With thanks to Karl Krueger

Thousands of immigration files are available online for people from Polish territory who went to Germany in 1940 and 1941, thanks to the work of the Bundesarchiv in Germany and FamilySearch.

This series, the Stammblätter, is helpful for finding other family members and for reconstructing villages. It includes pedigrees of immigrants recorded by the EWZ (Einwandererzentralstelle) (Immigrant Control Office) of migrants from Wartheland-Poland and Lithuania who were resettled in Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia and Austria. Files include names, dates and birthplaces of the immigrant, his parents, grandparents, and children; residence, occupation, and religion, and often include a photograph of the immigrant.

Note: This collection, which was filmed in 1961, is not as comprehensive as the EWZ collection filmed in the 1990s. Many case file numbers were not included in the 1961 filming. If your person of interest is not here, check the films in the complete filming of the pedigrees (Stammblätter), which is not online. Film numbers are at our EWZ58 page.

The records are filed numerically, but the Bundesarchiv has a searchable database that will provide the numbers. Those numbers can then be used to access files on the FamilySearch website. Here is how to do it:

First step: Invenio

Go to Invenio, the Bundesarchiv research portal. Click on "Suche ohne Anmeldung" to do a search without registering. If you get a welcome message, click the X in the top right to close it. Then click "Suche" and on the next page, click "Namenssuche". That will bring up a form that starts with "Name" and "Vorname" -- surname and given name.

The results list will likely have many entries from a variety of archival collections; the ones relevant to EWZ58 is "Sammlung Berlin Document Center (BDC): Personenbezogene Unterlagen der Einwandererzentralstelle (EWZ)" which will show in the results box beside the word "Bestandsbezeichnung". The non-EWZ hits might be relevant to your research so they should be checked. If you want to reduce the number of non-EWZ hits, after you fill in the name box on the search form, scroll down until you see, on the left side, a dialog box that says "Alle Standorte". Click on the arrow on the side of that box, then pick "Berlin-Lichterfelde" from the list. Berlin-Lichterfelde is the Bundesarchiv location with EWZ records.

When you do a search, your results list is likely to show two key things: birthdate and EWZ number. One can help you confirm that you have the right person, the other can help you find the file.

Second step: Family Search

To access the digitized file, go to the FamilySearch and sign in, because only registered researchers can access the images on the EWZ microfilms.

If you would prefer, here is a direct link to the EWZ collection on FamilySearch.

Third step: Check below for the EWZ numbers you need

Then use the list below, looking for EWZ number in the number ranges shown. After you open the digitized film, scroll through to find your image of interest. (They are in numerical order, and the pages on the film are also numbered, so it should be easy.)

11000-13599	13599-16078
16078-18700	18701-20000, 31000-33165
33165-36229	36229-39244
39244-41988	41988-45526
45526-48191	48191-51033
51033-53760	53760-56778
56778-59700	59701-60000, 68001-70300
70301-71000, 73001-73800, 81601-83507	83507-84313, 103001-104935
104935-109339	109339-112210, 113001-114350
114350-116930	116930-119000, 120001-121592
121592-124738a	124738a-127799
127799-131550	131550-134961a
134961a-137808	137808-140739
140739-144297a	144297a-147797
147797-150885	150885-153768
153768-156582	156582-158600, 160001-160533
160533-164269	164269-168283
168283-171358	171358-174015
174015-176500	176501-179204
179204-180000, 182751-183580	183526-186175
186175-188746	188746-191343
191342-193986	193986-196645
196645-196910, 197001-199754	199754-202383
202383-204788	204788-207647
207647-210400	120401-213250
213250-216346	216346-219102
219102-221870	221869-224695
224695-226427	226427-227700, 228001-229500, 230001-230555
230555-233350, 233601-233651	233651-236757
236757-239413	239413-242109
242109-244774	244774-247475
247475-248700, 249001-250534	250534-263000, 294000-295000, 305001-306921
306921-308000

Arrivals from Lithuania:

529401-531500, 533301-535277
535277-537058, 538001-538997
538997-541000, 542001-542500, 543001-543600, 500014-529400

E/G Kartei EWZ-58 (numeric) film numbers | Back to Guide to EWZ records