Bad Doberan, Germany, Military Registers, 1868-1914

About this collection

This collection contains military recruitment and muster rolls from Bad Doberan covering the years 1868 up to and including 1914. Bad Doberan lies on the Baltic Sea about 9 miles west of Rostock and about 28 miles northeast of Wismar in the modern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. It was first mentioned in a document from the year 1177. Its principal landmarks are the old town, the racecourse and the Heiligendamm seaside spa. The city's notable architectural attraction is the Doberan Minster Church at Doberan Abbey which was consecrated in 1232. During the time period of this collection Doberan was part of the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Since 1921, the city's official name has been Bad Doberan.

This collection contains Recruitment lists and Muster Rolls created by civil serrvants of the Replacements Commission. These include the actual muster rolls sorted by birth year (1847-1896). These records are arranged in chronological-alphabetical order and contain detailed information about male military personnel in the city. They are an important historical resource for Bad Doberan. Additionally, some of the recruitment and muster rolls record an individual's military duties or record personnel who, at inspection time, were on leave or exempted from service and stricken from the rolls because of unfitness or domestic circumstances.

What you can find in the records

Authorities captured the information about military personnel by year of birth and usually alphabetically by the first letter of the last name. It was recorded on yearly preprinted forms filled in by hand. Depending on the form used and its purpose, the following details may be found:

• Community, Sequential number
• Military Details: Last Name, Given Names, Birthdate/Place, Marital Status
• Parent Details: Last Name, Given Names, Alive at the time of Muster, Father's Occupation, Place of Residence
• Muster Date (usually 20 years after date of birth), Military Duty Station, Denomination, Occupation, Muster Details, Service Dates and Locations, Military Unit.
• Notes
• Occasionally, birth certificates are also attached for the rercorded military personnel

More about using this collection

The records are chiefly in list format and usually extend across two pages, which are displayed one after the other. Page one generally records details about the military personnel. Page two contains details about muster results. The majority contain several records per page.

Under "Browse this collection,” select the appropriate Year Range (for example the birth year) of the registers desired.