Oschersleben, Germany, Births, 1874-1905

About this collection

This collection contains birth records and name directories from Oschersleben (Bode) covering the years 1874 up to and including 1905. Oschersleben is located on the Bode River about 22 miles from Magdeburg in what is now the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It was first verifiably mentioned in a document from the year 994. The city's best known modern attraction is the Motorsport Arena built in 1997. But its most notable landmark is the figure "The Sower" designed by sculptor Stephan Walter - a symbol of the fertile soils of the Magdeburge Börde plainlands. During the time period of this collection, Oschersleben belonged to the Prussian Province of Saxony. In addition to death records from the city of Oschersleben, this collection includes records for nine communities according to modern districting. The timeperiods covered vary.

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." 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

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, Denomination, Residence/Address
• Child: Birth Date, Time of Birth, Sex, Given Names
• Signatures

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 be found via the search form. The “Informant” was often a midwife or the child's father. Under "Browse this collection,” select the Registration Office and Year Range of the register desired.