Pomerania (Pommern)

This former maritime province of Germany is situated on the southern Baltic coast. The area was settled by the Slavic tribes Pomorzanie and Polabs in the 5th century AD. German migration into the western and central regions of Pomerania began in the late 12th century. In 1648, Sweden acquired western Pomerania (Vorpommern) by the Treaty of Westphalia, part of which was returned to Brandenburg in 1720. In 1815, Prussia recovered the rest of western Pomerania, thus uniting it with central Pomerania into one province called Pommern. Eastern Pomerania (Hinterpommern) was annexed by Prussia in 1772. In 1919, the Treaty of Versailles created the Polish Corridor, dividing Prussia and leaving part of Pomerania as a German border province with an area of 11,644 sq. miles. In 1945, it was partitioned into two areas separated by the Oder River. Most of the territory west of the Oder River was designated as part of Mecklenburg and thus part of the Soviet zone of occupation, which later became the German Democratic Republic (Deutsche Demokratische Republik), also known as East Germany. Stettin (Szczecin) and the territory east of the Oder River was ceded to Poland.

After considering this historical picture, one must be aware that genealogical research in the former province of Pomerania generally follows two sets of rules, one pertaining to research in the former East Germany and one for Poland. Many records for western Pomerania (Vorpommern), as well as some for eastern Pomerania (Hinterpommern) that were originally in the state archive in Stettin, are located in the following state archive:

Landesarchiv Greifswald
Postfach 33 23
17463 Greifswald
Germany
Email: poststelle@landesarchiv-greifswald.de

Some extracts of parish registers for this area have been deposited in Greifswald, but, with few exceptions, they have no original church records.

The original parish registers in the region of the former East Germany are still in the hands of the local parish officials. They belong to that parish and their use is controlled by the rules of those parishes. Inquiries directed to individual parishes may bring results or they may go unanswered, depending on a variety of reasons. Many young pastors are often neither familiar with genealogical methods nor with the old script in which the records were transcribed. If letters of inquiry demand too much, they may be discarded. There is a large area near the Oder River which suffered great destruction during World War II and some of those church records have been lost

Some original church records of eastern Pomerania, as well as duplicate records from western Pomerania have been deposited here:

Landeskirchliches Archiv der Pommerschen Evangelischen Kirche
Rudolf-Petershagen-Allee 3
17489 Greifswald
Germany
Email: archiv@pom-ev-kirche.de

Most of the church records there have not been filmed by the Mormons.

For the eastern part of Pomerania, some of the church records are in this archive:

Evangelisches Zentralarchiv
Kirchenbuchstelle
Bethaniendamm 29
10997 Berlin
Germany
Email: archiv@ezab.de
kirchenbuchstelle@ezab.de

Records for other parishes may be in this archive:
 
Deutsche Zentralstelle für Genealogie
Sächsisches Staatsarchiv
Schongauerstraße 1
04329 Leipzig
Germany

If in doubt as to the correct address, they should be able forward your request to the proper office. They are also able to provide fee-based professional research services.

The organization in Germany for Pomeranian expellees is:

Pommersche Landsmannschaft
Europaweg 3
23570 Lübeck-Travemünde
Germany
Email: info@pommersche-landsmannschaft.de

For some additional Pomeranian genealogical resources on the Web, take a look at the Pomeranian sections of the German Genealogy home page.

In the fall of 2000, a genealogical society for Pomerania was founded:

Pommerscher Greif e.V. Verein für Orts- und Familienforschung
z.Hd. Ralf Wiedemann
Moosweg 17
84326 Falkenberg
Germany
Email: ralf.wiedemann@pommerscher-greif.de

Pommernkontakte is a web-based database of genealogists who are conducting research in Pomerania. It is searchable by surname and lists towns and time periods being researched, as well as the email addresses of the genealogists.

An excellent German-language guide to genealogy in Pomerania on the Web is the Wegweiser für familien- und heimatkundliche Forschung in Pommern.

Selected Information Resources:

Archiwum Panstwowe w Koszalinie
skr. poczt. 149
ul. M. Sklodowskiej-Curie 2
75-950 Koszalin
Poland
Email: apk3@polbox.com

Consulate General of Poland
1530 N. Lake Shore Dr.
Chicago, IL 60610-1695
Email: legal@polishconsulatechicago.org

Polish Genealogical Society of America
984 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Chicago, IL 60622
Email: pgsamerica@aol.com

Die Pommerschen Leute
c/o IGS
P.O. Box 7369
Burbank, CA 91510
Email: tperrone@cwia.com
(Pomeranian genealogy newsletter)

Pommerscher Verein - Central Wisconsin
P.O. Box 358
Wausau, WI 54402
Email: donz@gitllc.com

Pommerscher Verein Freistadt
P.O. Box 204
Germantown, WI 53022
Email: pommern@execpc.com
(association of Pomeranian-Americans)


Last modified 15 May 2003 by Alan Furchtenicht

Back to the Max Kade Institute | Back to Genealogy at MKI