Hesse links for Jewish genealogy
Question, omissions, corrections, comments, suggestions: send email.
Updated January 2011. A great many pages have disappeared or been moved to new URLs.
If you find good information, save the whole page. They seem to disappear fast!
To translate any webpage, go to: http://www.google.com/language_tools?hl=EN
and put the URL into the box: Translate a web page, then select German to English.


First, some areas that Hesse is NOT
Northern Germany --------- Lower Saxony, Bremen, Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
Eastern Germany ---------- Saxonia, Saxonia-Anhalt, Thuringia
Southern Germany --------- Bavaria and Baden-Wuerttemberg

Hessen 1866
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hesse is an area of Western Germany
Western Germany also includes
North-Rhine/Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland

Wolfgang Fritzsche of JewishGen GerSig wrote the introductory explanation below:
Hesse is one of the federal states in Germany. The capital city is Wiesbaden.

Since 1567, a few territories had the word Hesse in their names:
Hessen-Kassel,
Hessen-Darmstadt.
Hessen-Marburg (incorporated into Hessen-Kassel in 1604 ),
Hessen-Rheinfels (incorporated into Hessen-Darmstadt in 1583),
In 1622 Hessen-Homburg was seperated from Hessen-Darmstadt.
Beside these, two other teritories existed in the area we know today as Hesse: Nassau-Weilburg and Nassau-Dillenburg.

In 1803 (this is one of the most important dates in Hesse history) these territories were re-arranged:
The two Nassaus were combined under the name "Herzogtum Nassau" (duchy Nassau) with Wiesbaden as its capital city.
Hessen-Kassel became:
landcraviate (Kurhessen) and
Hessen-Darmstadt duchy, shortly later "Gro?herzogtum", grand duchy.
The capitals of these were, respectively, Kassel and Darmstadt.
(This is the reason why there are three state archives in Hesse today: Marburg, Darmstadt and Wiesbaden, which is the main State Archive.)

In 1866, Nassau, Kurhessen, a part of the territory of Frankfort-on-Main, parts of the grand-duchy of Hesse, the territory of Homburg
and the countship of Hesse-Homburg, became part of Prussia and this new province was named "Hessen-Nassau".
There were two administrative districts: Wiesbaden and Kassel.
Also in 1866, the grand duchy Hesse was expanded to include the provinces Oberhessen (north of the Main-river),
Starkenburg (between Rhine and Main river) and Rheinhessen (west of the Rhine-river including Mainz).

In 1945 the state Hesse was formed out of those parts of the former Hesse which were under American occupation
(Rheinhessen became part of Rheinland-Pfalz) and the largest part of Nassau.


Maps:
http://www.mapquest.com/
http://www.mapquest.de/
http://www.meinestadt.de/
http://www.bing.com/maps/
http://www.landkartenindex.de/
http://www.map-of-germany.com/
Frankfurt Germany Hahn Airport
Routenplaner
http://www.hoeckmann.de/geschichte/nrwhist.htm

http://www.feefhs.org/maplibrary/german/gw-hesse.html ------------ 1882 Hesse-Cassel and Darmstadt map
http://www.meinestadt.de/hessen --------- overview map with links to maps of each of the divisions - EXCELLENT INTRO
http://www.hessennet.de/
http://www.hessennet.de/ASP/Mitglieder.asp ----- links to stadts
http://www.cityreview.de/hessen/ ----------- links to stadts AND landkreise


Webpages about Hesse:
http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Hesse ------- includes links to many other Hesse-Darmstadt, Hesse-Cassel, etc
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hessen
http://members.cox.net/hessen/hesse.htm ----- EXCELLENT COLLECTION OF LINKS AND MAPS!
"If there ever was a place with changing names and borders, it is Germany" [I AGREE!]


Areas of Hesse:
Nordhessen (Kassel) - http://www.rp-kassel.de/
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nordhessen
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/States_of_Germany

http://www.hoeckmann.de/deutschland/hessennord.htm --------- North Hesse maps 1789 - EXCELLENT
Fulda region

Easthessen - http://www.projektwerkstatt.de/projektor/ - Translated

DIVISIONS OF HESSE
(Some are like counties; some are cities which once were independent states)
>From north to south, then from west to east:
Click here to find a map of the Landkreise
- A similar map is here - Click on the individual states


(Town names in boldface are those I happen to know had Jewish communities at one time.)

