Records for Bistum Regensburg (Catholic Diocese in Oberpfalz, Bavaria) started to go online in July 2023. These long-awaited records contained the home parishes of thousands of immigrants who went to North America, a gold mine for genealogists. Previously, one had to go to Germany or hire a researcher in Germany to find family in these records.
A substantial number of these immigrants settled in Buffalo, New York, including two of my own ancestors, Tobias HILBURGER and Anna MESSER. Lately I’ve been trying to determine the parishes of origin for as many of these Buffalo immigrants as possible.
Here are 81 confirmed immigrants from Oberpfalz to Buffalo, sorted by surname in alphabetical order, including their origins. [Note: For more about them and their families, check out the FamilySearch “Tree” or WikiTree links next to their names.]
| Immigrant Name | Birth Year | Parish of Origin | Father | Mother |
| Georg Conrad BÄUMLER (Tree) | 1824 | Michldorf | Jacob BÄUMLER | Maria Anna KNORR |
| Anna BEER (Tree) | 1859 | Leuchtenberg | Wolfgang BEER | Barbara GRUBER |
| Anna Catharina BEER (Tree) | 1827 | Püchersreuth | Johann Baptist BEER | Maria Anna Eleonora Jahn |
| Maria Elisabeth BEER (Tree) | 1820 | Püchersreuth | Johann Baptist BEER | Maria Anna Eleonora Jahn |
| Johann Baptist BEER (Tree) | 1795 | Püchersreuth | Georg BEER | Franziska BEIMLER |
| Johann Wilhelm BEER (Tree) | 1824 | Püchersreuth | Johann Baptist BEER | Maria Anna Eleonora Jahn |
| Magdalena BOCK (Tree) | 1834 | Pleystein | Michael BOCK | Catharina SACHS |
| Barbara BOJER (Tree) | 1824 | Waldthurn | Georg BOJER | [uncertain] |
| Maria Magdalena BÖSL (Tree) | 1826 | Glaubendorf | Matthias BÖSL | Magdalena KRAUS |
| Andreas BRANDL (Tree) | 1821 | Niedermurach | Johannes BRANDL | Barbara ROSMAN |
| Barbara BRAUN (Tree) | 1823 | Michldorf | Veit BRAUN | Anna Maria PAUSCH |
| Maria Barbara BRAUN (Tree) | 1827 | Michldorf | Veit BRAUN | Anna Maria PAUSCH |
| Georg Paul BRAUN (Tree) | 1821 | Michldorf | Veit BRAUN | Anna Maria PAUSCH |
| Barbara ERMER (Tree) (Wiki) | 1828 | Michldorf | Maximilian ERMER | Barbara BLAS |
| Margaretha FORSTER (Tree) | 1818 | Michldorf | Johannes FORSTER | Sibilla FORSTER |
| Maria Anna FRISCHHOLZ (Tree) | 1838 | Leuchtenberg | Johannes FRISCHHOLZ | Anna Maria FORSTER |
| Anna Maria GLEISSNER (Tree) | 1822 | Vohenstrauß | Georg GLEISSNER | Barbara KRAPF |
| Anna Margaretha GLEISSNER (Tree) | 1825 | Vohenstrauß | Georg GLEISSNER | Barbara KRAPF |
| Anna GOETZ (Tree) | 1877 | Leuchtenberg | Carl GOETZ | Juliana BÄUMLER |
| Carl GOETZ (Tree) | 1853 | Leuchtenberg | Ulrich GOETZ | Maria Josepha ZENGER |
| Caspar GOETZ (Tree) | 1857 | Leuchtenberg | Ulrich GOETZ | Maria Josepha ZENGER |
| Christoph GOLLWITZER (Tree) | 1807 | Waldthurn | Michael GOLLWITZER | Ursula BAUER |
| Johann Georg GOLLWITZER (Tree) | 1849 | Waldthurn | Christoph GOLLWITZER | Margaretha STREBER |
