Adalbert Goertz (goertz@cyberspace.org)
Back to Regions
Q1: Where is Posen?
Q2: What was Posen's German history prior to 1920?
Q3: What were the administrative areas of Posen (Poznan)?
Q4: What were the old administrative areas of South Prussia which
existed 1793(1795)-1806?
Q5: What were the court districts in Posen before 1900?
Q6: Is there a listserv for Posen family researchers?
Q7: How do I find locations and maps for Posen before 1945?
Q8: What book discusses hints and sources for East German searchers?
Q9: What type of land records are available?
Q10: How can I get information on Polish archives?
Q11: When were civil registers introduced?
Q12: Are there links to dictionaries on the web?
Q13: Are there emigration records available?
Q14: What was the population mix in Posen province?
Q15: Are there secular records of interest to family researchers?
=================================
Q1: Where is Posen (Poznan)?
A1: Posen was a Prussian province,1815-1919. Its capital was Posen (Poznan).
Q2: What was Posen's German history prior to 1920?
A2: Part of Greater Poland was annexed by King Friedrich II
of Prussia in 1772 and renamend Netze-District during the first
partition of Poland. King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia annexed
the remainder in the second partition of Poland in 1793 and renamed it
South Prussia.
After the Prussian defeat by Napoleon Bonaparte, South Prussia was united
with the Grand Duchy of Warsaw, 1807-1815.
After Napoleon's defeat most of the Posen district of South Prussia
reverted to Prussia whereas the Kalisch and Warschau districts
became part of Russian-Poland (Congress-Poland).
1815-1919 the Prussian province of Posen comprised the two districts
of Posen and Bromberg.
After WWI the area became part of the new Poland.
Germany reoccupied the old Posen province 1939-1945, extended it, and
named it Reichsgau Wartheland.
The area was cleansed of its ethnic German population and returned to Poland
in 1945. The Western powers were silent on the ethnic cleansing.
Q3: What were the administrative areas of Posen (Poznan)?
A3: In 1890 the province of Posen had the following districts and
Kreise (counties):
Regierungsbezirk (district) of Posen with 28 Kreise (counties):
Adelnau,Birnbaum,Bomst,Fraustadt,Gostyn,Graetz,Jarotschin,Kempen,
Koschmin,Kosten,Krotoschin,Lissa,Meseritz,Neutomischel,Obornik,
Ostrowo,Pleschen,Posen-Stadt,Posen-Ost,Posen-West,Rawitsch,Samter,
Schildberg,Schmiegel,Schrimm,Schroda,Schwerin,Wreschen.
Regierungsbezirk (district) of Bromberg with 14 Kreise (counties):
Bromberg-Stadt,Bromberg-Land,Czarnikau,Filehne,Gnesen,Inowrazlaw,
Kolmar,Mogilno,Schubin,Strelno,Wirsitz,Witkowo,Wongrowitz,Znin.
Each Kreis was headed by the Landrat who presided over the Landratsamt.
The Landratsamt records are deposited in Berlin and the Polish archives
with published brief inventories.
The Landrat was in charge of passport and emigrations matters and reported
to the Regierung who in turn gave data to the provincial Oberpraesidium
in Posen.
Q4: What were the old administrative areas of South Prussia which
existed 1793(1795)-1806?
A4: In 1806 The province of South Prussia (Suedpreussen) had
1,503,508 Einwohner with 3 districts (departements):
The Departement der Kriegs- und Domainen-Kammer zu Posen included the
Kreise of Posen,Oborniki,Meseritz,Bomst,Fraustadt,Krebe,Schrimm,Kosten,
Krotoschin,Peisern,Schroda,Gnesen,Wongrowitz,Powitz,Brzesk,Radziejow,
Kowal.
The Departement der Kriegs- und Domainen-Kammer zu Kalisch included the
Kreise of Kalisch,Adelnau,Konin,Ostreschow,Wielun,Lumtomiersk,
Warta,Schadek,Sieradz,Petrikau,Radomsk,Czenstochau.
