ger-schlesien@rmgate.pop.indiana.edu From: Adalbert Goertz, Waynesboro PA Please, send any correction and suggestions to be404@yfn.ysu.edu ------------------------------ Contents: Q1: Where is Schlesien (Silesia)? Q2: What was Schlesien's recent history? Q3: What were the administrative areas of Schlesien (Silesia)? Q4: What about the remaining Silesian areas outside Prussia? Q5: What were the court districts in Schlesien before 1900? Q6: Is there a listserv for Schlesien family researchers? Q7: Are there maps available for Schlesien 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? ================================= Q1: Where is Schlesien (Silesia)? A1: Schlesien was a Prussian province. Its capital was Breslau. Schlesien was cleansed of its ethnic German population and given to Poland in 1945. The Western powers were silent on the ethnic cleansing. Breslau was renamed Wroclaw. Q2: What was Schlesien's recent history? A2: Most of Schlesien was conquered by King Friedrich II of Prussia in the three Silesian wars from Austria (1740-1763), the third war being the Seven-Years-War (1756-1763). In 1895 the population of 4.4 mio comprised 1.97 mio.Evangelicals, 2.38 mio. Catholics incl. 0.99 mio.Poles. After WWI Schlesien lost some areas to Poland and Czechoslovakia. Q3: What were the administrative areas of Schlesien (Silesia)? A3: In 1900 the province of Schlesien had the following districts and Kreise (counties): Regierungsbezirk (district) of Breslau with 24 Kreise (counties): Breslau-Stadt,Breslau-Land,Brieg,Frankenstein,Glatz,Gr.Wartenberg, Guhrau,Habelschwerdt,Militsch,Muensterberg,Namslau,Neumarkt,Neurode, Nimpgtsch,Ohlau,Oels,Reichenbach,Schweidnitz,Steinau,Strehlen, Striegau,Trebnitz,Waldenburg,Wohlau. Regierungsbezirk (district) of Oppeln with 20 Kreise (counties): Beuthen-Stadt,Beuthen-Land,Falkenberg,Gr.Strelitz,Grottkau,Kattowitz, Kosel,Kreuzburg,Leobschuetz,Lublinitz,Neisse,Neustadt,Oppeln, Pless,Ratibor,Rosenberg,Rybnitz,Tarnowitz,Tost-Gleiwitz,Zabrze. Regierungsbezirk (district) of Liegnitz with 21 Kreise (counties): Bolkenhain,Bunzlau,Freistadt,Glogau,Goldberg-Hainau,Goerlitz-Stadt, Goerlitz-Land,Gruenberg,Hirschberg,Hoyerswerda,Hauer,Landeshut, Lauban,Liegnitz-Stadt,Liegnitz-Land,Loewenberg,Lueben,Rothenburg, Sagan,Schoenau,Sprottau. In 1919 the province was divided into two provinces: Niederschlesien (Lower Silesia) being the districts of Breslau and Liegnitz and Oberschlesien (Upper Silesia) being the Oppeln district. The terms lower and upper refer to the main Oder river of Silesia. Q4: What about the remaining Silesian areas outside Prussia? A4: Oesterreichisch-Schlesien (Austrian-Silesia) remained with Austria after the Breslau peace treaty of 1742 with Prussia as an Austrian duchy and crownland. Indt, Freiwaldau,Freudenthal,Jaegerndorf,Teschen,Troppau. In 1920 the area was incorporated into Czechoslovakia. In 1945 the German population suffered the same ethnic cleansing as the rest of Silesia and East Germany. Q5: What were the court districts in Schlesien before 1900? A5: The highest Silesian court was the Oberlandesgericht in Breslau with records deposited at the Wroclaw archives today. The lower courts were Landgericht Beuthen with (5) Amtsgerichte: Beuthen,Kattowitz,Koenigshuette,Myslowitz,Tarnowitz. Landgericht Breslau with (5) Amtsgerichte: Breslau,Kanth,Neumarkt,Winzig,Wohlau. Landgericht Brieg with (6) Amtsgerichte: Brieg,Grottkau,Loewen,Ohlau,Strehlen,Wansen. Landgericht Glatz with (11) Amtsgerichte: Frankenstein,Glatz,Habelschwerdt,Landeck,Lewin,Mittelwalde, Muensterberg,Neurode,Reichenstein,Reinerz,Wuenschelburg. Landgericht Gleiwitz, with (6) Amtsgerichte: Gleiwitz,Nikolai,Peiskretscham,Pless,Tost,Zabrze. Landgericht Glogau with (15) Amtsgerichte: Beuthen,Carolath,Freistadt,Glogau,Gruenberg,Guhrau,Halbau,Herrnstadt, Kontopp,Neusalz,Polkwitz,Priebus,Sagan,Sprottau,Steinau. Landgericht Goerlitz with (10) Amtsgerichte: Goerlitz,Hoyerswerda,Lauban,Marklissa,Muskau,Niesky,Reichenbach, Rothenburg,Ruhland,Seidenberg. Landgericht Hirschberg with (12) Amtsgerichte: Bolkenhain,Friedeberg,Greifenberg,Hermsdorf,Hirschberg,Laehn,Landeshut, Liebau,Loewenberg,Schmiedeberg,Schoemberg,Schoenau. Landgericht Liegnitz with (8) Amtsgerichte: Bunzlau,Goldberg,Haynau,Jauer,Liegnitz,Lueben,Naumburg,Parchwitz. Landgericht Neisse with (8) Amtsgerichte: Falkenberg,Friedland,Neisse, Neustadt,Oberglogau,Ottmachau,Patschkau,Ziegenhals Landgericht Oels with (10) Amtsgerichte: Bernstadt,Festenberg,Gr.Wartenberg,Militsch,Namslau,Neumittelwalde, Oels,Prausnitz,Trachenberg,Trebnitz. Landgericht Oppeln with (14) Amtsgerichte: Gr.Strehlitz,Guttentag,Karlsruh,Konstadt,Krappitz,Kreuzburg,Kupp, Landsberg,Leschitz,Lublinitz,Oppeln,Pitschen,Rosenberg,Ujest. Landgericht Ratibor with (10) Amtsgerichte: Bauerwitz,Gnadenfeld, Hultschin,Katscher,Kosel,Leobschuetz,Loslau,Ratibor,Rybnik,Sohrau. Landgericht Schweidnitz with (10) Amtsgerichte: Freiburg,Friedland bei Waldenburg,Gottesberg,Nieder-Wuestegiersdorf, Nimptsch,Reichenbach,Schweidnitz,Striegau,Waldenburg,Zobten. 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. Since Schlesien enjoyed a special status in the Prussian monarchy, all state records remained in the province with no records transfered to the Berlin archives. Q6: Is there a listserv for Schlesien family researchers? A6: There is a GER-Schlesien genealogy list for anyone with a genealogical interest in Schlesien, including Ober- Schlesien and ger-schlesien@rmgate.pop.indiana.edu. Owner: W. David Samuelsen <dsam@wasatch.com> To subscribe, send message to MAISER@rmgate.pop.indiana.edu with message HELP or subscribe GER-SCHLESIEN Q7: Are there maps available for Schlesien 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 Schlesien) 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 Schlesien zu Breslau with records deposited at the state archives in Wroclaw and comprising 42400 volumes for the years 1769,1816-1928. 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 Q11: When were civil registers introduced? A11: Civil registers of births,mariages,deaths were introduced in October 1874. The Civil registry office is 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 the the local court (Amtsgericht). -- *************** 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 us retirees