| Michael GOLLWITZER (Tree) | 1821 | Waldthurn | Michael GOLLWITZER | Ursula BAUER |
| Anna Rosina GOLLWITZER (Tree) | 1841 | Waldthurn | Christoph GOLLWITZER | Margaretha STREBER |
| Catharina HAAS (Tree) | 1842 | Püchersreuth | Johannes HAAS | Maria Elisabeth BEER |
| Johannes HAAS (Tree) | 1809 | Püchersreuth | Martin HAAS | Cunigunda METZNER |
| Regina HACKER (Tree) | 1826 | Leuchtenberg | Anselm HACKER | Margaretha HARTINGER |
| Georg Adam HILBURGER (Wiki) | 1852 | Leuchtenberg | Georg HILBURGER | Franziska GRESSER |
| Georg Lorentz HILBURGER (Tree) | 1850 | Pullenried | Georg Adam HILBURGER | Margaretha MAIER |
| Jacob HILBURGER (Wiki) | 1830 | Leuchtenberg | Johann Felix HILBURGER | Rosina GOETZ |
| Johann Michael HILBURGER (Wiki) | 1862 | Leuchtenberg | Johann Georg HILBURGER | Rosina GOETZ |
| Johannes HILBURGER (Tree) (Wiki) | 1867 | Vohenstrauß | Georg HILBURGER | Margaretha BETZ |
| Anna Margaretha HILBURGER (Tree) | 1824 | Glaubendorf | Johann Michael HILBURGER | Catharina FRISCHHOLZ |
| Anna Maria HILBURGER (Tree) | 1873 | Vohenstrauß | Georg HILBURGER | Margaretha BETZ |
| Michael HILBURGER (Wiki) | 1833 | Leuchtenberg | Johann Felix HILBURGER | Rosina GOETZ |
| Rosina “Theresa” HILBURGER (Tree) | 1871 | Vohenstrauß | Georg HILBURGER | Margaretha BETZ |
| Tobias HILBURGER (Tree) (Wiki) | 1819 | Roggenstein | Joseph HILBURGER | Anna Maria WALDHIER |
| Maria Anna Eleanora JAHN (Tree) | 1790 | Floß | Johann Georg JAHN | Maria Anna LINDNER |
| Theresia KAM (Tree) | 1831 | Pleystein | Sebastian KAM | Margaretha WEICH |
| Johann Baptist KAM (Tree) | 1833 | Pleystein | Sebastian KAM | Margaretha WEICH |
| Johann Baptist KAM (Tree) | 1835 | Pleystein | Sebastian KAM | Margaretha WEICH |
| Clara Barbara KICK (Tree) | 1823 | Luhe | Michael KICK | Clara BAUER |
| Johannes LENGFELDER (Tree) | 1822 | Leuchtenberg | Johann Baptist LENGFELDER | Clara LANDMANN |
| Andreas MERGENHAGEN (Wiki) | 1862 | Leuchtenberg | Stephan MERGENHAGEN | Margaretha WAGNER |
| David MERGENHAGEN (Tree) | 1830 | Leuchtenberg | Franz MERGENHAGEN | Cecelia BAUER |
| Peter MERGENHAGEN (Tree) (Wiki) | 1833 | Leuchtenberg | Franz MERGENHAGEN | Cecelia BAUER |
| Maria Anna MESSER (Tree) (Wiki) | 1824 | Roggenstein | Johann Adam MESSER | Maria Anna ZOLLITSCH |
| Barbara MESSER (Tree) | 1845 | Glaubendorf | Johann Georg Matthias MESSER | Walburga LUBER |
| Barbara MESSER (Tree) | 1852 | Roggenstein | Tobias HILBURGER | Maria Anna MESSER |
| Jacob MESSER (Tree) | 1855 | Glaubendorf | Johann Georg Matthias MESSER | Walburga LUBER |
| Johann Georg Matthias MESSER (Tree) | 1810 | Glaubendorf | Peter MESSER | Anna Maria GOESL |
| Georg Matthias MESSER (Tree) | 1817 | Glaubendorf | Peter MESSER | Anna Maria GOESL |
| Paul MEISSNER (Tree) | 1867 | Michldorf | Christoph Remigius LUKAS | Barbara MEISSNER |
| Michael OTT (Tree) | 1825 | Michldorf | Johann Baptist OTT | Anna Eva LANDGRAF |
