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I am looking at civil records (BMD) from the late 18th-early 19th century from Morschheim the Pfalz region of (then) Bavaria, and I see several instances of images like this (top part shown):

BMD record from Morschheim, Pfalz, Bavaria

It appears that this is a list of names of some sort,but I cannot figure it out. There are several more numbered sections of groups of what appear to be names. Can someone tell me what sort of list this is?

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    Is the problem that you cannot read the handwritting or understand the language? Or, can you read and translate it, but do not understand the significance or context in which it was created? If the latter, a transcript would enable others to provide insight.
    – Sue Adams
    Commented Nov 15, 2012 at 13:36
  • The thing that stands out to me is the numbering of the lines. Also, the lines are very similar. For example, line 1 of part 1 is nearly identical to line 1 or part 2 (except for the last word).
    – Luke_0
    Commented Nov 15, 2012 at 14:46

2 Answers 2

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According to the film description at FamilySearch, these are "Eheverkündigungen, Heiratsbelege 1808-1816" (marriage proclamations, supporting documents for marriage).

The image, with a 1811 date, starts with a general statement (no names) and includes a list of documents which contain the names of the parties for 2 marriages:

  1. birth certificate of Johannes Laus?
  2. death certificate of his father (not named)
  3. birth certificate of bride Anna Elisabeth Zimt?
  4. death certificate of bride's father (not named)
  5. death certificate of bride's mother (not named)
  6. marriage contract

(numbering starts again)

  1. birth certificate of Johannes Ludwig Schafer
  2. death certificate of his father (not named)
  3. death certificate of his mother (not named)
  4. birth certificate of bride Anna Barbara Jung
  5. death certficate of bride's mother (not named)

If a transcription of the German text is wanted, let me know.

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  • Thanks! This makes sense. Do you think these kinds of records are specific to a particular religion? I am specifically interested in Jewish records from this region, but in scanning this film, I have not come across any Jewish names.
    – Gene Golovchinsky
    Commented Nov 18, 2012 at 18:36
  • This particular film was of civil registration ("Standesamt") records. Bavaria was mostly Catholic, so other persons of other religions would be in the minority in the records. Similar documentation patterns can be found in other marriage records of the same time period.
    – bgwiehle
    Commented Nov 19, 2012 at 2:02
  • It occurred to me that all names in the official records would be in German format/spelling. Some given names or only the surname or possibly specific descriptive inclusion of Jude or Jüdin would be clues to the person's Jewishness. Check research helps for this region for particular circumstances or laws that would help/hinder your search.
    – bgwiehle
    Commented Nov 19, 2012 at 12:49
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Just a guess (Old German is tough), but it looks like a marriage contract (prenuptial agreement). They were quite common back then. The father of the bride would put up a dowry, then the contract spelled out how each future child would be named and what they would inherit based on birth order and sex.

Or it could be a laundry list. I can only make out every fourth word. Giving us some of the names involved would help decipher the handwriting better.

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  • This is a bit of a fishing expedition. Some of my wife's ancestors were from this village, but these are not their records.
    – Gene Golovchinsky
    Commented Nov 15, 2012 at 6:02

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