Aufgebot and Unlagen zu der Heirats-Urkunde
Hello. This morning, I attempted to "Ask a Question" in the German Genealogy group, but there seems to be some issue with using that option (I wasn't granted permission to use it). I was advised by an Admin to instead post to New Discussion.
Recently, I received numerous documents from the State Archive of Hannover after requesting the marriage record of my granduncle. It was very exciting to receive the materials, especially since I didn't know that they existed. I was hoping someone could explain what the documents are and how they differ from the civil marriage record. Help with the translation would also be greatly appreciated. Since there are quite a few, I am only posting two in this discussion.
The couple, Carl Heinrich Bernhard Adolf Othmer and Elisabeth Philippine Bottcher, married on Mar 11, 1913, in Hannover.
Thank you in advance for your assistance.
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Hello @KathyBugianesi
these two documents concern the banns of marriage (in German: Aufgebot); the first one is the application for banns and the second is the proclamation of banns, i.e. the document that was on public display at the registry office before marriage.
Translation of the second document:
Royal Registry Office Goethestr. 11
List of banns no. 333
Banns of marriage
It is brought to the general knowledge that
1. the merchant Carl Heinrich Bernhard Adolf Othmer, residing in Hanover, Arndtstr. 33 A, formerly in Graudenz, son of the married couple merchant Friedrich Heinrich Konrad Othmer and Ida Adolfina Luise, née Homberger, both resident in Essen;
2. Elisabeth Philippine Böttcher, without profession, residing in Hanover, Sonnenweg 3, daughter of the married couple: deceased warehouse foreman Ferdinand Böttcher and Luise Therese, née Bode, the former previously, the latter still residing in Hanover;
wish to enter into marriage with each other.
The announcement of the banns of marriage is to be made in Hanover and Graudenz.
Hanover, February 18, 1913
The registrar: <signature>
Published at the town hall in Graudenz on February 19, 1913. Taken down on March 6, 1913.
Graudenz, March 6, 1913. <signature>
The first document contains the following additional information:
The groom is protestant, 28 years old, born 24 January 1885 in Oldenburg, Grand Duchy [of Oldenburg]
The bride is catholic, 32 years old, born 26 February 1880 in Hanover
The marriage record (not shown here) is No. 301 of 11 March 1913, Royal Registry Office Hanover I
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Thank you, @Ulrich Neitzel . So the banns are the civil proclamation of the intention to marry, not related to any religious affiliation. Then the other documents I have include a residency certificate for Carl Othmer and what looks like several months worth of signatures, through the police commission in the town the individual resided in. This is all part of the banns? How long would it take to complete the banns of marriage? I would imagine that the church also has requirements for marriage as well.
I did not know that Aufgebot was the term for banns of marriage. This was the first time I had seen these documents for any ancestor I've been researching. It is interesting to me that they are not provided when requesting marriage certificates from archives, if available.
Thank you very much for your help.
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Sorry for the additional comment, but I just realized that Graudenz is a somewhat curious location for Carl Othmer. He lived his life in Hannover; Graudenz is in Poland (using current maps). I considered he may have been in the service while completing the banns of marriage and was stationed in that location. Were there requirements for where the banns were made?
Thank you!
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Hello @KathyBugianesi
Civil registration for births, marriages, and deaths was introduced in Germany in 1876. Since then only civil marriage has been legally valid (usually the couples were - and to a certain degree still are - wedded also in a church ceremony afterwards). For the application of marriage several other documents could be necessary, some are named in the first document above: consent (of parents, guardians or other), residence certificates, military certificate etc. However, these documents are usually not found in the archives as they have only auxiliary character. The only legally important document is the marriage record.
The time between application for the banns of marriage and the marriage itself was typically a few weeks; in your case it is 15 February - 11 March = 24 days. Since 1998 public banns of marriage have been abolished in Germany.
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Graudenz and Uelzen are given as previous residences of the groom in the first document (application). Also, he is "Prussian citizen according to ID from Wiesbaden 28.11.1907". No reason is given why he lived at those places. No mention of military service either.
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