| Barbara PLANK (Tree) | 1810 | Tännesberg | Georg PLANK | Sabina KUMMETH |
| Lorentz RAST (Tree) | 1812 | Leuchtenberg | Valentin RAST | Catharina SAUER |
| Georg Franz REIL (Tree) | 1816 | Floß | Georg Joseph REIL | Catharina Margaretha FRANK |
| Georg Johann REIL (Wiki) | 1813 | Vohenstrauß | Georg Ferdinand REIL | Elisabeth SCHREIBER |
| Johannes REIL (Tree) | 1841 | Leuchtenberg | Wolfgang REIL | Margaretha FORSTER |
| Matthias REIL (Tree) (Wiki) | 1822 | Michldorf | Georg Michael REIL | Maria Anna LINGL |
| Michael REIL (Wiki) | 1820 | Vohenstrauß | Georg Ferdinand REIL | Elisabeth SCHREIBER |
| Sebastian REIL (Tree) | 1818 | Michldorf | Michael REIL | Dorothea SCHWANDTNER |
| Franziska REISINGER (Tree) | 1864 | Pullenried | Anton REISINGER | Catharina SCHMIDT |
| Bartholomaeus RODLER (Tree) | 1821 | Vohenstrauß | Wolfgang RODLER | Magdalena HAUSKNECHT |
| Johann Maximilian ROTH (Tree) | 1823 | Leuchtenberg | Georg ROTH | Susanna ENDRES |
| Sebastian SCHWABL (Tree) | 1833 | Leuchtenberg | Georg SCHWABL | Maria Catharina BODENSTEINER |
| Anna Cunigunda SOMMER (Tree) | 1819 | Michldorf | Georg SOMMER | Catharina FORSTER |
| Wolfgang SOMMER (Tree) | 1815 | Leuchtenberg | Simon SOMMER | Margaretha FRISCHHOLZ |
| Margaretha STREBER (Tree) | 1818 | Vohenstrauß | Johannes STREBER | Cunigunda KICK |
| Maria Anna TROPPMANN* (Tree) | 1819 | Roggenstein | Tobias TROPPMANN | Maria Anna WALDHIER |
| Johann Baptist USCHOLD (Tree) | 1819 | Vohenstrauß | Johann Wolfgang USCHOLD | Margaretha BODENSTEINER |
| Emeran WENDL* (Tree) | 1843 | Roggenstein | Simon WENDL | Maria Anna TROPPMANN |
| Simon WENDL* (Tree) | 1816 | Roggenstein | Sebastian WENDL | Margaretha SCHUHMAN |
| Johannes WINTER (Wiki) | 1835 | Leuchtenberg | Joseph WINTER | Margaretha LANG |
| Joseph WINTER (Wiki) | 1900 | Leuchtenberg | Gotthard WINTER | Maria MERGENHAGEN |
| Joseph Conrad ZENGER (Tree) | 1843 | Leuchtenberg | Georg ZENGER | Felizita RAST |
| Johann Nepomucenus ZOLLITSCH (Tree) | 1822 | Vohenstrauß | Johann Adam Venceslai ZOLLITSCH | Maria Elisabeth BÄUMLER |
| Joseph Georg ZOLLITSCH (Tree) | 1831 | Vohenstrauß | Johann Adam Venceslai ZOLLITSCH | Maria Elisabeth BÄUMLER |
| Elisabeth Margaretha ZOLLITSCH (Tree) | 1820 | Vohenstrauß | Johann Adam Venceslai ZOLLITSCH | Maria Elisabeth BÄUMLER |
| Anna Maria ZOLLITSCH (Tree) | 1829 | Vohenstrauß | Johann Adam Venceslai ZOLLITSCH | Maria Elisabeth BÄUMLER |
*Simon WENDL, his wife Anna (nee TROPPMANN), and son Emeran of Roggenstein Parish only stayed in Buffalo, NY for a short time after arrival in 1845 before moving to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Simon witnessed a wedding in October 1845 at St. Mary’s RC Church in Buffalo between Michldorf Parish natives Sebastian REIL and Cunigunda SOMMER.
Two additional immigrants who were Lutheran came to Buffalo. They married husbands who were Catholic.
Craig Kanalley 
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