussia, Saxony, Bavaria,
Wuerttemberg, and Hannover by Napoleon's grace.
The archbishops and catholic church lost all their secular power in 1803.
 
Q3: Who were the Prussian kings?
 
A3: Kurfuerst (Elector) Friedrich III was crowned first king Friedrich I
 in Koenigsberg in 1701, died 1712, his son was
 King Friedrich Wilhelm I, 1712-1740, intolerant, his son was
 King Friedrich II the Great (Old Fritz), 1740-1786, his nephew was
 King Friedrich Wilhelm II, 1786-1797, intolerant, his son was
 King Friedrich Wilhelm III, 1797-1840, his son was
 King Friedrich Wilhelm IV, 1840-1861, his brother was
 King Wilhelm I, 1861-1888, became Kaiser 1871, his son was
 Kaiser and King Friedrich III, 1888 (99 days), his son was
 Kaiser and King Wilhelm II, 1888-1918.
 
Q4: What were the administrative areas of Westpreussen (West Prussia)?
 
A4: Between 1824-1878 there was one Province of Prussia (Provinz
Preussen) which later was divided into two provinces (Ostpreussen,
Westpreussen) with capitals in Koenigsberg and Danzig, respectively.
 
In 1815-1920 there were the following districts and Kreise (counties):
(See WPr.map - WestpreussenKarte at)
 
http://www.genealogy.net/gene/reg/WPRU/wprus-kreis.gif
 
Regierungsbezirk (district) of Danzig included the Kreise of
 Berent,Danzig-Stadt,*Danziger Hoehe,Danziger Niederung,
 Dirschau,Elbing-Stadt,Elbing-Land,*Karthaus,Marienburg,*Neustadt,
 *Putzig, Preussisch-Stargard.
 (* marks the Kreise where the wendic tribe of the Kashoobs (Kashoubs)
 lived who speak a slavic dialect and who are mainly Catholic).
 
Regierungsbezirk (district) of Marienwerder included the Kreise of
 Briesen,Deutsch-Krone,Flatow,Graudenz,Konitz,Kulm,Loebau,
 Marienwerder,Rosenberg,Schlochau,Schwetz,Strasburg,Stuhm,Thorn,Tuchel.
 
Each Kreis was headed by the Landrat who presided over the Landratsamt.
The Landratsamt records are deposited in Berlin and the Polish archives
The Landrat was in charge of passport and emigrations matters and reported
to the district Regierung who in turn gave data to the provincial
Oberpraesidium in Danzig.
The archives of the Danzig and Marienwerder districts are in Berlin and
Gdansk today.
 
These administrative areas were valid until 1920 when Westpreussen
was divided into four parts:
1. The East was added to Ostpreussen as Reg.Bez.Westpreussen
(Kreise Elbing, Marienburg, Marienwerder, Rosenberg, Stuhm),
2. The center was given to the new Poland without a referendum
and was known as the Weichsel-Korridor
3. The West was incorporated into Germany as the Grenzmark
Posen-Westpreussen. (Kreise Deutsch-Krone,Flatow, Schlochau)
4. The Weichsel estuaries with its predominantly German speaking
population were made into a new "free" state of Danzig under the
supervision of the League of Nations, without a popular referendum:
(Kreise Danzig, Danziger Hoehe, Danziger Niederung, Grosses Werder)
 
The splitting up of Westpreussen after WWI without a popular referendum
carried the main seed for the outbreak of WWII.
 
Gazetteers for all villages and towns were published by Verein fuer
Familienforschung in Ost- und Westpreussen in Hamburg in its
Sonderschriften reprints Nr.47 (Danzig,1820), Nr.77 (Marienwerder,1820).
 
Q5: What were the "old" administrative areas of West Prussia?
 
A5: In 1806 the old administrative areas were
 
II. Westpreussen with 915,935 Einwohner:
 
 3.Westpreussisches Kammer-Departement included the Kreise of
 Marienwerder,Marienburg,Kulm,Michelau,Dirschau,Danzig,Stargard,Konitz.
 
