Germanic Universität, Gymnasium
and Technischen Hochschule
Matrikeln Registers
Progress Report - 11 Feb 1993

by
John D. Movius

© copyright 1994 and 1995 by FEEFHS; all rights reserved
Note: This report is reprinted from an article in the FEEFHS Newsletter Vol. 1, Number 2, (March 1993), pages 8-9. It covers Germanic material extracted from an ongoing research project to locate all European matriculation registers in America. The archive location and call numbers are also being tabulated as a finding aid.


Publication of a monograph is planned at a future date.
Germanic genealogy is based upon civil records and kirchenbuchs (church books) as primary sources of vital data. Yet most civil records in Germany only date back to the early 1800's. Kirchenbuchs are seldom found before 1700, especially in Pomerania, as over 3,000 churches and their records were burned as fighting raged throughout Pomerania during a 30 years religious war (1618-1648).

Example: While a 20 page summary church history of Kirch-Baggendorf (in kries Grimmen, Mecklenberg-Vorpommern) dated 1540 A.D. has survived, the oldest kirchenbuch there dates from 1700 A.D.

But some matrikeln (matriculation=entrance) registers for Germanic Universitäts (Universities) have survived the ravages of war, fire and the passage of time. Some date to the late 14th or early 15th century. Oldest found so far is a 2« century record of German students at Bologna Universita, starting in 1298 A.D.

Matrikel registers are unique, important secondary sources for late medieval, reformation and renaissance era genealogy. Their existence is not well known to genealogists. They can identify persons entering colleges of law, medicine or theology. They can also be used in transliteration research for some surnames.

Finding these book sets isn't always easy. The 1st challenge is to determine if a set of matrikeln registers are available. Some were reprinted during the last century by Kraus, a German publisher, others were not. Then to locate a set at an American library and arrange to borrow the full set of volumes thru ILL (interlibrary loan) or visit the library. Incomplete or unindexed sets do exist and complicate the research task. These records also need translation as they are in Latin.

My search began in 1991 at the University of California. Davis Shields library with the discovery of registers for Greifswald and Rostock, the two oldest Universitäts in northern Europe. Several generations of my ancestors were law professors at Greifswald. They also lived at Stargard and some Pomeranian Hansastadts including Stettin and Stralsund.

These registers proved my ancestors were much more mobile than I had imagined.

Matrikeln Contents: Each matrikeln register lists students by entrance date (day, month and/or year in chronological order), lists the surname, village of origin (and the birthplace if different), province, country (if an ausl„nder), and various notes concerning their entry status and tuition payment. They also list the faculty and sometimes summarize the academic year. I have estimated the birth year by the rule of 17: subtract 17 years from the matrikeln year for a 17 year old student at matrikeln, which was the norm.

It's not uncommon to find a pauper accepted gratis on the recommendation of his pastor or patron. This attests to the fact that ability to pay tuition was not always an ironclad prerequisite for university entrance. Students from poor families were sometimes accepted under certain conditions.

Indexes: With Germanic thoroughness these double and triple indexes are extensive, often rivalling the chronological register in size. The 1st 5 volumes from Rostock Universitaet's Matriculation Register are 5" thick. Vol. 6 and 7 (called "registers" - i.e. indexes) are 3.5" thick.

Personnenregister: Students are listed with village name and sometimes with registration number or a matrikeln year. Alphabetizing can vary between the standard A-Z method and a Germanic method combining phonetically equivalent letters (such as B and P; I and J; C and K; W and V, etc.).

Ortsregister: The place name is given in Latin and German, thus latinized village and province names can be decoded.
Sachenregister: This can be a useful subject index. Here I learned Thomas Balthasar Mevius, a Greifswald Universität student, was killed in a duel with a Rostock Universität student on 04 Dec 1685.

Current Status: Germanic matrikeln registers for at least 49 Universitäts are known to exist in the U.S (Table I). MR's for another 46 Universities and Gymnasiums elsewhere in Europe have also been located in America. So far over 83 citations of my surname have been found at 11 German Universitäts. 11 entered 5 different Universitäts in the 16th century.

Table III illustrates the MR information available and one way of reporting such findings. 38 had entered 6 universitäts by the end of the 30 years war. 63 had entered 9 Universitäts during the 17th century. By 1869 they have been found at 13 Universitäts.

Archival Sources: One task of this project is tabulating the location of all U. S. libraries known to hold copies. Library call numbers (which vary) are also being tabulated to provide a finding aid.

