0Helpful German Research Web Sites

This handout describes twenty-two Web sites that provide information and resources for German research. It demonstrates that the Internet can be helpful in every phase of the investigation.

I. YOU’RE NOT ALONE – LEARNING AND SHARING# WEB SITE DESCRIPTION1 https://familysearch.org/ask/ The “ask” section of Familysearch.org includes the

Research Wiki, courses, and other research helps. The Research Wiki is an open encyclopedia for genealogical research. Find information and contribute your knowledge. (Sign-in is required for contributions)

This is a work in progress! Type research topic in “search” box. The Wiki is

arranged geographically; topics follow FHLC model Blue- has content; red- empty Anyone can edit information; there is a manual of

style and a user group. Many pages contain links to other helpful Web sites

Research courses include various online classes about German research and reading German script.

2 https://familysearch.org/ Search for ancestors by name on the main page. Search features available across the website include:

search on any field can use wildcards exact search surname not required

The “Family Tree” feature contains millions of patron-submitted lineage-linked genealogies. Users can add photos, stories, and sources along with genealogical information.

The blog contains hundreds of interesting and helpful tidbits.

3 www.translate.google.com German “training wheels”Although electronic translation is far from perfect, it does a reasonably good job translating tabs and other simple text.To use, go to “google.translate” first, choose the “from” and “to” languages, then type or paste in the Web site or text.

The Web site will come up in the desired language. NOTE: DO NOT USE electronic translation programs to translate correspondence you wish to send to someone, such as a record request.

II. FINDING THE GERMAN PLACE OF ORIGIN# WEB SITE DESCRIPTION4 www.ancestry.com Use census records to document the immigrant’s life

in the U.S Use all other record types and searches to learn

more Use user-submitted information with special

caution – it may be right on, or way off The immigration collection includes passenger lists

for major ports, U.S. passport applications, naturalization indexes, and lists of emigrants from various parts of Germany

Also the Hamburg passenger lists and indexes [images] [currently indexed on Ancestry 1877-1914]

Some 18th Century sources, including “Rupp’s” and “Strassburger-Hinke,” and Frelinghuysen’s “The Early Germans of New Jersey.”

To locate German emigration databases Go to Card Catalog Under “record type,” click on “Immigration &

Naturalization Records” On the bottom of the next screen is “refine your

search…” Enter “German” in the “keyword” field. This will give

you the best list of resources to browse

5 http://www.germanroots.com/ei.html

Emigration & Immigration Records & Linksincluding Ship Passenger Lists and Naturalization Records

This website is an Internet portal. It takes you to other Websites. There are several sections for U.S. and Canada and European records. Most of the links are to free Websites.

Two immigration sections: 1820 to 1940s and Pre-1820 Immigration

Links to lists for specific ports [i.e. Ellis Island] Links to naturalization information, mostly about

laws and other reference material Links to sites with ship information and pictures Links to passenger lists and information about

various European ports Under “Online German Emigration Records and

Indexes” you find links to emigrant lists, arranged by modern German state. Some are in German; some are in English.

Available information varies by state

6 http://www.roots-in-germany.de/

German Internet portal for emigration to America

Includes links to passenger lists and emigrant lists arranged by modern German state.

Click on “German resources” The bullet “all of Germany” leads to various

passenger list collections. For regional lists of emigrants choose the modern

German state. Be aware that some modern German states include parts of several historical areas.

Available resources vary by state

III. IDENTIFYING PLACES AND JURISDICTIONS# WEB SITE DESCRIPTION7 https://wiki.familysearch.org/

en/Germany

http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=1074

https://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Step-by-step_guide:_Using_Meyers_Gazetteer_Online

Meyer’s Gazetteer of the German Empire is available online at FamilySearch.org [browse by volume, letter, and page numbers] and Ancestry.com [fully indexed]

Access: To access the FamilySearch version, click on the

link found under “research tools” on the Germany home page in the FamilySearch Wiki.

To access the Ancestry.com database, click on “Search,” go down to “Card Catalog,” enter “Meyers” in the “Title” field, choose “Meyers Gazetteer of the German Empire”

Instructions for using Meyer’s are found on www.familysearch.org.

8 https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/German_Research_on_the_Internet_-_an_Overview_-complete_handout

This handout contains links to various regional gazetteers and parish register inventories, arranged alphabetically by state/region.

