Rheinland-Pfalz Family Trees
This database has been compiled from multiple Standesämter in the Rhineland-Palatinate of Germany. It contains over 23,000 individual profiles and more than 37,000 events, drawn from records that are not widely available online.
Please note: I welcome contact if you have questions about specific families or if you believe I may have made a mistake in my research. With more than 35,000 pieces of data, even a 99% accuracy rate would still allow for hundreds of possible errors. If you reach out, I will review your concern and get back to you with my findings. However please do not send me information to add to the site. That is not my goal. E-mail address is at the bottom of the page.
Current Research Status
As I follow my family lines, I index and compile all available records from each town:
- Bisterschied (1799–1897)
- Dörnbach (1799–1875)
- Dörrmoschel (1799–1897)
- Finkenbach-Gersweiler (1799–1897)
- Ransweiler (1799–1897)
- Schönborn (1799–1897)
- Teschenmoschel (1799–1897)
- Waldgrehweiler (1799–1897)
My Family Lines
Within the database I've given individuals with bloodlines to me color coding's, which can be traced back to these families:
Amos = Purple
Edelmann = Teal
Kloss = Lime
Lanzer = Red
Müller = Green
Stolz = Yellow
Thorn = Maroon
If you see these names without color coding, then I still have not proven the bloodline.
Surname Assignment Rules
Please Note: These are civil registration records. A church marriage was not officially recognized by the government until it was formally registered with the civil authorities.
1. Out of wedlock, father acknowledges on birth record → Child gets father’s surname.
2. Out of wedlock, no father presented → Child gets mother’s surname.
3. Couple later marries, father acknowledges children in marriage record →
* Child’s primary surname = father’s.
* Mother’s surname entered as alternate name.
4. Father recognizes later (not in marriage record, or never marries mother) →
* Fact added: Anerkennung (Recognition) with date/place.
* Child’s primary surname = father’s.
* Mother’s surname entered as alternate name.
Special Case: Maternal Anerkennung
* When a mother makes an Anerkennung, it is usually to clarify a vague birth record.
* Effect: This does not change the child’s surname.
* Still noted for completeness/documentation.
Interesting Profiles
Blandina WOLF - A remarkable Jewish woman who not only survived the Holocaust but, at 105 years old, is currently the oldest person in the database. I would love to learn more about her extraordinary life and experiences.
Anna Katharina STEINMETZ - The earliest individual recorded in the database from the civil registry. She passed away in 1808 at the age of 81, indicating a birth year of 1727. Although there are a few earlier profiles, those belong to my own family line and are based on church records rather than civil documentation.
Johannes DENZER and Charlotta MÖHLER - An intriguing marriage record reveals that Johannes claimed to be the father of Charlotta’s child, Karl. However, this would mean Johannes was only 13 years old at the time of Karl’s birth—an unusual and puzzling detail worth further investigation.
Johann Nikolaus Hesch - According to church records, he was reported to have died on the day of his birth. However, further research indicates that he actually lived to the age of 52 and even had grandchildren. It is most likely that it was his twin brother, Mathias Hesch, who passed away in infancy.
Katharina Grass - When she married in 1859, she presented a birth record dated 1 July 1831. However, that record belonged to her sister, who died ten months after birth. The Katharina who married Franz Weber was in fact born on 30 July 1832.
Jewish Families
One of the few external sources incorporated into this research is the set of Name Adoption Lists of 1808, which provide essential context for identifying Jewish individuals in records prior to that year. These lists have also made it possible, in some cases, to trace and connect families across different towns who adopted varying surnames during this period.
Whenever possible, information from The World Holocaust Remembrance Center (Yad Vashem) has also been utilized to document the fates of individuals affected by the Holocaust.
Within the database, individuals marked in blue represent Jewish families.
Stillborns
All stillborn children in the database are recorded under the designation “Unnamed Infant.” Whenever possible, the child’s sex has also been noted.
Documenting stillbirths is important for maintaining accuracy in family reconstruction. In most cases, couples had children at regular intervals of approximately 18 to 30 months. A gap longer than this may suggest that a child is missing from the record, while a significantly shorter interval may indicate that the preceding child died in infancy.
Family Search
FamilySearch.org is frequently consulted as a tool for comparison when attempting to confirm or refute specific information. However, entries on the platform are never accepted at face value. As such, only details that can be crossed referenced with my information is used.
