Tracing people in 1970's Germany?

[lesleyjgarrett]

Hi,
I'm trying to find N. E. J. born in the 1920's in Sri Lanka, although his father was born in Gateshead and grandfather in Scotland. He lived in Karachi, India in the 1940's and the moved to England in the early 1960's. After his wife died he then moved to Cologne,Germany re-married, divorced and was last heard of still in Germany at the end of the 1970's.
Does anyone have any idea how I should go about finding information from Germany as I've heard that they don't have any central database available on-line?
(Just joined today so be nice to me if I get the etiquette wrong! )
Lesley

Sorry but had to edit out his name as he may still be alive.

[Chrissie Smiff]

Hello Lesley and welcome to FTF
I'm afraid that I am going to have to edit out his name though as he could still be alive and we don't allow the names of people who are (or who may be) living.
If anyone feels they can help they will either reply on here, without giving away his name, or they can Private Message you. You would find that message in 'Notifications on the top row above.

[DoctorGeoff]

This is going to depend on his citizenship.
If he was a British subject, the birth should have been registered with the nearest British Consulate - this gets a British Birth Cert.
This will not show up on the normal BMD indexes, but you could try:

http://www.familyrelatives.com/articles/details.php?aid=46

If not a British citizen, then he would come under the local German law. cannot help with that, sorry.

Geoff

[lesleyjgarrett]

Hi Geoff,
Thanks very much for that information, it looks like I may have found him under Overseas Deaths but this has given me more questions as Under Place of Death it says 'Shipping'. As he's not the only one with this description I assume it's a commonly used term but not one I've come across in my 20 years of research. Any ideas?
Thanks again,
Lesley

[GallowayLass]

Presumably the person died aboard a vessel? This guide might be of use to you.

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/looking-for-person/bmdatseaorabroad.htm