 4.Westpreussisches Kammer-Departement fuer den Netzdistrict included the
 Kreise of Bromberg,Inowraclaw,Kamin,Krone.
 
The concept of Kreis was different in pre-1806 Prussia and referred to
the districts of the noble families ("Die Adeligen Kreise") as well as
the Immediatstaedte and royal Domainen-Aemter. The term "Regierung" referred
to the judicial (court) system before 1806 and to the district administration
after 1815. This is important to understand, if researchers want to judge
the relevance of records in the Berlin and Polish archives.
For historical maps see
 Adalbert Goertz: "Geographical Primer of Prussia", published in
 Mennonite Family History, April 1984, pp.58-61.
 (Address:R#1,Box 20 Morgantown PA 19543-9701;email:mast@masthof.org)
 
Q6: What were the court districts in Westpreussen before 1900?
 
A6: The highest West Prussian court was the Oberlandesgericht in
 Marienwerder with records deposited at the Gdansk archives today.
The lower courts (Landgerichte) and lowest courts (Amtsgerichte) were
 
Landgericht Danzig with (9) Amtsgerichte: Berent,Danzig,Dirschau,Karthaus,
 Neustadt,Preussisch-Stargard,Putzig,Schoeneck,Zoppot.
 
Landgericht Elbing with (8) Amtsgerichte: Christburg,Elbing,Deutsch-Eylau,
 Marienburg,Riesenburg,Rosenberg,Stuhm,Tiegenhof.
 
Landgericht Graudenz with (5) Amtsgerichte: Graudenz,Marienwerder,Mewe,
 Neuenburg,Schwetz.
 
Landgericht Konitz with (9) Amtsgerichte: Baldenburg,Flatow,Pr.Friedland,
 Hammerstein,Konitz,Schlochau,Tuchel,Vandsburg,Zempelburg.
 
Landgericht Thorn with (9) Amtsgerichte: Briesen,Gollub,Kulm,Kulmsee,
 Lautenburg,Loebau,Neumark,Strasburg,Thorn.
 
The whereabouts of the records for the Landgerichte is unknown.
The records of the Amtsgerichte are deposited at the Gdansk, Bydgoszcz,
Elblag, Olsztyn, Szczecin, Torun archives today, or remained in the
regional court archives.
Of special interest are the land deed records (Grund- und Hypotheken-Acta)
with no published survey known.
These records usually start with a land title history (=tituli possessionis)
going back 50 or more years from the beginning of the first deed book (1783).
Legal basis for these land records is the Prussian Hypotheken-Ordnung of
1783. The court at that time was called Justiz-Amt (until 1802), Land- or
Stadt-Gericht (1802-1849), Kreisgericht (1849-1879),
Amtsgericht (after 1879).
 
Land reform changed the ownership structure of the rural populace which is
reflected in the records of the General-Komission set up in 1812 for this
purpose and a prime genealogical source available in the archives at
 Bydgoszcz.
They are also to be found in state archives under the "Regierung" records
and the keywords "Regulierung, Abloesung, Austuung" of the estates etc.
 
Other court records are Erbrezesse, Erbvergleiche (probates), Pupillenakten
(orphan records), last testaments and wills, Erbscheine.
 
A remarriage of a widower/widow was always documented in the Amtsgericht
stating in detail the estate rights of surviving children as well as
rights and duties of parents and step parents. This is a source at the
Amtsgericht which is widely unknown and untapped (and unfilmed by the LDS).
If you are looking for records which describe the life and tribulations
of your ancestors, you cannot miss looking at the court records.
 
