Introduction
Nearly all of the German sources for Waldensian family history research deal exclusively with those groups who settled in Germany following their expulsion from the Piedmont valleys at the end of the seventeenth century. The sources cited here are written in German unless otherwise noted. Unless you know German well, a German-English dictionary is recommended.
Available sources include vital records following the arrival of the Waldensians in Germany, as well as listings of prominent persons and individuals by family that took part in this migration. The following sources are available in the Family History Library (FHL) in Salt Lake City, Utah. They help to bridge the gap between their new settlements in Germany and locating their places of origin in the Piedmont valleys located in modern Italy.
Vital Records
The microfilms are typically listed in the Family History Library Catalog (FHLC) under the location where the records were kept. These church records are usually listed as Reformed Lutheran (Reformierte Evangelisch) and usually begin around 1700. Often the beginning of the record includes births/baptism, marriages and deaths that occurred while they were traveling to this destination. The records are typically written in French, the language of the Waldensians at the time. Refer to the FHLC for specific locations that have records available.
Publications of the German Huguenot Society
After exhausting the vital records noted above, probably the most helpful source is the main publication of the German Huguenot Society, Geschichtasblaetter des Deutschen Hugenotten-Vereins.
These volumes include articles written by researchers on various aspects of the movement of the Waldensians as well as the early history of their settlements in Germany. References to individuals within the text have their surnames printed in bold.
Volumes 1 - 23 of this publication are available in the FHL. There is a surname index for the first 14 volumes and another surname index for volumes 15 through 19. The first index is available on microfilm, but the second is not. Only about the first half of these volumes have been filmed. The films may be ordered and viewed at any Family History Center (FHC) located throughout the world:
Cordier, Dr. Leopold. Hugenottische Familiennames in Deutschland: Eine Wegweisung fuer die wallonische, franzoesische, waldensische Familienforschung (FHL: Europe 943 F2gd V.1-14 Index (microfilm 962761)
Mathieu, Ursula-Marianne. Hugenottische Familiennamen in Deutschland, Teil II: Register der franzoesischen und deutschen Namen in den Geschichtsblaettern des DHV Zehnt/Band [vol.] XV-XIX, 1937-1988. (Europe 943 F2gd Vol. 20 pt. 7-10)
Of particular note is the publication of the lists of refugees from the correspondence of Pieter Valkenier, the Dutch diplomat who worked with various German states to establish permanent settlements for the Waldensians. These lists are published in Volume 10, Number 10 of this publication, which includes its own surname index. It is available on microfiche:
Valkenier, Pieter. Geschichtsblaetter des Deutschen Hugenotten-Vereins. Zehnt X, Heft 10. (Europe 943 F2gd Vol. 10 (FHL microfiche: 6000819 [62 fiche])
Also notable in this series is volume 22, a dictionary of Huguenot settlements in Germany, with a supplement of seven maps. It has not been microfilmed, but is available through Interlibrary Loan:
Bischoff, Johannes E. Lexikon deutscher Hugenotten-Orte: mit Literatur- und Quellen-Nachweisen fuer ihre evangelisch-reformierten Refugies-Gemeinden von Flamen, Franzosen, Waldernsern und Wallonen. (FHL: Europe 943 F2gd Vol. 22)
Contact Information for the German Huguenot Society
You may contact the German Huguenot Society at: Deutscher Hugenotten-Verein e.V. (DHV) c/o Deutsches Hugenotten-Zentrum Hafenplatz 9 a D- 34385 Bad Karlshafen Tel. / Fax +49-5672-1433.
For Huguenot questions, contact DHV through: Ute Bilshausen-Lasalle, An der Schule 14, D-30938 Burgwedel, Tel. +49-5135-535. For Waldensian questions, contact DHV through one of the following: Dr. Theo Kiefner, Lehengasse 5, D-75365 Calw, Tel. 07051/51085. Gil Ren� d'Heureuse, Sameiskystra�e 8a, D-12277 Berlin. Ulrich Dusse, Liebigstra�e 27 B, D-60323 Frankfurt/Main. Dr. Eberhard Gresch, Hellendorfer Stra�e 4, D-01279 Dresden. Helmut Kimmel, Mainzer Stra�e 46, D-67657 Kaiserslautern, Tel. +49-631-40362. Ursula-Marianne Mathieu, Birkenweg 2, D-38173 Sickte, Tel. +49-5305-666. Hans W. Wagner, Gra�weg 3B, D-34121 Kassel, Tel. +49-561-23217.
Primary Migration Sources
An understanding of the migration patterns will allow you to determine a particular group's origin in the Piedmont valleys for continued research.
The most comprehensive source providing a detailed description of these groups is the four volume work by Dr. Theo Kiefner detailing the movement of the Waldensians from the Cluson valley through Switzerland into Germany:
Kiefner, Dr. Theo. "Die Wadenser auf ihrem Weg aus dem Val Cluson durch die Schweiz nach Deutschland 1532 -1755." (FHL: Europe 943 W2kt V 1)
This work has an excellent surname index and a location index at the end of each volume. It has not been microfilmed by the FHL.
Additional Publications
Three additional publications are also particularly helpful.
The first is a small pamphlet published in Italian:
"Le Colonie Valdesi in Germania nel 250th anniversario della loro fondazione" (FHL: Europe 943 F2ja). Published in 1949 at the 250th anniversary of the Waldensians' arrival in Germany, it contains a brief description of where each group settled in Germany and where they originated in the Piedmont valleys.
The second traces the origins of the Waldensians settling primarily in the German state of Wuerttemberg:
Baral, Heinrich. "Woher kamen die deutschen und im besonderen die wuerttembergischen Waldenser?" (FHL: Europe 943 A1 #128; microfilm 1045418, item 1). Its 32 pages include an origin location index and a separate destination location index.
The sources noted above may also be available through Interlibrary Loan.
The third additional source consists of the rolls of Frankfurt Public Assistance to Huguenots, from 1746 on. The description of the microfilms reads as follows:
Parish register transcription of baptisms, indexes, inventory of church books, distribution of weekly assistance to Huguenot refugees of France, Waldensian branches of Piedmont, Italy and of the Pfalz, from 1746 on, also public assistance to persons of Frankfurt/Main, 1685-1855.
The FHL film numbers for these records range from 341884 through 341901. On the familysearch.org site, choose the following in order:Browse Categories
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Film/Fiche searchBy inputting the film numbers, one at a time, you can find the film number of interest to you.