9http://wiki-de.genealogy.net/Portal:DigiBib

The DigiBib, part of www.compgen.de, also known as www.genealogy.net, makes digital images of important genealogical literature, including family histories, gazetteers, and other reference works, available online. Each month new projects are added in various categories, including parish register inventories, local and regional

history, heraldry, and many other topics.

These are volunteer projects open for participation. In each category, the small word “mehr” (more) is the link to the complete list of available material. Projects are at various stages of completion. Examples shown include a gazetteer of Hessen, a 1901 church book inventory for the Kingdom of Saxony, and a published genealogy of French Huguenot families who had settled in Berlin.

In its finished stage, a transcribed copy of each page in modern type is found on the left side of each page, while it is possible to link to a copy of the original page on the right and enlarge it. The project uses DjVu picture files, which require a special viewer that can be downloaded from LizardTech. For more information, see the article “Using the DigiBib (Digital Library) on www.genealogy.net ” on https://wiki.familysearch.org , found under “Germany- digital resources.”

Categories listed on the DigiBib home page include

Genealogische Literatur- genealogical literature Tagebűcher und Handschriften – journals and

manuscripts Heraldik -heraldry Raritäten - rarities Adressbűcher, Staatskalender etc. – address

books, state calendars etc.  Militärisches – military resources Pfarr-und Kirchenbuchverzeichnisse – parish- and

parish register inventories Historische Karten – historical maps Ortslexika, Topografien, Statistiken etc. –

gazetteers, topographical and statistical material, etc.

Chroniken - histories Sonstige Nachschlagewerke, Vermischtes – other

reference works, miscellaneous Andere digitale Bibliotheken- other digital libraries

Each section on the portal page mentions either representative or the most recently acquired titles. Click on "mehr..." to access the complete list of books available in this category. Among the latest DigiBib projects is an original court record book for Dorn-Assenheim, Kreis Friedberg, Hessen, from the 17th

century.10 http://www.library.wisc.edu/ The Ravenstein Atlas of the German Empire is detailed

etext/ravenstein/home.html down to the parish level. All the maps can be downloaded in sections. The accompanying gazetteer, also downloaded, helps locate places on the maps.The home page includes detailed user instructions for downloading the gazetteer [index] and maps, plus some explanations about the atlas and its application in genealogical research.Adobe Reader, which can be downloaded free of charge, is required to open and view these files.

IV.GETTING INTO RESEARCH# WEB SITE DESCRIPTION11 http://

www.kirchenbuchportal.de/inhalt.htm

http://www.kirchenbuchportal.de/visit.htm

http://www.kirchenbuchportal.findbuch.net

This newly established church book portal will be a repository for digital church records held by church archives of various denominations. To begin with, several participating archives have posted PDFs of parish register inventories of their areas. This information is also available in a database format. Longer-range goals include posting digital copies of the church books themselves. Since this requires substantial investments in expensive technology, there will be a charge for using the records.

The list of participating archives includes blue fiche icons for inventories posted in PDF format.

The database includes details of the church record holdings for the following archives

Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Norddeutschland

Bistum Speyer Bistum Augsburg Ev. Kirche von Westfalen Ev.-Luth. Kirche in Thüringen (EKM) Ev.-Luth. Landeskirche Hannovers Bistum Hildesheim Ev. Landeskirche in Baden Ev. Kirche von Kurhessen-Waldeck Ev.-Luth. Kirche Mecklenburgs Mennonitischer Geschichtsverein e.V. Ev. Kirche der Pfalz Ev. Kirche A.B. in Rumänien

The inventories are usually organized by church district first, and then by parishes. For each parish, all volumes are described with number, contents, and time period

covered.

12 http://matricula-online.eu/ This website is a portal intended to allow free public access to interdenominational church records from Western Europe. Currently included are:

Catholic parish registers of the Diocese of St. Pölten, the Archdiocese of Vienna, and the State Archive of Upper Austria

Numerous parishes in Passau Diocese, Bavaria, Germany

Evangelical records of parishes in the Gelnhausen, Hessen-Nassau, Germany area

Evangelical records of sixteen parishes in the Rhineland region, Germany

Most of these records have not been filmed by the Family History Department.The church record inventories that used to be found on this site have been moved to http://www.kirchenbuchportal.findbuch.net

13 www.genealogy.net/genealogy (English front page)

www.Genealogy.net orwww.compgen.de

The foremost German genealogy Web site, this is a portal to various resources.

