The "Edict about the conditions of the Jewish
fellow-believers in the Kingdom of Bavaria" enacted in 1813, marks an
essential step on the laborious path of the emancipation of the Jews who
had in most cases ended up in the kingdom of Bavaria together with the
newly acquired territories since 1806. Especially the "Juden-Matrikel"
(registers by administrative divisions) compiled according to §§
2 and 3 of this ordinance, mark the most relevant connection between the
former names of circumcision and new fixed family names. Therefore, they
are a central source for genealogical research worldwide, because of the
voluntary or compulsory emigration of the Jews from Germany during the
19th and 20th centuries. Moreover, the registers not only comprise the
Jewish population of an administrative, later called government division,
but they also give an account of the socio-economic facts by giving
details of their occupation and livelihood. The fundamental, as well as
nationwide significance of the information offered, is self-explanatory.
Making this source accessible follows from the tradition of the Bavarian
archives service, that has always understood information from the public
and engagements in publications of important historical sources as a
challenge, of course under observance of the framework of data- and
personality protection. This also applies to the Genealogical Society in
Franconia (registered society), that is also committed to providing
accessibility of sources significant for genealogy.
Simultaneously, this project stands for a successful cooperation between a
public archives and a society organized according to civil law. In this
connection the participants agreed that the joining of the individual
potentials would lead to synergies enabling successful means of historical
and genealogical research, even in times of restricted state budgets.
Both partners strove to make the registers of the Bavarian government
divisions of Middle, Upper and Lower Franconia available and present them
by means of modern information technology. The limitation to Franconia
results in restrictions of the mandate of the Genealogical Society in
Franconia according to its statutes.
The historical introduction
was provided by Gerhard Rechter as head of the Nuremberg state archives
where the register published is kept. But the project would not have been
brought about without the completely voluntacy engagement of Mr. Edgar
Hubrich and Mr. Wilhelm Veeh. We are especially obliged to them.
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Munich, February 2003 |
Nuremberg, February 2003 |