(This is the area where a number of Lutheran churches were founded:
Wladyslawow in 1776, Babiak 1793, Dabie 1800, Chodecz 1801.)
The Departement der Kriegs- und Domainen-Kammer zu Warschau included the
Kreise of Warschau,Blonin,Tschersk,Rawa,Sochaczew,Gostin,Orlow,
Lenczyca,Zgierz,Brzezin.
After 1815 most of the Posen District became the Prussian province
of Posen, whereas the Kalisch and Warschau Districts became part of
Russian-Poland (Congress Poland).
Q5: What were the court districts in Posen province before 1900?
A5: The highest provincial court and for Deutsch-Krone Kreis
was the Oberlandesgericht in Posen.
The lower courts were
Landgericht Bromberg with (7) Amtsgerichte:
Bromberg,Exin,Inowrazlaw,Krone,Labischin,Schubin,Strelno.
Landgericht Gnesen with (5) Amtsgerichte:
Gnesen,Mogilno,Tremessen,Wongrowitz,Wreschen.
Landgericht Lissa with (8) Amtsgerichte:
Bojanowo,Fraustadt,Gostyn,Jutroschin,Kosten,Lissa,Rawitsch,Schmiegel.
Landgericht Meseritz with (9) Amtsgerichte:
Bentschen,Birnbaum,Graetz,Meseritz,Neutomischel,Schwerin,Tirschtiegel,
Unruhstadt,Wollstein.
Landgericht Ostrowo, with (8) Amtsgerichte:
Adelnau,Jarotschin,Kempen,Koschmin,Krotoschin,Ostrowo,Pleschen,Schildberg.
Landgericht Posen with (9) Amtsgerichte:
Obornik,Pinne,Posen,Pudewitz,Rogasen,Samter,Schrimm,Schroda,Wronke.
Landgericht Schneidemuehl with (13) Amtsgerichte:
Czarnikau,Deutsch-Krone,Filehne,Jastrow,Kolmar,Lobsens,Margonin,
Maerkisch-Friedland,Nakel,Schloppe,Schneidemuehl,Schoenlanke,Wirsitz.
The whereabouts of the records for the Landgerichte and Amtsgerichte
is unknown. Of special interest are the land deed records (Grund- und
Hypotheken-Acta) with no published survey known todate.
State records remained in Poland as well as in the Berlin archives.
Q6: Is there a listserv for Posen family researchers?
A6: There is mailing list for anyone with a
genealogical interest in Posen for the time period when
it was under German rule until 1945:
POSEN-L@rootsweb.com
To subscribe send the word "subscribe" (without the
quotes) as the only text in the body of a message to
POSEN-L-request@rootsweb.com
Websites for German genealogy are
http://www.genealogy.net/gene/reg/rindex.htm
http://w3g.med.uni-giessen.de/gene/reg/rindex.htm
http://www.genealogy.net/gene/reg/POS/posen.html
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/German_Genealogy/kbak.htm
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/German_Genealogy/kblz.htm
http://pegasus.adnc.com/~websites/lynnd/vudeu.html
http://pegasus.adnc.com/~websites/lynnd/gfaq.html
http://www.germany.net/teilnehmer/100.110994/index.htm
http://members.aol.com/genpoland/genpolen.htm
http://members.aol.com/genpoland/pos.htm
Stiftung Martin-Opitz-Bibliothek Herne.
(ehemals Buecherei des deutschen Ostens)
Inhalt: Ueber die Bibliothek. Die Martin-Opitz-Bibliothek....
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*
Q7: How do I find locations and maps for Posen before 1920??
A7: 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
Institut fuer Angewandte Geodaesie
Stauffenbergstr.13
10785 Berlin, Germany
(Ask for their map catalog for Posen)
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
Q8: What book discusses hints and sources for East German searchers?
A8: 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.
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.
Q9: What type of land records are available?
