How to find a cemetery in Beidenfleth, Germany

Question

I have the civil death certificate for my great-grandfather, Claus Friedrich Heeckt (Heeckt-12) but was wondering if there was a way to find out which cemetery he was buried at.  I understand that the church records from the area aren't digitized yet and "Find-a-Grave" has a Beidenfleth cemetery but his name doesn't come up.  He was also married in Beidenfleth, so I would assume he was buried not far from there.  We are going to Germany later this summer and it would be nice to find it.  Thank you.

Answer 1

As Germany tends to "clear" graves after 30 years (aka removing the Headstones and grave border in case it didn't fit with the new one) you won't probably find the grave itself BUT ask for the Graveregisters (Grabregister). Also, look for the surrounding graveyards and their registers.

Most of the time these registers date back to the first burials but they also might be lost and/or missing depending on the area.

Comments

In the United States graves are permanent, since the beginning of settlement.  What happens to the existing bodies when the headstones/markers are removed?  Or are they not in a permanent casket as they are here?  Thank you for answering my odd question.

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In Germany, only wooden coffins may be used for burials in the ground.

The mandatory burial period of 30 years is intended to ensure that the coffin and urn, as well as the mortal remains, have completely passed away by the time the grave is cleared. If remains are still to be found, they will remain in the ground when the grave is reused for the next Person.

In some cemeteries, urns are also reburied at the end of the resting period. They find their final resting place in an anonymous urn grove.

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Thank you so much.  In the US the caskets are permanent.  I appreciate the additional understanding.

Answer 2

Here is a phone number to call: https://www.kk-rm.de/der-kirchenkreis/gemeinden/institution/institution/friedhof-beidenfleth/

The Verein für Computergenealogie has it covered, but not the last name "Heeckt" and no Claus Haack nor Claus Heesch.

https://grabsteine.genealogy.net/namelist.php?cem=7150&lang=de

The cemetery at Findagrave has only 4 memorials: https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2751076/friedhof-beidenfleth - You might issue a photo request.

Billiongraves has nothing.

The place Beidenfleth during the course of time: http://gov.genealogy.net/item/show/BEIETH_W2211

The St. Nikolai-Kirche church: http://gov.genealogy.net/item/show/object_1156131 or https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/St.-Nicolai-Kirche_(Beidenfleth) or https://www.kirche-beidenfleth.de/

The church history of Beidenfleth

https://wiki.genealogy.net/Schleswig-Holsteinische_Kirchengeschichte/1/II

Answer 3

Here is a German project for tombstones.

https://grabsteine.genealogy.net/namelist.php?cem=7150&lang=de

Since he already died in 1909, you won't find his gravestone in the cemetery. In Germany, graves are levelled after 20-30 years, depending on the cemetery regulations.

Answer 4

German/English

Hello Claus,

die Chance, das Grab noch zu finden, sind gering. Die Gräber sind für 20 bis 30 Jahre "gemietet". Manche "kaufen" sich auch ein so genanntes Familiengrab für mehrere Generationen.

Beidenfleth ist ein kleiner Ort nordwestlich von Hamburg und hat einen sehr kleinen Friedhof, wie man bei Google Maps sehen kann. Informationen zu Beidenfleth findest Du hier:

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beidenfleth

Die Verwaltung von Beidenfleth gehört inzwischen zu Wilster:

https://www.wilster.de/gemeinden/beidenfleth.html

Dort wissen sie sicher mehr über die Gräber.

Liebe Grüße aus Norddeutschland

Lothar

Hello Claus,

the chances of finding the grave are small. The graves are "rented" for 20 to 30 years. Some also "buy" a so-called family grave for several generations.

Beidenfleth is a small village northwest of Hamburg and has a very small cemetery, as you can see on Google Maps. Information about Beidenfleth can be found here:

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beidenfleth

The administration of Beidenfleth is now part of Wilster:

https://www.wilster.de/gemeinden/beidenfleth.html

There they surely know more about the graves.

Kind regards from northern Germany

Lothar

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)