Stadtarchiv Schwerin, Deutschland, Heiraten, 1876-1921

About the City Archives of Schwerin, Germany, Deaths, 1876-1940

General Collection Information

This collection contains civil registries of death (sterberegisters in German) between 1876 and 1940 from Schwerin, Germany. All records are in German. Registries were handwritten onto pre-printed forms. Newer records may be typed. Per German law, death records are accessible to the public 30 years after the death occurred.

Using this collection

Death registrations may contain the following:

After 1938, records may also include reference numbers for your family member's birth and marriage records and cause of death.

If your family member served during either World War, their death record will also list military rank.

If you don't speak German, knowing a few common words can aid in your search:

For a detailed diagram of where you can typically find information on a sterberegister, please see Ancestry's Guide to German Civil Registration. You may also find unique notes about the person's life added in the margins. It may also be beneficial to try searching Ancestry's catalog of German records for additional information.

If you can't find a record, consider looking for records outside of Schwerin, especially if it's likely they died outside of their hometown. Civil records are kept at local civil registration offices (standestamt in German) and are often registered close to where the event occurred.

Collection in context

Civil registration was first introduced to Germany via the French Civil Code. While France occupied parts of Germany in the 1790s, citizens were required to register with the state. Previously, churches were the ones to keep records of birth, marriage, and death. Schwerin began keeping civil records on January 1, 1876, when Germany mandated civil registration on a federal level.

Bibliography

Beidler, James M. "Finding Digitized German Records Online." Familytree Magazine. Last Modified 2022. https://familytreemagazine.com/heritage/german/online-german-civil-records/..

German Probate Lawyer. "Civil Registration Office (Standesamt)." Accessed February 12, 2024. https://www.german-probate-lawyer.com/glossary/def/civil-registration-office-standesamt.html..

Germany Service. "Birth Records." Last Modified August 7, 2020. https://www.germany-service.com/birth-records.html..

Powell, Kimberly. "Records of Births, Marriages and Deaths in Germany." ThoughtCo. Last Modified March 3, 2019. https://www.thoughtco.com/germany-vital-records-1422812..