[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Brandenburg emigration records

[DrVbuzz at aol.com]

The following information was forwarded to me by SGGEE member Joan Griffis.  
Not yet a member of this listserve, she wanted to get the information out 
asap so I am gladly helping her do that.  

An explanation of the information I found on Ancestry.com is listed below.  
Anyone who has a subscription to Ancestry can access these records.  Since 
Ancestry is always trying to recruit new members, I suspect that anyone who 
wants a few free days of membership can get to these records as well.  For 
everyone else, a visit to a local Family History Center (LDS) would give 
access.  The FHC can order copies of these records on microfiche.  For people 
who have opportunities to visit the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, 
these same records are available in the Library on microfiche #6109219.  
Note:  The originals are apparently on 22 rolls of microfilm.

Beginning in 1810, the main archive in Potsdam (Brandenburghisches 
Landeshauptarchive Postdam) kept records of people who requested permission 
to leave Germany.  Records were apparently kept only for those individuals 
and families who received permission to emigrate.  Most people came to North 
America but others went to Australia, Austria and Russia.

The original records are now housed in the Brandenburgishes 
Landeshauptarchive in Potsdam, Germany.  The Brandenburg Province had 44 
Kreise (counties).  Ancestry is working to build an online database of these 
records.  Currently the database contains more than 36,800 individuals.  For 
each person the following information is included:  emigrant's name, age, 
occupation, residence, destination, and year of emigration. 

 The on-line database can be search by family name or by village name.  At 
this point only a few of the Kreise have been uploaded:  Arnswalde, Calau, 
Franfurt a./O, Friedeberg i./Neum. Stadtkreis Guben, Landkreis Guben, 
Koenigsberg, Landkreis Landsberg, Lebus, Lichtenberg, Luckau Sorau, 
Spremberg, Sternbeg, and Zuillichau or Schwiebus.   Evenutally, all will be 
uploaded.

This database is a gold mine of information.  Not only can a researcher look 
for their own families but because a village search is possible, finding 
neighbors and other village members who emigrated is possible.  

I found 138 people had emigrated to North America from my great grandfather's 
village of Altenfliess  (near Friedeberg) between 1856 and 1881.  Altenfliess 
is now in western Poland but in 1800's was part of Brandenburg Province.   I 
suspect this is just a partial list.  Return visits to search this database 
will be done over the coming months.   


Victor Gess   Poland/Volhynia  Gess/Jess/Rode/Schmuland/Wonnek
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Date: Sat, 22 Dec 2001 19:32:43 -0800
Subject: Brandenburg emigration records
From: "Joan Griffis" <pago9 at attbi.com>
To: drvbuzz at aol.com
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Victor:

I enjoyed visiting with you on the phone earlier this evening.  Have a good
and relaxing trip to New Mexico.

 An explanation of the information I found on Ancestry.com is listed below.
Anyone who has a subscription to Ancestry can access these records.  Since
Ancestry is always trying to recruit new members, I suspect that anyone who
wants a few free days of membership can get to these records as well.  For
everyone else, a visit to a local Family History Center (LDS) would give
access.  The FHC can order copies of these records on microfiche.  For
people who have opportunities to visit the Family History Library in Salt
Lake City, these same records are available in the Library on microfiche
#6109219.  Note:  The originals are apparently on 22 rolls of microfilm.

Beginning in 1810, the main archive in Potsdam (Brandenburghisches
Landeshauptarchive Postdam) kept records of people who requested permission
to leave Germany.  Records were apparently kept only for those individuals
and families who received permission to emigrate.  Most people came to North
America but others went to Australia, Austria and Russia.

The original records are now housed in the Brandenburgishes
Landeshauptarchive in Potsdam, Germany.  The Brandenburg Province had 44
Kreise (counties).  Ancestry is working to build an online database of these
records.  Currently the database contains more than 36,800 individuals.  For
each person the following information is included:  emigrant's name, age,
occupation, residence, destination, and year of emigration.

 The on-line database can be search by family name or by village name.  At
this point only a few of the Kreise have been uploaded:  Arnswalde, Calau,
Franfurt a./O, Friedeberg i./Neum. Stadtkreis Guben, Landkreis Guben,
Koenigsberg, Landkreis Landsberg, Lebus, Lichtenberg, Luckau Sorau,
Spremberg, Sternbeg, and Zuillichau or Schwiebus.   Evenutally, all will be
uploaded.

This database is a gold mine of information.  Not only can a researcher look
for their own families but because a village search is possible, finding
neighbors and other village members who emigrated is possible.

I found 138 people had emigrated to North America from my great
grandfather's village of Altenfliess  (near Friedeberg) between 1856 and
1881.  Altenfliess is now in western Poland but in 1800's was part of
Brandenburg Province.   I suspect this is just a partial list.  Return
visits to search this database will be done over the coming months.