The GenWiki includes numerous articles on locating and using records and links to many informative Web sites.

The DigiBib included images of various historical publications of interest to the family historian

The site includes about 230 fully searchable town genealogies, and a bibliography of printed OFBs (Ortsfamilienbuecher)

The reference collection includes pages on measures, archaic terms, historic occupations etc.

Several databases are designed to share research results (FOKO, GedBas)

Other collections include address books, family announcements in newspapers [mostly 1990 and later], and funeral cards.

An online gazetteer [work in progress]

14 http://www.archivschule.de/DE/service/archive-im-internet/archive-in-deutschland/

Links to Archive Websites by archive type: Archive portals for each modern state State archives – alphabetical list

http://www.hadis.hessen.de/

Community archives – alphabetical list Church Archives – separate lists for Lutheran and

Catholic archives Four other types of archives

Important: Only archives that have an Internet presence are included in this listing!

Online inventories are marked with a hyperlinked “B’ [=Bestandsverzeichnis- inventory]

Example: Hessen“HADIS” Hessisches Archiv- und Dokumentationssystem”

Quick search: enter search term in the line on the bottom left. The results will include all record groups that include the search terms. When looking for emigrants, search the record group “Auswanderernachweise.” Hits are grouped in sets of twenty and include source citations.

However, you can also search for local institutions, community leaders, and many other things. We searched for a mill described as “Dammmühle.” A search for that term resulted in results for various record collections. The mill in question was located in Wehen. And sure enough, a set of records dealing with needed improvements contained the information the patron needed. With the “signature” [call number] he was able to send for a copy of the file, which contained two pages with key information.

Some inventories are very detailed, listing names of persons involved. Others are very general. Just the same, it is helpful to know which types of record are available.

15 http://www.ancestry.com/ Examples of available records Mecklenburg-Schwerin 1819, 1867, 1890 Census

records indexes and imagesEach census has a different format. The 1819 census is most helpful because it includes birth date and birth place of each person.

Mecklenburg Schwerin and Mecklenburg-Strelitz church records 1876-1918, Indexes and images.

Lübeck City records, including censuses, citizensip lists, births, marrieages, deaths

Bavaria World War I military service registrations –

first installment

Indexes are searchable on every field. Wild cards can be used after three letters. Phonetic search and exact search available. I obtain better results by using “exact

search” and varying the search parameters. Common indexing errors include: Confusing “u” and “n,” occasionally also “e” [i.e.

town Erlangen also listed as Erlaugen] Mixing up straight consonants [i.e. Haewecker vs.

Haervecker] Misreading vowels [i.e. Reed vs. Rud(olph)]

V. READING AND UNDERSTANDING RECORDS# WEB SITE DESCRIPTION16 https://familysearch.org/

learningcenter/home.html Under “Germany,” users can access several classes about German research and three classes on reading German handwriting.

17 http://script.byu.edu Learn how to read and write the German script. This site also provides practice lessons.

18 https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Main_Page

Genealogical word lists for various languages are found easily by using the “search” box.

19 http://www.antiquusmorbus.com/Index.htm

An alphabetized list of illnesses and causes of death often found in church records

20 http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~george/oldgermanprofessions.html

A list of historic professions [German – English]

VI. LEARNING ABOUT GERMAN HISTORY

21 http://germanhistorydocs.ghi-dc.org/about.cfm

German history in documents and images, an online tutorial divided by time periods. Each section includes:

An historical overview Selected primary source documents Selected images originating from or relating to the period A selection of relevant maps.

22 http://www.zum.de/whkmla/histatlas/germany/haxgermany.html

Colored outline maps of various parts of the German Empire with links to other Web sites explaining historical background.

CONCLUSION

The Internet is a treasure trove of information and resources. The Web sites discussed here are only a small sample of what is literally at your fingertips. So- remember the advice on how to eat an elephant, and start searching the Internet, one fascinating Web site at a time!

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Permission to use granted upon completion of a proctored competency examination. All rights reserved.

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