For more information see
 
 http://www.mmhs.org/prussia/mmhsgen3.htm
 
A preliminary survey of the whereabouts of West Prussian court records
is given in the table below:
 
 ================================= ============== ============
 Sad Obwodowy/Krajowy Arch.Panstwowe period sygn. poz./vols.
 ---------------------------------- -------------- ------------
 **Oberlandesgericht Marienwerder Gdansk 1772-1940 97 2467?
 =Landgericht Danzig - Gdansk ------ Gdansk 1866-1945 6665
Amtsgericht Berent - Koscierzyna Gdansk 1782-1920 99 3000
Amtsgericht Danzig - Gdansk Gdansk 1779-1934 98 38470
Amtsgericht Dirschau - Tczew Gdansk 1772-1918 103 6414
Amtsgericht Karthaus - Kartuzy
Amtsgericht Neustadt - Weiherowo Gdansk 1784-1919 1883 1350
Amtsgericht Pr.Stargard-Starogard Gd Gdansk 1782-1905 1882 6
Amtsgericht Putzig - Puck
Amtsgericht Schoeneck - Skarszewy Gdansk 1824-1940 105 66
Amtsgericht Zoppot - Sopot Gdansk 1885 1200
 =Landgericht Elbing - Elblag ------
Amtsgericht Christburg - Dzierzgon
Amtsgericht Elbing - Elblag Elblag 1779-1934 100 826
Amtsgericht Deutsch Eylau - Ilawa Olsztyn 1622-1902 74
Amtsgericht Marienburg - Malbork Elblag 1776-1939 101 25?
Amtsgericht Riesenburg - Prabuty Olsztyn 1772-1907 138
Amtsgericht Rosenberg - Susz Olsztyn 1557-1913 124
Amtsgericht Stuhm - Sztuhm Elblag 1772-1945 9000?
Amtsgericht Tiegenhof - Nowy Dwor Gd Elblag 1772-1943
 =Landgericht Graudenz - Grudziadz -
Amtsgericht Graudenz - Grudziadz  Bydgoszcz
Amtsgericht Marienwerder - Kwydzyn Elblag 1808-1933 102 79
Amtsgericht Mewe - Gniew
Amtsgericht Neuenburg - Nowe Bydgoszcz 1772-1944 68
Amtsgericht Schwetz - Swiecie Bydgoszcz
 =Landgericht Konitz - Chojnice ----
Amtsgericht Baldenburg - Bialy Bor Szczecin
Amtsgericht Flatow - Zlotow Koszalin 1894-1943 92?
Amtsgericht Pr.Friedland - Debrzeno Szczecin 1901-1941? 1
Amtsgericht Hammerstein - Czarne
Amtsgericht Konitz - Chojnice Bydgoszcz
Amtsgericht Schlochau - Czluchow Koszalin 1901-1943? 3?
Amtsgericht Tuchel - Tuchola Bydgoszcz?
Amtsgericht Vandsburg - Wiecbork Bydgoszcz?
Amtsgericht Zempelburg - Sepolno Kr.
 =Landgericht Thorn - Torun -------- Torun 1804-1915 19
Amtsgericht Briesen - Wabrzezno Torun
Amtsgericht Gollub - Golub Torun?
Amtsgericht Kulm - Chelmno Torun?
Amtsgericht Kulmsee - Chelmza Torun 1887-1925  22
Amtsgericht Lautenburg - Lidzbark Olsztyn?
Amtsgericht Loebau - Lubawa Olsztyn ? ?
Amtsgericht Neumark-Nowy Miasto Lub Olsztyn 1872-1920 660
Amtsgericht Strasburg - Brodnica
Amtsgericht Thorn - Torun Torun 1817-1921 2356
------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Q7: Are there secular records of interest to family researchers?
 
A7: There are 2 types of records compiled periodically for the period
 of reign of Friedrich II (der alte Fritz) who ruled 1740-1786:
 1) Praestations-Tabellen; and 2) Mahl-Listen
 
>> Ad 1)
 There were 3 land sovereigns in West Prussia:
 A. The Towns and Cities: Die Staedte
 B. The noble land lords: Die Adeligen Kreise
 C. The Crown (King): Die Koeniglichen Rent-Aemter/Intendanturen.
 
