Reichsstadt Rottweil
(Baden-Württemberg, Germany)
by Theo Engeser, Villingendorf, and Martin Dilger, Berlin

Sources

• Sources -
  General Remarks
• Archives
• Heimatbücher
• Bibliography
• Documents
• Parish Records

Parish Records

Until 1871 family records were kept by the parishes, and only a few villages had "official" civil family records before that time. Therefore, parish records are the most valuable source for family research in these villages.

In the last century most of the villages of the territory of the Reichsstadt Rottweil were independent parishes. Today, many of them have again been merged with others to form larger parishes again. Many of the last century parishes, however, were not old parishes but were separated from the respective mother parish in the 17th or 18th century. Therefore the parish records date back quite differently apart from some losses through wars and other catastrophes.

Usually, with the beginning of the 19th century all parishes have records in form of family sheets which makes the time-consuming search in separate birth, marriage, and death records and the reconstruction of family sheets unnecessary. These records are are not indicated here but only the old parish records.