Stammblatt Search: 1941–1945
Hello, I’d like some help viewing certain documents that are only available at the FamilySearch Center in Utah. I requested these documents from the Bundesarchiv in Germany, but I was told the search could take up to a year. The last branch of my family was displaced by the war in Ukraine and taken to Austria.
It would mean a great deal to me and my family to learn the rest of the story.
I would be eternally grateful if anyone could help me
EWZ numbers 917.742 / 917.743 / 917.744 (Bernhard / Marie / Anna / Karl BITTOF) in this archive,
https://www.familysearch.org/en/search/film/008288826?cat=734631
Thank you very much in advance
Answers
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@Henrique Bittow It appears these records are locked from anyone having access at this time. From what I can see they are not available in SLC or anywhere else due to privacy restrictions.
https://www.familysearch.org/en/search/film/008288826?cat=734631
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Hello @Henrique Bittow,
The specific film (film no. 828826) containing EWZ nos. 917.742 / 917.743 / 917.744 in the FamilySearch Library catalog has a film reel icon which displays the following message: This item is available on microfilm or microfiche at the location indicated.
The location is the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City, on the floor containing the international films.
Here is a link from Cyndi's List for researchers and volunteers in the state of Utah: https://www.cyndislist.com/us/ut/professionals/
You may be able to find a researcher or volunteer on this list who could assist you in viewing this film for your family members.
Best regards, Robert Seal_1
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European data protection laws are very restrictive.
The German archives are completely overwhelmed; I sent an email on January 27, 2026, and never received a reply. I got help in Berlin; the woman who went directly to the archives told me to send a request for access along with my grandparents’ (Bernhard and Marie) death certificates, and that we might receive a response in eight weeks.
Thank you very much for your attention and for taking the time to respond to me.0 -
Thank you so much for the tip; I’ll get in touch today, as this is the final piece of the puzzle in my family history.
In June 1944, the family’s EWZ naturalization process was postponed because my grandmother was 100% Ukrainian and didn’t speak German. I believe the missing document contains the names of two or three generations above my grandparents.
Thank you for the tip; I’ll come back here to let you know what I find.
Thank you very much for your attention. God bless everyone who took the time to respond to me.0 -
Referring to the catalog entries for film DGS 828826 which is part of the link https://www.familysearch.org/en/search/catalog/koha:734631
it has an icon saying that the microfilm is available in the FamilySearch Library, as pointed out by Robert Seal 1 above. The catalogue entry also tells me the film number is 1797271.
Yet when I look in the FamilySearch Library catalog, using the number 1797271, I cannot see this microfilm listed, although I can see numbers around about it, I can see 1797272 and 1797275 but not 1797271. https://libcat.familysearch.org/Record/734631?searchId=47111567&recordIndex=1&page=1&referred=resultIndex
This is a problem I had recently with another record.
If the main catalog says the record is available as a microfilm in the Family Search Library, but it is not shown in the FamilySearch Library catalog, WHICH CATALOG IS CORRECT?
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@MaureenE123 I will attempt to find someone up the line who can give you a more definitive answer to your question. Thank you for your patience and all the work you are putting into your Family History.
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Thank you @sc woz
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Sorry for not replying sooner.
The EWZ-58 with the numbers I looked up on the website matches exactly the film917324-918097
FamilySearch Library
International Film
1797271
8288826The scan icon appeared, which wasn't there before.
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I can only express my gratitude. I’m from Brazil and live in a city that doesn’t have a FamilySearch Center.
I live practically in the middle of the Amazon rainforest—in Paraúpeba, in the state of Pará—and I’m running out of options to find the final records. The Bundesarchiv hasn’t responded to me since January 27, 2026, and I sent a follow-up email about two weeks ago.
NARA Archives informed me that they do not have this record either.
Every website or association for ethnic Germans or researchers has given me negative results. I’m in contact with a researcher in Germany; he even sent an email, a power of attorney for the search, my grandparents’ death certificates, and my birth certificate and my mother’s.
But the 8-week processing time has already passed, and we still haven’t received a response.0 -
@Henrique Bittow I searched the Salt Lake Library and found that the film is available…
You will want to contact someone in the local area to arrange a physical visit tailored to your specific needs. This is the comment from above:
Cyndi's Listfor researchers and volunteers in the state of Utah: https://www.cyndislist.com/us/ut/professionals/
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I apologize, the film 1797272 is the wrong number. However, when I search for film 1797271, I get the following, which leads me to believe the film is in the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City. I am trying to eliminate the confusion.
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@SerraNola posted something relating to this group of records in another topic
I agree it is strange that a search for film 1797271 in the FamilySearch Library Catalog brings up a result at all if the microfilm is not there. However film 1797271 is definitely not listed if you click on Show all copies, as mentioned by SerraNola in the other topic.
