Tracing your Brandenburg roots
For those tracing their roots in Brandenburg, the region offers a wealth of genealogical resources, enriched by its unique Sorbian heritage:
Church Records: Centuries-old baptism, marriage, and burial registers are invaluable for genealogical research, offering insights into familial connections. Many records also reflect the Sorbian community’s cultural and religious practices.
Civil Registration Documents: Established in the 19th century, local registry offices maintain vital records, including births, marriages, and deaths.
Archives and Libraries: Institutions such as the Brandenburg Main State Archive (BLHA) offer a wealth of resources invaluable for ancestry research related to Brandenburg. Its extensive collections include church records, civil registers, and emigration documents.
Online Databases: Platforms like MyHeritage, FamilySearch
and Genealogy.net provide access to digitized records, making it possible to conduct extensive research remotely.
You can search this site for links to the Town family books of your ancestors. I’ve gathered them and will add more when I can. Just use the OFB Index search on your left and enter the location of your ancestors.
Sorbian Heritage Resources: Explore the Sorbian settlement area in Brandenburg, where bilingual records and cultural artifacts provide a deeper understanding of Sorbian ancestry. Learn more about Sorbian traditions here
and the Sorbian settlement area here and here.
Town Family Books in Brandenburg: “Town family books” (“Ortssippenbücher” or “Ortsfamilienbücher”) detail family histories in Brandenburg, documenting births, marriages, and deaths. They are essential for genealogical research. Key resources include Genealogy.net, FamilySearch, and WorldCat for accessing these valuable records.
OFB index 