Hit a wall with the archives - ethnic German nana from Sudetenland, help! (Stag 5)
Hi everyone, I am seeking advice on my plans to apply for German Citizenship under Section 5 StAG. I have spent months researching, reaching out to archives and appear to have hit a wall finally when it comes to ultimately proving that my ethnic German nana (from Sudetenland) was indeed a German citizen.
I have summarised her story below, as well as the archives I’ve reached out to. I’ve also noted some original documents we have of hers (not retrieved from my archive outreach but preserved by my family over the years).
Summary:
My nana was born in 1931 in Unter Vollmau / Taus (German name for what is now Domazlice in Czechoslovakia). She was one of 3.1m Germans living in Sudetenland within Czechoslovakia (in an area that had a turbulent history from 1918 to the end of World War 2 in 1945). In 1945 she was forced to flee this area and moved to German war barracks (family tales and records show her as living in Sengenbuehl as well Furth Im Wald). Her father was also conscripted to fight for the German army and went missing in action in Russland.
She moved to the UK in 1949. She married my Grandfather in the UK in 1952 (he was from Berezhany and had also fled to the UK). In 1989 she received her UK citizenship. My uncles have stated she had to send her German passport back at some point (perhaps when she married or when she obtained citizenship?). Note: My nana died in 2015. My dad died in 2020.
I have spent months gathering all the required documents for filing for German citizenship but unfortunately I seem to be missing the crucial proof that she was indeed German (and considered herself German) as it seems I need a town record, census etc?.
Here’s a list of the archives I have contacted and the responses:
- Soalplzen (CZ): received hers and her father’s Czech birth certificates. These unsurprisingly list them as Czech.
- Nacr (CZ): contacted them as suggested by someone previously for Sudetenland records and censuses. They said they had a census from 1930 where my nana was declared as Czech, they said that they did not have any other records as “these were not preserved for municipalities incorporating into Bavaria.”
- Bundesarchiv (DE): I paid for four hours of research. They’ve now informed me they have searched variations of hers and her father’s names and have found nothing? This has really surprised me as her father fought for the German army in World War 2 and I thought they also handled records from the Wehrmacht Information Office).
- Furth Im Wald (Stadt Furth Im Wald): trying to find and town or church records from them relating to her, they are not responding to emails and the phone goes to nowhere… I have distant family living here who I’ve tried to get in touch with (unfortunately my father who was close to them died 5 years ago and now its hard to reach them).
- Bavaria Archives: they said they had no records and suggested contacting Furth Im Wald and Soaplzen.
- Arsolsen Archives: they responded saying they searched for my nana and her dad but found no results.
Here’s a list of some interesting hard copies we have, but doubt they prove German citizenship:
- Her original Abmeldung (de-registering her as a German citizen). This lists her as Deutsch and living in Vollmau. Could this be used as proof? It’s the original record so I’m not sure if any archive around Germany owns a digital version.
- Her ‘Ministry of Labour and National Service “Westward Ho!” Acceptance card which shows her as a Sudeteland woman from Sengenbuehl / Furth Im Wald Wutzmuehlbaracke being recruited for employment in Great Britain.
- The original 1944 letter noting that my great-grandfather was missing in action (look slike it was sent by the German army) as well as a follow up letter in 1968 (sent by the Deutsches Rotes Kreuz / Suchdienst Munchen) noting he was still missing.
I would really value any advice on any other archives to try, or anything else which I should be looking into (especially from those who have went through this process having Sudetenland ancestors!). For personal reasons, I cannot afford a genealogist to support searching records at this point in time. I am starting to lose hope that the application would be accepted without solid town records / evidence listing her as Deutsch.