Dresden, Germany, Marriages, 1876-1927

About this collection

This collection contains marriage records from Dresden and about 40 surrounding communities and their civil registration offices covering the years 1876 up to and including 1927. The date range of each individual collection may vary. For some offices and time periods the banns related to the marriages may also be found. Dresden is located on the Elbe River about 19 miles from the Czech border and is the capital of the German state of Saxony. Due to its location, and in recognition of its art and architecture, Dresden has been known since the early 19th century as "Florence on the Elbe." During the time period of this collection until 1918, Dresden belonged, to the Kingdom of Saxony.

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

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
• Bride: Last name, Maiden name, Given names, Occupation, Denomination, Birthdate and Birthplace, Residence as well as details about her Parents and their Place of residence
• Groom: Last name, Given names, Occupation, Denomination, Birthdate and Birthplace, Residence as well as details about his Parents and their Place of Residence
• Witnesses
• Signatures

More about using this collection

Each document has a front and back. These are displayed one ofter the other. Additional events from the life of the couple were sometimes recorded 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. You can browse through the images by time period. First select the desired Civil Registration Office in the box "Browse this collection,” then select the desired year range.

Banns contained in the collection are shown in the search results. To see which communities and year-ranges are available, see the Record Type after selecting the Civil Registration Office. The banns may be several pages long and include various types of marriage applications submitted to the registry.