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Early German church records date to 1524. Requirements for record keeping were begun by the Lutherans in 1540 and Roman Catholics in 1563, but it is typical to find church record books that start around 1650.
In the three centuries before German civil registration, the best bet for finding vital records is in the German parish registers.
Registrations of births, marriages and deaths first began for some areas in Germany in 1792 when the French invasion of the area west of the Rhine brought that region under their administration.
Look for German immigrants' town of origin in published lists of emigrants (Auswandyerungen) fromparticular areas, compiled from German records.
A widow's dower is her claim to a portion of her deceased husband's estate during her lifetime for her and her children's support.
Decedent refers to the deceased person.
A Codicil is a supplemental document to a will.
a bequest is a legacy, usually a gift of real estate by will.
An Executor is named by the testator and is required by the court to post a bond. An Administrator is appointed to handle the affairs of one who dies intestate (without a will-
Since there are a lot of categories, please choose a category to see just those FACTS!
We are indebted to Lee County Genealogy Society (FL) for a large majority of the "Facts" available on this page. Their list originally contained just over 490 facts. We have reduced that number for our site but will add some as we continue to build our new website.