 Each land sovereign leased the land out to settlers in its own
 characteristic legal framework and tax system. As an example: The tax
 lists called Praestations-Tabellen compiled by the Domainen-Rentamt or
 Royal Amt would list the Emphyteuten by name of each village for the
 period 1773-1806, and 1819-ca.1850 on royal crown lands only.
 
 When I tried to search for Praestations-Tabellen in the Montau-Gruppe
 and Schoensee areas, I was able to find such lists for Montau,
 Kommerau, Treul etc., but not for Gruppe, Schoensee and the villages
 in the Culm region. I finally realized that the first group were Royal
 Amt villages, and the latter were villages on nobility or city lands
 for which Praestations-Tabellen never existed.
 
 The designation of the settlers also gives a clue of the land
 sovereign in question: Emphyteuten lived on crown land, Erbpaechter,
 Hochzinsler, Erbfreie, Koelmer lived on non-crown lands.
 
 Which village belongs to which category may be found for the Danzig
 district in the "Uebersicht der Bestandtheile und Verzeichnis aller
 Ortschaften des Danziger Regierungs-Bezirks", Danzig 1820 (reprint
 Hamburg 1981) which gives the "Bezeichnung der Qualitaet" of each
 village.
 
 Praestations-Tabellen (PT) exist since about 1774 for West Prussia
 and since about 1723 for East Prussia and were updated
 about every 6 years until 1806 and continued from 1819 to about 1850.
 To summarize:
 They list hereditary land tenants on royal domaine lands only, giving
 names and land size in H(ufen), M(orgen) and R(uten).
 The Kgl.(Royal) Domainen-Amt or Domainen-Rent-Amt administered and
 levied the tax (=Praestation). The Domainen-Amt districts were usually
 identical with the court districts (Amts-Gericht). After 1815 the domaine
 lands were sold to the tenants in instalments which was completed by
 about 1850. The new authority who handled the sales (=Abloesung) was the
 General-Kommission (in Bromberg for Westpreussen, at AP Bydgoszcz today).
 The Abloesung records are very importants for family information of
 land owners.
 For later years the land records of the local Kataster-Amt (1861-)
 should be consulted.
 
 The land units in PTs are given in
 H = culmische Hufe = ca.16.8 ha = 30 culmische Morgen = 9000 R,
 1 culmischer Morgen = 300 R = 300 Ruten (square rods).
 
>> Ad 2) Mahl-Listen or Muehlen Consignationen list all heads of family by
 name and number of women, sons, daughters, male and female
 servants. They indicate that everyone of age 12-60 was taxed by head
 for eating and milling grain, poor or rich alike. They were abolished
 in 1806 by the Stein-Hardenberg reforms.
 The AP Gdansk and AP Bydgoszcz probably have these lists among
 Aemtersachen records.
 
 For the Polish period prior to 1772 the records are limited to names
of family heads for certain years.
 
In 1772 King Friedrich II ("Old Fritz") ordered a "Landesaufnahme",also
known as the "Contributions-Kataster" or
 
"General-Consignation" of the new Westpreussen province listing all
family heads by name. This was done in 1772/1773. Portions of this oldest
census have been published at various places and the internet:
 
http://www.odessa3.org/collections/land/wprussia/
 
A similar Prussian Landesaufnahme was done for South Prussia in 1793
and is deposited in the Warsaw state archives and has not been filmed.
 
Q8: Is there a listserv for West Prussia family researchers?
 
A8: There is a mailing list ow-preussen-l for East and West Prussia.
 
 To subscribe send text:
 
 subscribe ow-preussen-L
 
 to: majordomo@genealogy.net
 
 A more general list is PRUSSIA-ROOTS-L@rootsweb.com
 
 To subscribe send the word "subscribe" (without the quotes)
 as the only text in the body of a message to
 
 PRUSSIA-ROOTS-L-request@rootsweb.com (mail mode) or
 PRUSSIA-ROOTS-D-request@rootsweb.com (digest mode).
 