     
  Landkreis Kassel - map
larger: Hofgeismar, Wolfhagen, Fuldatal, Vellmar,
Schauenburg, Fuldabrück, Baunatal, Niestetal, Kaufunge, Lohfelden, Baunatal
smaller: Bad Emstal, Bad Karlshafen, Breuna, Calden, Espenau,
Grebenstein, Habichtswald, Helsa, Immenhausen, Kaufungen,
Liebenau, Naumburg, Nieste, Oberweser, Reinhardshagen,
Schauenburg, Sohrewald, Trendelburg, Wahlsburg, Zierenberg


http://www.landkreiskassel.de/
http://www.kassel.de/
http://www.landkreiskassel.de/kreis/index.htm - Translated --- Click on "history of county" [sic] for history
http://www.museum-hofgeismar.de/ -------- used to have a list of Jews killed in holocaust
Jüdische Kultur in Nordhessen
Jewish Communities in Kassel and Hofgeismar, deportation history, synagogues,
and many links to Jewish history

Grebenstein (NW of Kassel) history
 
     

     
  Kassel (Stadtkreis - the city) - lies inside Landkreis Kassel:
http://www.hoeckmann.de/geschichte/kassel.htm --------------------- Kassel (with maps)
http://www.freizeit-reisen.de/hessen/kassel/geschichte/index.php ----------------------- Kassel history
http://www.stadt-kassel.de/ ---- used to have a history page and
rememberance speech
http://www.ursulahomann.de/JudenInHessen/kap001.html - Translated
http://www.kassel.de/stadt/geschichte/chronik/info/09468/index.html - Translated

http://www.stadt-kassel.de/stadtplan/ - map (GOOGLE Kassel stadtplan for others)
http://www.liberale-juden.de/cms/index.php ---- organization of liberal Jews - used to have information page
http://www.rp-kassel.de/ ----- used to have a social information page
http://www.meinestadt.de/kassel-documenta-stadt/stadtplan?zoom=14 - map
http://www.christoph-kaeppeler.de/2001/2001dez07/2001dez07.html - Translated ----- 1000 Jews sent to Riga
There is a new Jewish community in Kassel which used to have a website.
http://www.ass-kassel.de/ ------- The Albert Schweitzer School used to have a museum page.
http://www.kassel.de/---- Used to have a page noting 2301 synogague members

http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=233&letter=C

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hesse-Kassel
http://www.vondonop.org/hessen-kassel.html

 
     

     
  Landkreis Waldeck-Frankenberg - cities (click Tourismus, then Links aus der Region) - map
http://www.landkreis-waldeck-frankenberg.de/ ---- used to have a page on cities
Detailed map of Waldeck-Frankenberg and neighboring regions

Allendorf, Bad Arolsen, Bad Wildungen, Battenberg, Bromskirchen, Burgwald, Diemelsee,
Diemelstadt, Edertal, Frankenau, Frankenberg, Gemunden, aina, Harzfeld, Korbach,
Lichtenfels, Rosenthal, Twistetal, Vohl, Volkmarsen, Waldeck, Willingen
 
     

     
  Werra-Meißner-Kreis (Werra-Meissner-Kreis) - map
The Werra River flows through the Northeast area of this landkreis.
Bad Sooden-Allendorf, Berkatal, Großalmerode, Herleshausen, Hessisch Lichtenau, Meinhard,
Meißner, Neu-Eichenberg, Ringgau, Waldkappel, Wanfried, Wehretal, Weißenborn, Witzenhausen

Eschwege
Sontra
 
     

     
  Schwalm-Eder-Kreis - map
The Schwalm, Eder, & Fulda Rivers flow through this landkreis.
Bad Zwesten, Borken, Edermünde, Frielendorf, Fritzlar, Gilserberg, Gudensberg, Guxhagen,
Homberg, Knüllwald, Körle, Malsfeld, Melsungen, Morschen, Neuental,
Niedenstein, Oberaula, Ottrau, Schrecksbach, Schwalmstadt, Schwarzenborn, Wabern, Willingshausen

Felsberg
Jesberg
Neukirchen
 
     

     
 

Landkreis Hersfeld-Rotenburg - map
The Fulda River flows through the western half from south to north
Alheim, Breitenbach, Cornberg, Friedewald, Hauneck, Haunetal, Heringen, Hohenroda,
Kirchheim, Ludwigsau, Nentershausen, Neuenstein, Niederaula, Philippsthal, Ronshausen, Wildeck


http://www.hef-rof.de/landratsamt_und_kreisverwaltung/medienzentrum/
http://www.hef-rof.de/staedte_und_gemeinden/ ----------- map and communities
History of Hersfeld-Rotenburg
Hersfeld-Rotenburg ---------- city website

http://www.hessenrecht.hessen.de
-
Reorganization of districts? - the old page is gone; this has the same title