A9: In addition to the deed and mortgage records deposited at the courts
(Amtsgerichte) a prime and practically unknown source is the
Generalkommission fuer Westpreussen und Posen zu Bromberg
with records deposited at the state archives in Bydgoszcz and comprising
116118 volumes for the years 1812-1920.
Q10: How can I get information on Polish archives?
A10:For information on Polish archives consult the web site:
http://ciuw.warman.net.pl/alf/archiwa/
http://www.man.poznan.pl/~bielecki/geninfo6.htm
http://www.man.poznan.pl/~bielecki/archive.htm
http://www.man.poznan.pl/~bielecki/catallu.htm
http://www.man.poznan.pl/~bielecki/pub/ruspoz.txt
http://www.wsdsc.poznan.pl/arch/archive.htm
Protestant Church in Germany
Listing addresses for Evangelische church archives in Germany
http://www.ekd.de/english.html
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
getweb@unganisha.idrc.ca
OR
getweb@info.lanic.utexas.edu
with the message HELP or
get http://.....
Q11: When were civil registers introduced?
A11: Civil registers of births,marriages,deaths were introduced in October
1874. The Civil registry office was 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).
In some areas the Code Napoleon introduced civil registry in 1808-1814.
Most Standesamt (Polish: Urzed Stanu Cywilnego) records remained in the
old offices and were taken over my 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.
Q12: Are there links to dictionaries on the web?
A12: Links to Dictionaries to Estonian, German, Hungarian, Latin, Slovak,
Slovene, Russian, and others are found at:
http://www.public.iastate.edu/~pedro/dictionaries.html
http://www.dcs.napier.ac.uk/~st5004/dictionaries.html
Q13: Are there emigration records available?
A13: The state archives have many emigration records.
For details 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.157-159:StA Posen.
Q14: What was the population mix in Posen province?
A14: For practical purposes we can state:
Evangelical = German and Catholic = Polish.
The 1895 Prussian census in Posen province counted
542,013 Evangelicals, 1,164,067 Catholics, 44,346 Jews.
According to language, the 1890 Prussian census in Posen province counted:
697,265 spoke German, 1,047,409 spoke Polish as first language.
Above 80% of the Polish population was counted in the Kreise of
Wreschen, Jarotschin, Schroda, Posen-West, Schmiegel, Kosten, Gostyn,
Koschmin, Pleschen, Adelnau, Schildberg, Kempen, Znin and Witkowo.
Below 20% of the Polish population was counted in the Kreise of
Meseritz, Schwerin, Kolmar, Bromberg-Stadt.
Larger cities had a predominantly German-speaking population.
In the latter decades before 1900 there was a strong migration from Posen
province to the Western Prussian provinces, most notably to Rheinland
and Westfalen where the booming Ruhr area and its coal and steel companies
were the main attraction to the new labor force.
Q15: Are there secular records of interest to family researchers?
A15: There are 3 types of records compiled periodically for the period
of reign of Friedrich II who ruled 1740-1786:
1) Praestations-Tabellen (PT) are land tax lists since about 1774 for the
Netze-District and updated about every 6 years until 1806 and continued
from 1819 to about 1850.
They list 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 Posen province, at AP Bydgoszcz
today). The Abloesung records are very importants for family information
of land owners.
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. It is not clear whether or not
they exist or existed for the Posen province as known for East Prussia.
Further search in the AP Poznan should give the answer, probably in
Aemtersachen records.
3) The courts introduced new deed record keeping probably in
1783. Especially the Hypotheken-Acta often give information on
family affairs like mortgage beneficiaries, orphans, new marriages,
heirs in details not found anywhere else. They often do not only
reflect families with assets, but also paupers as heirs and
beneficiaries. Often copies of old documents and wills are attached.
Look for the regional court (Amtsgericht) records.
Suggestions for improvements are appreciated.
Adalbert Goertz (goertz@cyberspace.org)
Sponsored by the VU German Study Group Page
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