Daily AncestorStandesamt
A Standesamt is a German civil registry office, which has recorded births, marriages and deaths since the 1870s.
The Standesamt took over vital records from the churches. It began in Baden on February 1, 1870, in Prussia on October 1, 1874, and in the rest of the German Empire on January 1, 1876. Its registers are the Geburts-, Heirats- and Sterberegister.
For an ancestor who emigrated after the mid-1870s, look for both the civil record and the church entry, since many families still had children baptized. Civil entries are typed or written on printed forms and are often easier to read.
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Daily Ancestor. "Standesamt." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/german/standesamt. Last checked 2026-10-28.