Rotenburg
Virtual Tour of Rothenburg ob der Tauber - the old Jewish quarter - Judentanzhaus - Jewish tombstones

More
http://www.bdzv.de/veranstaltungen/archiv/1998/freiheit/schueler/4.htm - Translated

http://waldhessen-kommt.de/neu2/gemeindeinfo/orte_index.php?ortid=25

Bebra
city website
Solz


Bad Hersfeld
http://www.bad-hersfeld.de/
- used to have history section
http://waldhessen-kommt.de/neu2/gemeindeinfo/orte.php3?ortid=16 - Translated
http://www.kommindiemitte.de/index.php/entdecken-in-der-mitte.html - used to have page on outdoor museum
http://home.arcor.de/christenjuden/index2.html ---- Christian-Jewish organization

Waldhessen (the area around Bad Hersfeld)
http://waldhessen-kommt.de/neu2/gemeindeinfo/ - maps and clickable links to cities
http://www.kommindiemitte.de/index.php/entdecken-in-der-mitte.html

Heringen

Schenklengsfeld (city, within the municipality of Schenklengsfeld)

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wölfershausen#Geschichte
Jüdische Geschichte / Synagoge

http://waldhessen-kommt.de/neu2/gemeindeinfo/orte_index.php?ortid=31

(municipality)

http://www.gemeinde-schenklengsfeld.de/

 
     

     
  Landkreis Marburg-Biedenkopf - map
The Lahn River flows through the western half from south to north.
Amöneburg, Angelburg, Bad Endbach, Biedenkopf, Breidenbach, Colbe, Dautphetal,
Ebsdorfergrund, Fronhausen, Gladenbach, Kirchhain, Lahntal, Lohra, Münchhausen,
Neustadt, Rauschenberg, Stadtallendorf, Steffenberg, Weimer, Wetter, Wohratal


Marburg
hhttp://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marburg
http://www.marburg.de/ ----------- see: Die Stadt > Geschichte
http://stadtplan.marburg.de/mapsight/stadtplan/ ---------------- map

http://www.jg-marburg.de

Roth
http://archiv.ub.uni-marburg.de/sonst/1998/0012.html - Translated
 
     

     
  Vogelsbergkreis - map
The Schwalm & Nidder Rivers originate in the southern part, and the Fulda River flows through the eastern part.
Alsfeld, Antrifttal, Feldatal, Freiensteinau, Gemünden, Grebenau, Grebehnain,
Herbstein, Homberg, Kirtorf, Lauterbach, Lautertal, Mücke, Romrod,
Schlitz, Schotten, Schwalmtal, Ulrichstein, Wartenberg
 
     

     
  Landkreis Fulda - map
The Fulda River flows through this landkreis.
Bad Salzschlirf, Dipperz, Ebersburg, Ehrenberg, Eichenzell,
Flieden, Fulda, Gersfeld, Großenlüder, Hilders, Hofbieber, Hosenfeld,
Kalbach, Künzell, Neuhof, Nüsttal, Petersberg, Poppenhausen, Rasdorf, Tann


EIterfeld

Burghaun (has the Jewish cemetary for a lot of the Hesse towns)
http://www.burghaun.de/
http://straussenwirt.at/English/rad.htm ------ Tour of the hot springs region
http://www.iajgsjewishcemeteryproject.org/germany/index.html
http://www.jewishgen.org/yizkor/burghaun/burghaun.html

Hünfeld (Hunfeld, Huenfeld)

http://www.huenefeld.org/Ursprung/ursprung.html - Translated ------------- appears to be the history of Hunfeld
 
     

     
  Lahn-Dill-Kreis - map
The Lahn River flows through the southern part of this landkreis.
Aßlar, Bischoffen, Braunfels, Breitscheid, Dietzhölztal, Dillenburg, Driedorf, Ehringshausen, Eschenburg, Greifenstein, Haiger, Herborn, Hohenahr, Hüttenberg, Lahnau, Leun, Mittenaar, Schöffengrund, Siegbach, Sinn, Solms, Waldsolms, Wetzlar

 
     

     
  Landkreis Gießen (Giessen) - map
The River Lahn runs through the western third.
Allendorf, Biebertal, Buseck, Fernwald, Grünberg, Heuchelheim, Hugen, Langgöns.
Lich, Linden, Lollar, Pohlheim, Rabenau, Wettenberg


Giessen:
http://www.uni-giessen.de/sfb299/uis/U_Region/orte_karte.htm
http://www.uni-giessen.de/sfb299/uis/U_Region/orte_pub_uis.htm
http://www.uni-giessen.de/sfb299/uis/U_Region/orte_karte.htm