It is not uncommon to encounter unsourced information on FamilySearch, or data that contradicts the cited source material. In some cases, transcription errors may also introduce inaccuracies. For this reason, all information found on FamilySearch is treated as a lead to be verified rather than as definitive evidence.
Alternate Names
When the database reached approximately 13,000 individuals, it already contained nearly 2,000 alternate names. At that point it became clear that tracking every possible variation in spelling would not be sustainable. The inconsistent spellings made it increasingly difficult to locate individuals, and in some cases led to the creation of duplicate records. In fact, it is not uncommon to find a name spelled two different ways within the same document.
To address this, I developed a standardized naming convention, which I apply consistently unless there is definitive evidence that a name was used in a different form. This approach allows for greater consistency across the database while still preserving significant variations.
Below are some of the more common spelling variants:
Adolf = Adolph
Anna = Ana
Anna & Maria = These two are interchangeable and usually stick with the one from the marriage record.
Augusta = Auguste
Carolina = Karolina
Charlotta = Scharlotta
Clara = Klara
Conrad = Konrad
Elisabetha = Eliza, Elisabeth
Frieda = Frida
Friedrich = Friederich, Frederie
Gertrauda = Gertraud, Gertrud, Gertrude, Gertraut
Heinrich = Henrich, Henry, Henri
Isaac = Isac, Isak
Jacob = Jakob, Jacques
Jacobina = Jakobina
Johann = Jean, Johan, Johannes (When combined with any other name)
Johannes = Jean, Johan, Johann (When it is a single name)
Karl = Carl, Charles
Kaspar = Caspar, Gaspare
Katharina = Katarina, Catharina, Chatharina
Louisa = Luisa, Luise
Ludwig = Louis
Peter = Pierre
Philipp = Phillipp, Phillip
Philippina = Phillippina, Phillipina, Philippine, Phillippine
Rudolph = Rudolf
Salomea = Saloma, Salome, Salomoa
Sara = Saara, Sarra
Solomon = Saloman, Salomon, Soloman
Theresa = Theresia
Valentin = Valtin
Becker = Bäker, Bäcker, Beker
Beutmann = Beitmann
Bitz = Biz
Bittighofer = Bittighoffer
Britzius = Brizius
Burkhardt = Burckhart, Burckart, Burgard, Burkart, Burkardt, Burckardt, Burkard, Burkhart
Denzer = Dentzer
Deubel = Deibel, Deybel
Diehl = Diel (Usually)
Eckert = Ekert
Ehrensmann = Ehresmann
Ehrhardt = Ehrhard, Ehrhart
Enkler = Enckler
Fetzer = Fezer
Franzreb = Franzreeb
Gerlach = Gerhlach
Glässer = Gläser, Glasser, Gläßer
Gödel = Göddel
Graf = Graff
Grübler = Grübeler, Grüweler, Grüwler
Hartz = Harz
Henrich = Heinrich, Henry, Henri
Hofmann = Hoffman, Hoffmann, Hofman
Hupperich = Huberich, Hubrich, Huprich, Hupprich
Jung = Jungk
Kappel = Cappel, Kepel, Keppel
Keifaber = Keiffaber
Keiper = Keipert
Kempf = Kemph
Krennrich = Kennerich, Kenrich, Kennich
Kessler = Keßler, Kesler
Maue = Maué
Merk = Merck
Nowis = Nobis
Ostermaier = Ostermayer, Ostermeyer, Ostermeier
Pitz = Piz
Rathmacher = Radmacher
Rosbach = Rohsbach, Rossbach
Römer = Röhmer
Schmidt = Schmitt (usually)
Schulz = Schultz
Schumacher = Schuhmacher
Schuller = Schuler
Schwarz = Schwartz
Siegel & Siel, Siehl Names are interchangeable.
Stark = Starck
Straus = Strauss
Stilb = Stülb
Süss = Süs
Umnitz = Umeniz, Umenitz
Wagner = Waganer, Wagener
Wenz = Wentz
Wolf = Wolff
Zimmer = Ziemer (name changes spelling in later records)
All names using the "ß" letter are spelled with "ss". ie. Gläßer is Glässer
All names using the "ÿ" will be spelled with an "i". ie. Baÿer = Baier or Maÿer = Maier. These names may have later been standardized with a "y". So Bayer is also Baier.
Maurer & Mäurer = For the most part, the family Mäurer seems to ensure their family name is spelled correctly in the records. So I have endeavored to honor that wish.
Sheÿ = Research has shown this family used Shey as their name.