Daily AncestorPfarrer
Pfarrer is German for a parish pastor or priest: the clergyman in charge of a parish, who usually kept and signed the church book.
Pfarrer is used for both Catholic priests and Protestant pastors who lead a parish. His office is the Pfarramt, the parish office, and the parish itself is the Pfarrei.
The pastor's handwriting and habits shape the record. When the writing or the amount of detail changes suddenly, a new Pfarrer has often taken over, so a gap or change in style is worth checking against the list of pastors.
As seen in a recordSignature line in a German Lutheran baptism register, 1790s
Getauft von mir, Joh. Christoph Wendelsbach, Pfarrer allhier
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How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Pfarrer." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/german/pfarrer. Last checked 2026-10-28.