Hessian Chaplains: Their Diaries and Duties - Paperback

by Bruce E. Burgoyne (Author)

These "church books" consist of birth, marriage, death, baptism, penance and confirmation records. They were recorded by the German chaplains who accompanied the Hessian troops serving in America during the Revolutionary War, 1776-1783. Six soldiers from each company were allowed to take their families with them on the campaign, which explains the large number of baptisms in the records. Marriages performed in violation were not recognized in Germany, however, those who did so were allowed to remarry after returning to Germany. These valuable records are quite detailed and contain a wealth of family history. Included are the Church Book of Hesse-Cassel Chaplain Georg C. Coester, Chaplain Braunsdorf's Anhalt-Zerbst Church Book, and the Ansbach-Bayreuth Church Book compiled by Chaplain Stroelein.