German Census Records 1816-1916 – A Groundbreaking New Genealogy Resource

I need to first make a sincere apology. For years I have been telling people that there were very few German censuses taken – with a small number of exceptions. I didn’t know what I was talking about. I guess I could make the excuse that I didn’t know what I didn’t know, but I learned years ago that excuses aren’t worth anything. Actually, many German censuses were taken, some as early as the 1700s, but with most starting in 1816. And yes – many are accessible to researchers today.

After wondering for several years why American researchers know very little about German census records, my good friend, Dr. Roger Minert, found an opportunity to live in Europe for six months to investigate them. He was sure that many existed, but he could find very little information about them. While in Europe, he learned that even German researchers know very little about their census records! How could such a potentially important resource be lost to obscurity? In a new book, researchers can now learn where and when German census records were compiled, as well as why and how. The author also describes state by state the content of the census records and explains how surviving census documents can be located. This is groundbreaking information, of enormous value to anyone researching their German roots.

Would you like additional information about your family in old country? The information found in the parish registers is key to your research, but there’s often even more family information to be found in the German census records.

German Census Records, 1816-1916: The When, Where, and How of a Valuable Genealogical Resource is available and now shipping.

Note – this book is also available in a hardbound edition. Click on this link to be directed to that page at the FPRC website.

The following Table of Contents is found in the volume:

Acknowledgements
Introduction
Chapter 1: A History of Census Records in the German States
Chapter 2: The Census of 1867: The Great Transition
Chapter 3: Census Records during the German Empire 1871-1918
Chapter 4: Census Records in the German States from 1816 to 1864
Chapter 5: Anhalt
Chapter 6: Baden
Chapter 7: Bayern [Bavaria]
Chapter 8: Brandenburg
Chapter 9: Braunschweig [Brunswick]
Chapter 10: Bremen (Hansestadt Bremen)
Chapter 11: Elsaß-Lothringen {Alsace-Lorraine]
Chapter 12: Hamburg (Hansestadt Hamburg)
Chapter 13: Hannover [Hanover]
Chapter 14: Hessen [Hesse]
Chapter 15: Hessen-Nassau [Hesse-Nassau]
Chapter 16: Hohenzollern
Chapter 17: Lippe
Chapter 18: Lübeck (Hansestadt Lübeck) [Luebeck]
Chapter 19: Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Chapter 20: Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Chapter 21: Oldenburg
Chapter 22: Ostpreußen [East Prussia]
Chapter 23: Pommern [Pomerania]
Chapter 24: Posen
Chapter 25: Reuß älterer Linie [Reuss Elder Line]
Chapter 26: Reuß jüngere Linie [Reuss Younger Line]
Chapter 27: Rheinprovinz [Rhineland Province]
Chapter 28: Sachsen-Altenburg [Saxe-Altenburg]
Chapter 29: Sachsen-Meiningen [Saxe-Meiningen]
Chapter 30: Königreich Sachsen [Kingdom of Saxony]
Chapter 31: Sachsen-Meiningen [Saxe-Meiningen]
Chapter 32: Provinz Sachsen [Province of Saxony]
Chapter 33: Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach [Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach]
Chapter 34: Schaumburg-Lippe
Chapter 35: Schlesian [Silesia]
Chapter 36: Schleswig-Holstein
Chapter 37: Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt
Chapter 38: Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
Chapter 39: Waldeck
Chapter 40: Westfalen [Westphalia]
Chapter 41: Westpreußen [West Prussia]
Chapter 42: Württemberg [Wuerttemberg]
Chapter 43: German Census Records from 1816-1916: What Do We Know Now?
Chapter 44: Conclusions
Appendix A: Writing to Archives in Germany, France, and Poland
Appendix B: Conducting Census Research in Archives in Germany, France and Poland
Appendix C: Interesting Documents Relating to German Census Campaigns
Appendix D: The States of Germany in 1871
Bibliography
Index

German Census Records, 1816-1916: The When, Where, and How of a Valuable Genealogical Resource; by Roger P Minert, Ph.D., A.G.; 2016; 260 pp; 8.5×11; Softbound; ISBN: 9781628590777; Item #: FR0650

5 Replies to “German Census Records 1816-1916 – A Groundbreaking New Genealogy Resource”

Diane Seipert on April 25, 2016 at 8:55 am said:

When I looked to purchase the price was $59.46 plus shipping and it is April 25th… Is that an error? I would love the book for the pre order price. Please let me know. Thank you.
Leland Meitzler on April 25, 2016 at 9:03 am said:

Diane,

Yes – that’s correct for the hard cover edition of the book. I think you probably want the soft bound book. That link is: http://www.familyrootspublishing.com/store/product_view.php?id=3142
Linda Houck on April 26, 2016 at 9:15 am said:

Is the book in English or is it original only?
Leland Meitzler on April 26, 2016 at 9:32 am said:

The book is written in English and published in Orting, Washington. A German language edition is planned – to be published in Germany at a later date.
Carol Coltrn on April 26, 2016 at 3:18 pm said:

I am so grateful that I found Dr. Minert to do research for me in Germany. He opened doors that I had been struggling with for 30 years.

I always felt confident with his results and appreciated the personal interest he took in his work for me.

I am so glad to see that he has authored this book. Once again, I am sure it will be the very best information available and I thank him for the extra effort he puts in to help us all.

He is a valued researcher and a great instructor. He was one of my granddaughter’s favorites at Brigham Young University.

German Census Records 1816-1916 – A Groundbreaking New Genealogy Resource

About Leland Meitzler

5 Replies to “German Census Records 1816-1916 – A Groundbreaking New Genealogy Resource”

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