U.S Locations (12+) of Matrikeln Registers: The largest collection (39) of Germanic matrikel register sets are at the Family History Library (FHL) at Salt Lake City, but 6 have no index. The University of California [UC] library system has 37 Germanic MR's with 16 at UC Berkeley, 9 at UC Davis and 8 at UCLA. 4 are at Stanford (Table II). More will be found as the search continues.

Access to Matrikel Registers and Indexes: A few MR sets are held in reference (reserve) at universities or have not been microfilmed by the FHL. Most can be obtained thru public library ILL - interlibrary loan (if you know where to locate them). Many FHL holdings are on microfilm and available thru a local Family History Library Center (FHLC).


Table I: Germanic Matrikel Registers in America
(As of 31 Dec 1992)



A = Altdorf Universität (1575-1622); (1623-1807)...[O;DD]
Ba = Deutsche Studenten at Bologna (1289-1562)...[A]
Bb = Bistums Bamberg (1400-1556)...[F;H;DD]
Bg = Bamberg Akademie und Universität (1648-1803)..[E;DD]
Br = Collegium Carolinum und der Technischen Hochschule Carolo-Wilhelmina
zu Braunschweig (1745-1900)............................................[H]
Cg = Gymnasium Casimirianum Academicum zu Coberg (1606-1803)..............[A;DD]
Di = Dillingen Universität (1551-1802)86; (1551-1645)..............[DD-no index]
Df = Freiherrliche v. Fletcherschen Seminars zu Dresden (1825-1925)[DD-no index]
Dn = Gymnasium zum Heiligen Kreuz, Dresden (1639-1848)..................[C;F;DD]
Du = Universität Duisburg (1652-1818).......................................[DD]
Eb = Gymnasiums zu Elbing (1598-1786).......................................[DD]
El = Elsaessische Studenten in Heidelberg und Bologna........................[DD]
Er = Erfurter Universitäat (1390-1636)............................[A;DD-no index]
Protestantisch Theol. (1631-1648)86
Fo = Frankfurt an der Oder Universität (1506-1545)86; (1546-1811)...[DD-noindex]
(1649-1811)............[A]
Fr = Universität Freiburg im Breisgau (1457-1806)............................[H]
Fs = Konviktoren des Papstlichen Seminars in Fulda (1584-1773)..............[DD]
Gi = Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen (1608-1945)...[U]; (1608-1957).........[A]
(1608-1707)..................[DD-no index]
Goe = G.-August-Universität zu Goettingen (1737-1837)..[C;F;DD]; (1838-1900)...[C]
Gr = Greifswald Universität (1456-1700)...................................[A;DD]
Hg = Ruperts-Karls-Universität Heidelberg (1386-1916)........................[O]
Hl = Universität Helmstedt (1575-1809)...[C;H]; (1685-1810).................[DD]
Hn = Herborn Universität (1584-1653)86; (1654-1817).........................[DD]
Hr = Polytechnischen Schule/Technischen Hochschule zu Hannover (1831-1911)...[C]
It = Ingolstadt Universität (1472-1872).....................................[DD]
J = Friedrich-Schiller-Universität zu Jena (1548-1764)...................[K;DD]
Kg = Albertus-Universität zu Königsberg (1544-1829)...[A]; (1829-1945)86
Ki = Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel (1655-1865)................[C;D;DD]
Kn = Universität zu Koeln (1388-1797)...[C;E;H]; (1389-1745).................[DD]
Ko = Königlichen Friedrichs-Kollegiums zu Königsberg (1698-1898)............[DD]
Li = Karl-Marx-Universität Leipzig (1409-1559).[E;DD];(1559-1664;1709-1809).[DD]
Lu = Ritterakademie zu Luneburg (1656-1850).............................[C;H;DD]
Ma = Phillips-Universität Marburg (1527-1652)...[DD]; (1653-1830)86 (1527-1910 - Lehrers=teachers)............[DD]
Mg = Universität Geissen und Marburg (1605-1774).............................[DD]
Me = Hochstifts Merseburg (1469-1558)........................................[F]
Mw = Wilhelmsgymnasiums in Muenchen (1561-1859)..............................[DD]
Ot = Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gymnasiums in Osterode Ostprussia (1877-1945)...........[DD]
Pa = Universität Paderborn (1614-1844)......................................[DD]
Ri = Rinteln Universität (1619-1809)........................................[DD]
Ro = Wilhelm-Pieck-Universität Rostock (1419-1831)......................[A;E;DD]
Sa = Salzburg Universität (1623-1639)86; (1639-1810).........................[U]
Sg = Herzog-Wolfgang-Gymnasium zu Speyer (1631-1811).......................[C;H]
Sp = Gymnase Protestant Strasbourg (1621-1732)...[DD]; (1737-1880)..........[DD]
Sr = Strassburg Universität (1621-1793)...[A;DD]; (1872-1918)86
Tue = Universität Tuebingen (1477-1877)...[O]; (1600-1817)....................[DD]
Wd = Gymnasium Windsheim (1678-1887)....................................[C;J;DD]
Wh = Martin-Luther Universität zu Halle-Wittenberg (1502-1814).............[U;V]
Wt = Academie Vitebergensis [Wittenberg] (1502-1602)...[DD]; (1660-1710)86
Wue = Julius-Maximiliams-Universität Würzburg (1582-1831).......[C;H;DD-no index]


