Mappenstucke

Translation of article 

Prehistory

The history of the Genealogical Folders [Genealogische Mappenstücke ] is closely linked to the development of the genealogical libraries and collections of the former Verein Deutsche Ahnengemeinschaft e. V. in Dresden and the Zentralstelle für deutsche Personen- und Familiengeschichte in Leipzig. The circulation of genealogical lists organized in 1921 by the Dresden District Court Director Karl Förster (1873 - 1931) led to the founding of the Ahnenlistenaustausch (ALA) association in the same year, which took on the name Deutsche Ahnengemeinschaft e. V. in 1930. The results of its work are not only an extensive collection of ancestor lists, but also the associated indexing of their contents in the form of the Ahnenstammkartei and an extensive genealogical library. In September 15, 1933, the Ahnenstammkartei and the resulting collections were handed over to the Reichsstelle für Sippenforschung in Berlin, where a staff of about 10 employees [01] constantly used them to determine ancestry, for hereditary biology reports and for general family and clan research for the period before 1800. Until April 3, 1939, the day the card index was returned to Dresden, incoming ancestor list contents as well as numerous local and social history publications were incorporated. Like all associations, the Deutsche Ahnengemeinschaft was formally dissolved by SMAD order in 1945 and its genealogical collections were stored in the Dresden Main State Archives, where they remained until 1967 and were looked after and further expanded by Kurt Wensch. Parts of the reference library and the genealogical collections of the Central Office for German Personal and Family History, founded in Leipzig in 1904 and housed in the German Library since 1921, were assigned to the Leipzig State Archive in 1962 and transferred to its premises. All these genealogical materials were centralized and made accessible for direct use in 1967 with the founding of the Central Office for Genealogy in the GDR in Leipzig.

Inventory history and processing

With the expansion of the ancestor list exchange in Dresden in 1923 to include the creation of an ancestor index, the need arose to also evaluate books, journals, manuscripts, maps, plans or special card indexes. While the designation AL and the serial number had initially sufficed as signatures for the ancestor lists, further distinguishing features now had to be defined. Genealogical materials were thus designated as A items and the following additions were added to them: Bu (book), Z (journal), Ma (folder). While journals and books were placed in the library, the genealogical folders, which were usually smaller in size, were kept in folders that were placed in cardboard boxes. These were essentially dependent works or gray literature. The most important dependent works were those published as part of anthologies or collections. These included, for example, journal articles, essays, contributions, maps, town plans, reviews or statistics. However, genealogical and ancestral charts, family journals or short family histories produced only for the closest family circle were also archived in this form.

As early as 1933 to 1939, a large part of the collection of genealogical folders was created at the Reichsstelle für Sippenforschung in Berlin, as it was recognized that these were unique documents. "The processed material is particularly valuable in that it is largely based on research that would never have been published because it was only carried out for personal reasons." [02] In this sense, there was no separate indexing, but it was carried out in the same way as the library items and incorporated into the genealogical index.

The large family envelope collection of the Central Office for German Personal and Family History in Leipzig became the second major source for the genealogical folder items in addition to the materials collected at the Reichsstelle für Sippenforschung. Since 1988, this collection of envelopes, which consisted of handwritten, printed index cards with genealogical information on numerous families as well as associated research results and newspaper clippings, was systematically dissolved and later incorporated into the Mappenstücke collection. The third major unit to be mentioned are the dependent works received since 1967. While the large group of family journals predominated in the collection before 1945, after 1967 the focus was clearly on genealogical charts and family histories.

The original list of A items [A-Stücke] in book form could not be saved after the Second World War.  Access books for the collection were available from 1946 to 2008. Parallel to the accession books, entries were made in the subject catalog of the special genealogical library and in the genealogical index from 1967 to 2002. This indexing work was carried out in the Central Genealogy Office until 1996 and in the archive library of the Leipzig State Archives from 1997 to 2008. In addition, a numerical card index with more detailed information than in the accession book was created from 1975 as part of a revision. However, this card index was discontinued in 1980, as the reorganized accession book now contained all the necessary bibliographical information. These accession books and card indexes formed the starting point for the retroconversion of the indexing information for this collection. In case of doubt, missing or incomplete information was replaced by photocopying or could be determined with the help of the Karlsruhe Virtual Catalog (http://www.ubka.uni-karlsruhe.de/kvk.html) and the journal database (http://www.zeitschriftendatenbank.de).

The project began in 2009 to index the 22179 genealogical folders comprising approx. 15,300 archival units using the Augias archival software (StA-Druckschriften form) made it possible for the first time to access all information on authors, persons, families, places and regions, as this information was also indexed. Duplicates of documents and printed publications as well as outdated versions of genealogical lists, genealogical tables etc. amounting to 11 VZE were separated out. A note was made in the genealogical index and in the accession book for these outdated and discarded versions.

Instructions for use

As numerous folder items contain personal data worthy of protection, the regulations on data protection must be observed when inspecting them. The protection periods stipulated in § 10 para. 1 sentence 3 of the Saxon Archives Act apply.

The following special features in the indexing should be mentioned: In the "Media type" field, the form "Manuscript" was used for typewritten folder items and handwritten genealogical tables, master lists and the like. For handwritten documents, "handwritten" or "partly handwritten" was entered in the "Remarks" field; foreign-language documents were marked with the note "Text ... " (e.g. French text). Detailed year and issue details for incomplete journal volumes were also entered in the comments field.

In some cases, folder items have not been assigned in numerical order, but to the other materials for the family in question. In these cases, a note was made in the "Reference" field in the form of "in Ma ... ". References to further documents on the same family can be found in the same field ("s. Ma ... ").

The archive records are usually handed over by private family researchers and promptly added to the collection.

Sources and literature

Wermes, Martina and Weiß, Volkmar, Übersicht über die Bestände der Deutschen Zentralstelle für Genealogie in Leipzig. In: Genealogisches Jahrbuch, vol. 33/34, Neustadt/Aisch 1993/1994, pp. 137 - 156.

M. Wermes

October 2012

[01] Diana Schulle, The Reichsippenamt. An institution of National Socialist racial policy, p. 93.

[02] Sächsisches Staatsarchiv, 21940 Deutsche Ahnengemeinschaft, Bd. II (1928-1937); quoted from: Diana Schulle, Das Reichssippenamt. Eine Institution nationalsozialistischer Rassenpolitik, p. 91, note 51).