Websites for German genealogy are
 
 http://www.genealogy.net/gene/reg/rindex.htm
 http://www.genealogy.net/gene/reg/WPRU/wprus.html
 http://www.adnc.com/web3/lynnd/gfaq.html
 http://www.germany.net/teilnehmer/100.110994/index.htm
 http://www.genealogy.net/gene/vereine/VFFOW/vffow.htm
 http://www.danzig.de
 http://www.westpreussen.de
 
 Stiftung Martin-Opitz-Bibliothek Herne.
 (formerly Buecherei des deutschen Ostens)
 e-mail: charly@charly.ping.de
 http://w3g.med.uni-giessen.de/~geneal/kp/fome/andere/mob.html
 
 Herder -Institut Marburg e.V. Gisonenweg 5 - 7, 35037 Marburg/Lahn
 Telephon: 06421/184-0, Telefax: 184-139
 e-mail: herder@mailer.uni-marburg.de....
 http://www.uni-marburg.de/herder-institut/bibliohp.html
 http://w3g.med.uni-giessen.de/~geneal/kp/fome/andere/herdermb.html
 http://www.uni-marburg.de/herder-institut/klassi.html
 
 Geheimes Staatsarchiv Preussischer Kulturbesitz, Berlin.
 Archivstrasse 12-14 D-14195 Berlin (Dahlem)
 Tel.: (030) 839 01141 Fax: (030) 839 011 80
 http://www.lib.byu.edu/~rdh/prmss/orte/berlgsas.html
 http://dg3.chemie.uni-konstanz.de/~stuebs/pommern/Archive/berli-geh-st*
 http://members.aol.com/genpoland/genpolen.htm
 
For those who are interested in the holdings of the
Privy State Archives in Berlin-Dahlem
here are their main groups (HA = Haupt-Abteilungen) of records:
 
HA
I. Die sogenannten alten und neuen Reposituren
II Generaldirektorium
IIl. Ministerium der auswaertigen Angelegenheiten
IV. Heeresarchiv (mostly destroyed in 1945)
V. Koenigreich Westphalen
VI. Staatsvertrdge
VII. Urkunden
VIII Siegel, Wappen, Genealogie
IX. Bilder
X. Brandenburg
XI. Karten
XII. (Amts-) Drucksachen
XIII Filme
XIV. Westpreussen
XV. Pommern
XVI. Posen
XVII Schlesien
XVIII Sachsen
XIX. Grenzmark Posen - Westpreussen
XX. Historisches Staatsarchiv Koenigsberg
 
 Evang. Zentralarchiv Berlin.
 http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/eza
 http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/eza/eza3e.htm
 Email: eza@snafu.de
 
 Listing of Lutheran churches:
 
 http://paris.chem.yale.edu/zondlo/wpru-ev.html
 
 Genealogical sources:
 
 http://www.feefhs.org/s&f/kbak-ae.html Sources A-E
 http://www.feefhs.org/s&f/kbak-fg.html Sources F-G
 http://www.feefhs.org/s&f/kbak-hk.html Sources H-K
 http://www.feefhs.org/s&f/kblz-lo.html Sources L-O
 http://www.feefhs.org/s&f/kblz-ps.html Sources P-S
 http://www.feefhs.org/s&f/kblz-tz.html Sources T-Z
 http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/German_Genealogy/kbak.htm
 http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/German_Genealogy/kblz.htm
 
If you have no access to the Web (www), you can direct web files to
your email box by sending a request to
 
 getweb@usa.healthnet.org
 
 OR
 
 www4mail@unganisha.idrc.ca
 
with the message HELP or
 get http://.....
 
Q9: How do I find locations and maps for Westpreussen before 1945?
 
