From: Adalbert Goertz, Waynesboro PA Re: FAQ.Posen Please, send any correction and suggestions to be404@yfn.ysu.edu ------------------------------ Contents: Q1: Where is Posen ? Q2: What was Posen's German history? Q3: What were the administrative areas of Posen (Poznan)? Q4: What were the old administrative areas of South Prussia? Q5: What were the court districts in Posen before 1900? Q6: Is there a listserv for Posen family researchers? Q7: Are there maps available for the Posen area 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? ================================= 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? 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, the area was united with the Grand Duchy of Warsaw, 1807-1815, and reverted to Prussia 1815-1919 comprising the two districts of Posen and Bromberg. After WWI the area became part of the new Poland. Germany reoccupied Posen province 1939-1945 and renamed in Warthegau. Posen 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 1818-1918 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. Q4: What were the old administrative areas of South Prussia? 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,Schrim,Kosten, Krotoschin,Peifern,Schroda,Gnesen,Wangrowitz,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. The Departement der Kriegs- und Domainen-Kammer zu Warschau included the Kreise of Warschau,Blonin,Tschersk,Rawa,Sochaczew,Gostin,Orlow, Lenczyca,Zgierz,Brzezin. 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. 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 a mailing list for anyone with a genealogical interest in Posen for the time period when it was under German rule to 1945. Mailing address for postings is ger-posen@rmgate.pop.indiana.edu. To subscribe, send the following to maiser@rmgate.pop.indiana.edu: Help or SUB GER-POSEN Websites for German genealogy are http://www.genealogy.com/gene/reg/rindex.htm http://w3g.med.uni-giessen.de/gene/reg/rindex.htm http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/German_Genealogy/kbak.htm http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/German_Genealogy/kblz.htm http://www.irit.fr/SSI/~Ralph.Sobek/genealogy/FAQs/ http://www.germany.net/teilnehmer/100.110994/index.htm Stiftung Martin-Opitz-Bibliothek Herne. (ehemals B|cherei des deutschen Ostens) Inhalt: \ber 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 Preu_ischer Kulturbesitz, Berlin. Archivstra_e 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: Are there maps available for the Posen area before 1945? A7: 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/ 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) 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://www.man.poznan.pl/~bielecki/geninfo6.htm http://ciuw.warman.net.pl/alf/archiwa/ http://www.man.poznan.pl/~bielecki/archive.htm http://www.wsdsc.poznan.pl/arch/archive.htm 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 a some areas the Code Napoleon introduced civil registry in 1808-1814. 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. -- *************** Adalbert Goertz ****** ph 717-762-7378 ******** retired in Waynesboro PA (65 miles from Baltimore/Washington DC Mennonite genealogy of East and West Prussia prior to 1945. Wanted: house in Colorado/New Mexico/Arizona for two retirees