Staufenberg:
http://www.staufenberg.de/ - Translated

http://www.stadtarchiv.staufenberg.de/

Reiskirchen
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Landkreis_Gießen_Reiskirche.png

area map
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reiskirchen
 
     

     
  Landkreis Limburg-Weilburg - map
The Lahn River flows through the center.
Bad Camberg, Beselich, Brechen, Dornburg, Elbtal, Elz, Hadamar, Hünfelden, Limburg, Löhnberg, Mengerskirchen, Merenberg, Runkel, Selters, Villmar, Waldbrunn, Weilburg, Weilmünster, Weinbach
 
     

     
  Wetteraukreis - map
The Nidder River runs through the eastern & southern landkreis.
main cities: Friedburg, Budingen
smaller: Butzbach, Ober-Mörlen, Münzenberg, Bad Nauheim, Rockenberg, Wolfersheim,
Florstadt, Rosbach, Niddatal, Karben, Wollstadt, Bad Vilbel,
Nidda, Gedern, Hirzenhain, Echzell, Ranstadt, Kefenrod, Ortenberg, Reichelsheim,
Glauburg, Altenstadt, Limeshain
 
     

     
  Main-Kinzig-Kreis - map
The Main River flows through the center. The Nidder & Sinn Rivers flow through the west & east.
Bad Orb, Bad Soden-Salmünster, Biebergemünd, Birstein, Brachttal, Bruchköbel, Erlensee, Flörsbachtal, Freigericht, Geinhausen, Großkrotzenburg, Gründau, Hammersbach, Hanau, Hasselroth, Jossgrund,
Langenselbold, Linsengericht, Maintal, Neuberg, Nidderau, Niederdorfelden, Rodenbach, Ronneburg,
Schlüchtern, Schöneck, Sinntal, Steinau, Wächtersbach
 
     

     
  Hochtaunuskreis - map
Bad Homburg, Friedrichsdorf, Glashütten, Grävenwiesbach, Kronberg, Königstein, Neu-Anspach, Oberursel, Schmitten, Steinbach, Usingen, Wehrheim, Weilrod
 
     

     
  Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis - map
The Rhein River forms the southern border.
Aarbergene, Hunstetten, Hohenstein, Waldems, Idstein, Heidenrod, Bad Schwalbach, Taunusstein, Niderhausen,
Schlangenbad, Lorch, Kiedrich, Wallut, Eltville, Oestrich-Winkel, Giesenheim, Assmannshausen, Rudesheim
 
     

     
  Main-Taunus-Kreis - map
The Main River forms the southern border.
Bad Soden, Eppstein, Eschborn, Flörsheim, Hattersheim, Hochheim, Kelkheim, Kriftel, Leiderbach, Schwalbach, Sulzbach
Wallau
 
     

     
  Frankfurt am Main (Stadtkreis - the city)

http://www.altfrankfurt.com/
http://www.altfrankfurt.com/Altstadt2/
http://www.altfrankfurt.com/Altstadt2/Judengasse/
http://www.frankfurt.de/sixcms/detail.php?id=2738&_ffmpar[_id_inhalt]=4544680 ---------------- see map (Stadtplan)
http://www.frankfurt.de/sixcms/detail.php?id=stadtfrankfurt_eval01.c.317693.en&template=hp_flash
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=332&letter=F ------------ Frankfurt
Institut für Stadtgeschichte
http://www.stadtgeschichte-ffm.de/service/chronik/chronik_00.htm
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geschichte_von_Frankfurt_am_Main

http://www.juedischesmuseum.de/
 
     

     
  Wiesbaden (Stadtkreis - the city)
Ebenheim
 
     

     
  Offenbach (Stadtkreis - the city)  
     

     
  Kreis Offenbach - map
Dietzenbach, Dreieich, Egelsbach, Hainburg, Heusenstamm, Langen, Mainhausen, Mühlheim, Neu-Isenburg, Obertshausen, Rodgau, Rödermark, Seligenstadt
 
     

     
  Landkreis Groß-Gerau (Gross-Gerau) - map
The Main River forms the northern border.
Biebesheim, Bischofsheim, Büttelborn, Gernsheim, Ginsheim-Gustavsburg, Groß Gerau, Kelsterbach, Mörfelden-Walldorf, Nauheim, Raunheim, Riedstadt, Rüsselsheim, Stockstadt, Trebur

 
     

     
  Landkreis Darmstadt-Dieburg - map
Alsbach-Hähnlein, Babenhausen, Bickenbach, Dieburg, Eppertshausen, Erzhausen, Fischbachtal, Griesheim, Groß Bieberau, Groß-Umstadt, Groß Zimmern, Messel, Modautal, Mühltal, Münster, Ober-Ramstadt, Otzberg, Pfungstadt, Reinheim, Roßdorf, Schaafheim, Seehaim-Jugenheim, Weiterstadt
 