Table II: U.S. Libraries with Matrikel Registers (MR's):
(As of 31 December 1992)



[A] UC Davis Main (Shields) Library [UCD], Davis CA........(9)
[C] UC Berkeley Main Library [UCB], Berkeley CA...........(11)
[D] UC Berkeley Bancroft Library [UCBB], Berkeley CA.......(1)
[E] UC Berkeley Law Library [UCBL], Berkeley CA............(4)
[F] UC Northern Regional Library Facility [NRLF] Richmond CA...(4)
[H] UCLA Research Library [URL], LA CA.....................(8)
[J] UC Southern Regional Library Facility [SRLF], LA CA....(1)
[K] UC Irvine Library [UCI], Irvine CA.....................(1)
[O] Stanford University Green Library [SG], Stanford CA....(4)
[U] Harvard U. Widener Library [HW], Cambridge MA..........(3)
[V] Harvard U. Andover Theology Library [HA], Andover MA...(1)
[DD] Family History Library [FHL], Salt Lake City UT.......(39)
[86] Not yet found, U.S. location unknown, search in progress.


Table III: Selected 16th Century Matrikeln Listings
(11 of 83 Listings of Maevius, Mevius, Moevius and Movius as of 23 Dec 1992)



29 Apr 1555 Joachimus Maevius (b 1538?) Stercardensis - Stargard, Pomerania (Vol.1, pg 302b, line 8)..........................................Wt.

1560 Thomas Movius (b 1543?) Stargardiensis - Stargard, Pomerania (Vol. 32, pg 163b, lines 29-30) - medicine or law?..............Fo.

16 Jul 1560 Thomas Maevius (b 1529?). I.U.D., professor of law at Greifswald U. (Vol. 52, pg 260, lines 34-35)....................................Gr.

17 Nov 1562 Joachim Mevius (b 1545?) Lic. jur. Wappen m. Lehenart, Frankfurt..Ro.
1566 Georgius Movius (b 1551?) Stargardius (Vol. 52, pg 290a, lines 22-23) - Stargard, Pomerania - theology or law?......................Gr.

02 May 1575 Elias Movius (b 1558?) Arlnsualdensis (Vol. 2, 254a4, page 1575) - Arnswalde, "jurisconsultus".......................................Wt.

18 Dec 1581 Joachimus Mevius (b 1564?) "gratis propter parentum de hac tota academica bene meritum inscriptus" (Vol. 52, pg 321a, lines 22-25) - no village listed; (Greifswald inferred) - law school - ..........Gr.

11 Apr 1588 Georgius Peitznerus (b 1571?), Stettinensis, paedagogus filiorum doctoris Maevi Maevius)." Tutition: "nihil" (Vol. 52, pg 337, lines 18-21) - Stettin, Pomerania.......................................Gr.

11 Apr 1588 Jacobus Maevius (b 1571?) "dni doctoris Maevii filius" (Vol. 52, pg 337, lines 22-23) - no village listed; Stettin, Pomerania inferred from Peitznerus above.............................................Gr.

1596 Fridericus Mevius (b 1579?), Grypswaldensis (Vol. 32, pg 411b, lines 11 and 12) - Greifswald, Pomerania -................................Fo.

14 Jan 1597 Johannes Maevius (b 1580?), Lubecensis (Vol. II pg 445 b line 10) - Lbeck - .......................................................Wt.

09 Feb 1599 Thomas Mevius (b 1581?) Stolpensis, Pomeranus (Vol. I, pg 144a, lines 30-31) - Stolpa, Pomerania - W#30 (Winter student #30).......Kg.

0 - 0 - 0


© copyright 1993 by John D. Movius, P. O. Box 4327, Davis, California 95617-4327.
Photocopies for personal research permitted. All republication rights reserved.

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