A9: An atlas is usually not the best tool to locate small towns or
villages. Maps of scales 1:25,000 (Messtischblatt) or 1:100,000
(Karte des Deutschen Reiches and Kreiskarten) and gazetteers
(Ortsverzeichnis) are.
 
 The best German gazetteer is
 Meyers Orts- and Verkehrslexikon des Deutschen Reiches,1912 edition,
 which is available on microfiche in the LDS Family History Centers.
 
 There is LDS microfilm #068814 available of
 Karte des Deutschen Reiches, scale 1:100000, 1km = 1cm
 which may be loaned thru the LDS Family History Centers.
 It covers Germany for 1914-1917.
 
 Topographical Maps (Messtischblaetter 1:25000) may also be
 purchased from
 Bundesamt fuer Kartographie und Geodaesie
 Stauffenbergstr.13
 10785 Berlin, Germany
 
 E-mail: kart@ifag.de
 
 http://www.ifag.de/Kartographie/Kartenverzeichnis/I_alte_K.htm
 
 see also
 http://w3g.med.uni-giessen.de/gene/gifs/maps/
 
For German-Polish place name dictionary, see
 
 http://www.atsnotes.com/other/gerpol.html
 http://web.nstar.net/~dwat6911/former.htm
 
Q10: What books discuss hints and sources for East German searchers?
 
A10: Wegweiser fuer Forschung nach Vorfahren aus den Ostdeutschen und
 Sudetendeutschen Gebieten sowie aus den deutschen Siedlungsraeumen
 in Mittel-,Ost- und Suedosteuropa (AGoFF-Wegweiser):
 Verlag Degener &Co, 91413 Neustadt, Germany (1991 and later)
 (The out-of-print English edition is being revised presently)
 
 Germanic Genealogy (by Edward R.Brandt et alii), 2nd edition.
 1997, St.Paul MN, 517 pp.,1st edition, 1995.
 
 W.Krallert: Atlas zur Geschichte der deutschen Ostsiedlung,
 Velhagen &Klasing, Bielefeld-Berlin-Hannover 1958.
 
The "Bibliographie der Geschichte von Ost- und Westpreussen"
by Ernst Wermke, 4 vols.,is the most complete bibliography which
includes genealogical publications.
 Vol.1:Aalen 1962 (publications prior to 1929)
  Vol.2:Aalen 1964 (publications 1930-1938)
 Vol.3:Bonn-Bad Godesberg 1974 (publications 1939-1974)
 Vol.4: Marburg 1974 (publications 1971-1974)
 
There have been some calls recently for books in English on
 the German exodus and ethnic cleansing in East Germany and
 Eastern Europe:
 
 Thorwald, Jurgen: Es begann an der Weichsel. 1951
 Das Ende an der Elbe. 1952.
 English: Flight in the winter;
 [New York] Pantheon [1951] 318 p. 22 cm.
  CALL #: 940.542 T52F
 
 De Zayas, Alfred M.
 Anmerkungen zur Vertreibung der Deutschen aus dem Osten.
 English: The German expellees : victims in war and peace /
 Alfred-Maurice De Zayas ; [original German version
 translated by John A. Koehler].
 New York : St. Martin's Press, 1993.
 xlii, 177 p., [24] p. of plates : ill., map ; 22 cm.
 Includes bibliographical references (p. [161]-169) and
 index. CALL #: DJK 28.G4D413 1993
 
 De Zayas, Alfred M.
 Anmerkungen zur Vertreibung der Deutschen aus dem Osten.
 English: A terrible revenge : the "ethnic cleansing" of the east
 European Germans, 1944-1950 / Alfred-Maurice de Zayas ;
 [original German version translated by John A. Koehler].
 1st pbk. ed. with additions.
 New York : St. Martin's Press, 1994.
 xlii, 179 p. : ill., maps ; 21 cm.
 Includes bibliographical references (p. [153]-171) and
 index. CALL #: DJK 28.G4D413 1994
 
OTHER ENTRIES: Germans Europe, Eastern History 20th century.
 World War, 1939-1945 Refugees.
 World War, 1939-1945 Atrocities.
 Population transfers Germans.
 