     

     
  Darmstadt (Stadtkreis - the city) (lies inside Darmstadt-Dieburg)  
     

     
  Odenwaldkreis - map
Bad König, Beerfelden, Brensbach, Breuberg, Brombachtal, Erbach, Fränkisch-Crumbach, Hesseneck, Höchst, Lützelbach, Michelstadt, Mossautal, Reichelsheim, Rothenberg, Sensbachtal
 
     

     
  Landkreis Bergstraße (Bergstrasse) - map
The Rhein River forms the western border. The Neckar River forms the southeastern border.
Absteinach, Bensheim, Biblis, Birkenau, Bürstadt, Einhausen, Fürth, Gorxheimertal, Grasellenbach, Groß Rohrheim, Heppenheim, Hirschhorn, Lampertheim, Lautertal, Lindenfels, Lorsch, Mörlenbach, Neckarsteinach, Rimbach, Viernheim, Wald-Michelbach, Zwingenberg

 
     

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Archives:

http://www.A-H-B.de/AHB/links_e.htm - great list of Jewish family names found by Wolfgang Fritzsche < < < NEW

http://www.archive.Hessen.de/

http://members.cox.net/hessen/archives.htm#Hessen - good information

http://www.hauptstaatsarchiv.hessen.de/

http://www.uni-marburg.de/archivschule/ausstell.html

http://www.staatsarchiv-marburg.hessen.de/

http://www.uni-heidelberg.de/institute/sonst/aj/B6/hessen.htm - Translated

Guide to the Gesamtarchiv der deutschen Juden Collection, 1781-1925

http://www.sonderarchiv.de/fonds/fond1194.htm

http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/vjw/Germanytoc.html

http://www.ursulahomann.de/JudenInHessen/ ------- Page on Kassel - Translated

http://www.uni-heidelberg.de/institute/sonst/aj/index.html

http://www.uni-heidelberg.de/institute/sonst/aj/PERSONEN/BALLIN/familien.htm

Hungarian-German genealogy

http://newsarch.rootsweb.com/th/read/DEUTSCHLAND/1999-12/0946147543 - Katzenstein, Plaut

Unesco archives

Staatsarchiv = State Archive
Landesarchiv = State Archive, Administrative District Archive
Stadtarchiv = village, town, city archive
Zentralarchiv = Central Archive
Hauptarchiv = Main Archive
Melderegister = Citizen's Reporting Register
Stadtverwaltung = City Hall (where the "Melderegister" is maintained)
Gemeindeverwaltung = Village or Town Hall ("Melderegister" maintained here)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Other pages with information about Hesse &/or Germany:

GOOGLE:
Jüdische Gemeinde Hesse
[Jewish communities]
Jüdische Geschicte Hesse [Jewish history]
hofgeismer juden [or any other location + juden]

http://www.synagoge.de/ ----- map
http://www.synagoge.de/Staedtebild/Kassel.shtml
http://www.juden.de/
http://www.kirchheim.de/

http://www.gehove.de/antisem/linkssyn.html - Translated

http://www.fahrradreisen.de/radwege/r35.htm


http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=683&letter=H&search=Hesse

http://home.bawue.de/~hanacek/info/edatbase.htm

Romantic Road Tour Map

Destination Germany - Regions - Main-Taunus region - Spas, abbeys and skyscrapers

Hessen Military

http://www.projektwerkstatt.de/projektor/antisemi.htm

http://www.genealogienetz.de/genealogy.html
http://www.genealogienetz.de/reg/ ----- information about German speaking countries
http://www.genealogienetz.de/reg/HES/heslit/heslit_hist.html - Historical literature on Hesse - Translated


http://www.stbib-koeln.de/judaica/index.htm

http://www.progenealogists.com/germany/hamburg/index.html --------- Hamburg passenger list 1872

Hagalil ----- a German languge periodical
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HaGalil_Online
Hagalil histories of regions of Germany - http://www.hagalil.com/deutschland/
Hessen / Rheinland-Pfalz / Saarland
Hagalil Timeline of German Jewish history - http://www.hagalil.com/deutschland/history/hst0.htm


GONE and sorely missed:
-
Day Laborer's House - http://www.heritagequest.com/genealogy/europe/html/taglohner.html = taglohner haus
- Recycling of graves in Germany - http://www.heritagequest.com/genealogy/europe/html/graves.html
http://www.theworld.org/2010/08/11/recycling-graves-in-germany/

http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/History/timeline.html