My thoughts on the situation is the FamilySearch Library had the microfilm in the past, but it was one of the ones culled (then destroyed?) a few years ago when it was decided to cull microfilms to make more space for fun activities (or something like that)
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Could it be that this film is not available for viewing due to a contract with the German Federal Archives (Bundesarchiv) or German data protection laws?
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Film 1797271 is listed in libcat.familysearch.org on More Info, Show All Copies.
It's a very long list.
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I can't do it—it's blocked for me, so I can't access it! 🥺
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I really have to thank everyone so far for their hard work.
May God bless everyone who is helping me.0 -
Sorry, @Henrique Bittow I wasn't suggesting you could access the film. I was pointing out that it is listed because another contributor had indicated otherwise.
You may be able to have someone in Utah access it for you. I often recommend checking Cyndi's List to find locally-based researchers.
https://www.cyndislist.com/us/ut/professionals/Best of luck!
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Got it. I emailed one of the site’s researchers and am waiting for a reply.
But anyway, thank you very much. This research is both fun and a little worrisome! lol
This is just the first part, because this file is supposed to go back at least three or four generations beyond my great-grandparents and grandparents.
I have another part, but it doesn’t reveal much.
Surnames
Anna Webert (great-grandfather)
Staphanie Buschalsky (great-grandfather’s mother)
Karl Bittof (great-grandfather)
Franz Bittof (great-great-grandfather)1 -
I wanted to share this with you.
It took 20 years to achieve this small result, because our last name was changed after 1945. So I lived in a world where I thought I had no family history!
That is why I thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for their help.1 -
@Áine.ní.Donnghaile It is very strange. The only explanation I can think of is that the whole dataset is not in chronological order as what I see is Family History Library - B1 Floor Film
Film number: 1797268
914740-915730
Available
Family History Library - B1 Floor Film
Film number: 1797272
918098-918897
Available
Family History Library - B1 Floor Film
Film number: 1797275
920463-921231
Available
Family History Library - B1 Floor Film
Film number: 1797280
924428-925221
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I will have a further look tomorrow, but I cannot image why the catalog listing would not be in strict chronological order. Also the microfilm 1797271 did not come up at all when I searched for it in the FamilySearch Library catalog.
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These German files are very confusing; these documents were seized by the Allies after the war ended. As far as I can tell, the structure is as follows:
EWZ-50 to EWZ-56: registry of ethnic Germans.
EWZ-57 is the index containing the citizenship case number (EWZ).
EWZ-58 (the one we’re looking for) is the master list, genealogy, and the conclusion of the process.
EWZ-50 is by last name
EWZ-57 last name
EWZ-58 EWZ number (917,742 / 917,743 / 917,744)
It’s quite confusingOn top of everything, there are 750 rolls of microfilm
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As I mentioned above, it is a VERY long list. It would be easy to miss. CTRL-F helped.
As SerraNola indicated, The numbers will be in order, but grouped by where they are located.
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Previously, this icon did not appear
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@MaureenE123 In the instructions I gave in the other thread, I did say "The numbers will be in order, but grouped by where they are located". Apparently 1797271 is not part of special collections on B1. There is no confusion once you understand how the films are catalogued.
Tip: If a search by film number fails, try retrieving the collection.
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@SerraNola I haven’t heard back from Germany regarding the January 2026 request I sent in my first email; they never replied. I requested the release of the 110-year-old records because my grandparents passed away in 2002 (Bernhard) and 2006 (Maria). If you could kindly provide me with this transcript, it would be very helpful, as it would be the way to resolve the mystery surrounding my family, and with it, I could pursue the missing part of my family tree.
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@Henrique Bittow I believe your best option will be with the Utah researcher you contacted today.
Best of luck!
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Oh, right, I’m going to keep using the search tool. Just knowing what might be in the file is already very helpful, because sometimes it might be the same file I already have—there are cases where they’re just copies of the original file.
NARA charged me $125 for the first file (EWZ-50), but they don’t have EWZ-58 in their archives—or at least that’s what they told me.
My options right now are a researcher in Utah and waiting for a response from the Bundesarchiv; I’ve already been told there’s a two-year wait.
They’re so overwhelmed that any request for a copy or even access takes six months to two years (NZ archives).0 -
Thank you @SerraNola . I can see I was utterly confused, and therefore mistaken in what I previously said. I apologise if I have misled anyone by my previous incorrect statements.
In my defence, looking at the FamilySearch Library Catalog, it did not occur to me that a long list of microfilm numbers would have the primary order of listing as the location. Rather I thought the listing would be in numerical order of the microfilm number. Perhaps the list could have a banner across the top, "Listing by Location" so that it is quite obvious. Better still in my opinion would be to list by catalog number.
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