 "Die Vertreibung der deutschen Bevo"lkerung aus den Gebieten o"stlich der
Oder-Neisse", Bundesministerium fu"r Vertriebene, Flu"chtlinge und Kriegsgescha
 1993 edition by Weltbild Verlag, Augsburg, 3 vols., (ISBN 3-89350-547-4).
 
 http://www.rollenhagen.de/Pommern/maps/saatzig.htm
 http://members.tripod.com/~radde/FlightDanzig.html
  http://members.tripod.com/~radde/ProcessExpulsionStolp.html
 http://members.tripod.com/~radde/Prologue.html
 http://www.meaus.com/Expulsion_of_Germans.html
 http://www.codoh.com/incon/incontrans.html
 
Q11: How many Mennonites lived in Westpreussen (West Prussia)?
 
A11: Since Mennonites enjoyed certain privilegia from the days of the
 Polish kings which were also honored by the Prussian kings, the
 authorities counted them carefully.
 Here are some statistics from censuses for West Prussia:
 (see Mennonite Life, April 1969 p.83-86 for details)
 
district 1816 1821 1831 1843 1852 1861 1871 1880 1890 1900
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Westpreussen:
Danzig 9177 9028 8859 8765 8782 8485 8298 7979 7937 7863
Marienwerder 3320 3238 3194 3046 3218 2683 2403 2369 2137 2075
 
Kingdom 14954 15079 14756 14313 14780 13725 14040 13849 13833 13876
 
Q12: Is there a website which has Prussian Mennonnite records posted?
 
A12: Consult the website of the Manitoba Mennonite Historical Society:
 http://www.mmhs.org/mmhs/mmhsgen.htm
 
Q13: Where can I get information on archives in Poland?
 
A13: Consult the websites
 
 http://www.man.poznan.pl/~bielecki/geninfo6.htm
 http://ciuw.warman.net.pl/alf/archiwa/
 http://pgsa.org/archives_eng.htm
 
see also:
C.Biernat: Archiwum Panstwowe w Gdansku
 (Guide to pre-1945 holdings of the Gdansk State Archives),
 Warsaw-Lodz 1992, 541 pp.
 
Q14: What was the religion of people in Westpreussen (West Prussia)?
 
A14: In 1890 the population was 47% Evangelical, 50.7% Catholic,
 1.3% Jewish.
 
Q15: What were the land measurements in Prussia?
 
A15: The land measurements in some areas before 1815 were based on the
 Culm units:
 1 culm.Hufen = 30 culm.Morgen (= ca.16.8 ha = ca.41.5 acres)
 1 culm.Morgen = 300 culm.Ruten (QRuten = sqRods) = ca.1.383 acres
 
 After 1815 the prevailing measurements were the Magdeburg units:
 1 preuss.Hufen = 30 preuss.Morgen (= ca.7.66 ha = ca.18.9 acres)
 1 preuss.Morgen = 180 preuss.Ruten(QRuten = sqRods) = ca.0.632 acres
 
Q16: How do you pronounce place names?
 
A16: Here is a sampling of phonetic transcription:
 
Danzig = DUNN-tsick
Marienwerder = mar-ree-en-VER-der
Marienburg = maa-REE-en-burg (platt:MAR-yen-burg)
Graudenz = GROU-dents
Culm = COOLM
Tiegenhof = tee-ghen-HOF
Thorn = TORN
 
Q17: What were the classes of country people before 1900?
 
A17: Here are some samples found in the records:
 
Arbeitsmann = (non-farm) laborer
Bauer = modern term after about 1850 for middle-sized farmer(<500 Morgen). Deputant = land laborer paid in kind (Deputat) like grain, potatos, lodging. Einlieger = subtenant Einwohner = same as Emphyteut, Nachbar, or Bauer (pre-1850). Emphyteut = hereditary tenant on royal Amt land (West Prussia only) Gutsbesitzer = modern term after about 1850 for large estate farmer       (>500 Morgen).
Hakenbuedner,Hoeker = store owner/tenant selling everyday supplies which
 are displayed on hooks from walls and ceiling
Kaetner,Katner = tenant of small shack (Kate) with land
Krueger,Krugpaechter = tenant of inn (Krug) or pub or pharmacy owned and
 licensed by king or noble landlord
Nachbar = member of group (Nachbarschaft) leasing land from landlord
Paechter = tenant.
Rittergutsbesitzer = owner of large medieval estate farm (East Prussia only).
Schaenker, Schankwirt = Krueger
Tageloehner = land laborer earning daily wage in kind (Deputat),some cash.
 
A18: Civil registers of births,marriages,deaths were introduced in October
 of 1874. The Civil registry office is called Standesamt.
 Before this time, the Lutheran church records (1815-1874) or special
 Dissidenten-Register (1847-1874) served as official registers, and a
 duplicate copy was deposited at the local court (Amtsgericht).
 
Most Standesamt (Polish: Urzed Stanu Cywilnego) records remained in the
old offices and were taken over by the Polish authorities in 1945.
They are listed in the Gazetteer of Polish People's Republic Localities.
The full title is SPIS MIEJSCOWOSCI POLSKIEJ RZECZYPOSPOLITEJ LUDOWEJ,
published in Warsaw 1968, and on LDS microfilm #844,922.
 
Prior to 1874, the church records (Kirchenbuecher) of the official
churches (Evangelic and catholic) served as recognized documents for the
purpose of proving one's birth, marriage, and death and had to meet
certain standards of accuracy and completeness. Members of minor
(unregcognised) churches had to record their vital statistics with the
pastor of the official churches.
 
Q19: Are there links to dictionaries on the web?
 
A19: Links to Dictionaries to Estonian, German, Hungarian, Latin, Slovak,
 Slovene, Russian, and others are found at:
 
 http://dict.leo.org/dict/dictionaries.html
 http://www.ectaco.com/online
 
Q20: Where do I look for emigration records?
 
A20: see:
 Learned, Marion Dexter, 1857-1917:
 Guide to the manuscript materials relating to American history
 in the German state archives, Washington, D.C.,
 Carnegie Institution of Washington. Publication no. 150 , 1912, 352 p.:
 -also Kraus Reprints, NY 1965-
p.87-91: StA Danzig (AP Gdansk)
 
For an update addition see
Danzig-Staatsarchiv, bearbeitet by Dr.Smolka (LOC manuscript
 collection, 14 pp.,n.d.)
 
Another source for emigrants and non-emigrants alike is the large
Westpreussen-File or Westpreussen-Kartei with presently about
380,000 name entries. Data include sources.
No fee, but postage reimbursement (about $5) is a must. Inquiries
should include name(s) and location(s), if known.
This file has not been published or filmed.
 
Address:
Dieter God
Schorlemmerskamp 20
44536 Luenen, Germany.
 
Q21: Is there a genealogical society specializing in this area?
 
A21: The Verein fuer Familienforschung in Ost- und Westpreussen
 was established in 1924 in Koenigsberg and was reestablished
 after WWII in Hamburg.
It publishes the annual Altpreussische Geschlechterkunde and
Familienarchiv as well as a series of Sonderschriften of sources.
Annual membership with foreign address is DM 90.
 
 http://www.genealogy.net/gene/vereine/VFFOW/vffow.htm
 
Application for membership and ordering of publications
may be directed to
 
Frau Elisabeth Meier
Postfach 11 05 39
46125 Oberhausen, Germany
 
email: VFFOW@MAIL.EICS.COM
Chairman: G.v.d.Oelsnitz@alphacom.de
Computers: dflade@hrzpub.tu-darmstadt.de

Suggestions for improvements are appreciated. Adalbert Goertz (goertz@cyberspace.org)

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