If you have German ancestors, possibilities are you’ve experienced some obstacles attempting to track them down. Changes in jurisdiction and borders, lack of main record keeping, foreign language sites and Old German script are just a few locations that journey up many family historians. This guide will assist you overcome these difficulties and discover totally free resources.
Here’s what you’ll discover by section:
Area 1: Introduction to German Genealogy Research and What You’ll Need to Know
Area 2: Finding and Searching Records from Germany
Area 3: Quick Tips for Finding Your Ancestors in German Records
Section 4: Free Sites You Can Search Now
Section 1: Researching Your German Ancestors: Where to Begin?
Just like any genealogy research study, start with what you can quickly gather. If your ancestors emigrated, and you are not simply trying to find them in Germany, begin by finding out as much as possible about your family in the United States or Canada (or other place) prior to moving your focus to Germany.
You’ll specifically wish to find several crucial pieces of information about your forefather in order to discover relevant records in German sources.
Key Pieces of Information to Gather Before Exploring German Records
1. Name and Surname
Although it is obvious that you will need the name of your forefather before trying to find them in German records, you’ll want to be aware of historic German identifying custom-mades and spellings. Understanding how your forefathers’ names fit these patterns and custom-mades will assist you in finding records about them.
Be conscious that name and spelling variations or errors in records happen all of the time. Pronunciation of letter sounds in some cases differ from the method they are pronounced in English, leading to spelling confusions (it is not uncommon for a name to be spelled phonetically by an English speaker).
Or names may have been anglicized by the record taker, and even by your ancestor (such as Henry in location of Heinrich), in an effort to streamline interaction.
Make the effort to find as many records as you can which contain your forefather’s name, particularly those near an immigration year, as these frequently contain their name as it would have appeared in their homeland.
2. Place of Birth, German Residence and Associated Dates
If at all possible you will want to find your forefather’s home town. Due to the fact that records were kept locally in Germany it is necessary that you discover the exact area of your forefather’s birth or home later on so that you can recognize where to find appropriate records.
3. Their Religion
Very typically, their religious beliefs will be Catholic or Evangelical Lutheran– but might also be Jewish or a less common religion in the region.
Faith is necessary to note due to the fact that lots of records that exist are church records. In some cases bigger churches likewise kept details on minority religious beliefs and ended up being civil registration offices when obligatory record keeping was initiated.
Where Can I Find The Information I Need?
Start with home sources including living relative and family files or images. Your focus must be on names, places, and dates. Add this information to an ancestral tree program and after that start additional research study.
If Your Ancestors Immigrated to the U.S. or Canada
Next, if your ancestors immigrated to the U.S. or Canada you need to begin looking for details in larger American resources– such as federal and state census records, essential records, cemetery records, church records, obituaries, military records, naturalization applications and records, social security records, and traveler arrival lists.
Much of these records are available for free online– you can find a list of a few of these free resources listed here and other lists here– as well as the extra search sites noted in this guide.
Utilizing these records, attempt to build out a timeline of information in regards to your forefather’s immigration to, and movements in, the United States. Find out everything you can about them and you’ll be more prepared to start digging in German records.
Here are some locations to begin.
Census Records
Understand that the kind of information recorded in federal census records varies from year to year. For instance, just the 1870-1940 U.S. census taped moms and dad’s birthplaces. The majority of commonly you will see “Germany,” “Prussia,” “Bavaria,” or “Wurttemberg” noted. Inspect here for in-depth details on what you can discover in each U.S. census year.
You can discover Canadian Census and other records at the Library and Archives Canada.
While helpful for finding which forefather was the very first to emigrate, census records will still leave you with a question mark regarding the exact location your ancestor emigrated from, also their home town. You’ll require other records for that.
Vital and Gravesite Records
Depending upon the time your ancestor lived, essential records might or might not be available. If you understand the location your forefathers lived in the U.S., examine the history of the state’s important record keeping at FamilySearch through COUNTY > STATE > VITAL RECORDS or COUNTY.
While birth records were not kept in Clinton Co. Iowa until 1880, marital relationship records were kept as early as 1840.
Marital relationship records likewise may include this information. When it comes to death records, look for certificates, cemetery records, and obituaries (in old papers).
While searching for my partner’s 3rd fantastic grandpa’s birthplace in Germany, I searched Findagrave and revealed the tomb of his better half Elizabeth. Her headstone included her first name, birth and death dates, and noted a variant spelling of her husband’s name. All these were previously unknown.
Church Records
For the years that civil records aren’t available in the U.S. or Canada, church records might fill in these spaces. Discovering church records can likewise result in discovering your ancestor’s faith or denomination. This will be available in helpful while browsing German records as church records are the primary source of records there.
New Horizons Genealogy has a collection of church records for seven New England states. Cyndi’s List offers a great choice of locations to find Church Records here.
Immigration/Emigration Records
Immigration and emigration records could likewise result in additional information. New York’s Ellis Island passenger lists can be accessed totally free online through the Statue of Liberty– Ellis Island Foundation and generally cover the years 1892 to 1957. Read our guide to this site here.
The Castle Garden database generally includes records for guests getting here from 1820 to 1892. The Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 offers open door to records for those who showed up through a Canadian port between 1925 and 1935. More Canadian resources can be found here.
You might have the best luck finding your forefather’s hometown in emigration lists. Nevertheless, not all emigration records have been digitized and many (particularly from the port of Bremen) have been lost or damaged.
The Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild (ISTG) German Departures page contains transcriptions of guest lists from eight named ports plus a number of unspecified ports in between 1710-1952. These are broken down by year and ship, and not every list includes a place of residence.
The Immigrant Ancestors database consists of birthplace info collected from emigrant signs up in Europe. See likewise FamilySearch German Immigration/Emigration research wiki page for information and details on available collections.
If you have actually browsed all readily available sources and are still having a hard time to find the details required, examine here for extra tips.
Section 2: Finding and Searching Records from Germany
So, you’ve discovered the crucial information about your German relative from all readily available U.S. sources, now what?
Here we will talk about several factors to consider associated with genealogical research of German records, including:
concerns referring to history
jurisdiction, and border changes
German record-keeping
place-finding
church records
civil registration
language and Old German script
German Borders
The location that is now Germany has a complicated history that should be considered while doing genealogical research. It may work to review some German history or take a look at this German History Timeline.
Germany was not unified till 1871 when German-speaking areas, omitting Austria, ended up being the German Empire. It’s essential to realize that what when may have been determined as Germany might now belong of Poland, France, Russia or Austria.
The big genealogical difficulty to all this is that there was no central government prior to 1871 collecting records. Likewise, jurisdictions and borders could have altered for many years, putting your ancestor’s records in another country (in some cases actual name might have altered too). It will be essential to search the particular county for records in these cases.
Check here for additional details from FamilySearch on locating these records. Use historic maps to identify where exactly your ancestors lived and do some research study regarding the time they lived there.
Finding German Genealogy Records
Record-keeping in Germany started through church records in the early 16th century after the Protestant Reformation. Know that there might be more than one church in a town or city depending upon religion.
Lots of early records were likewise lost throughout the thirty years war in the early 17th century making records difficult to find prior to this time, however by 1650 most parishes (church jurisdictions which might include numerous towns, cities, towns, and so on) were keeping records.
Other than for select regions that were gotten into during the Napoleonic wars in between 1803-1815, civil record keeping was not compulsory till a couple of years after unification in 1886. Therefore, church records are the primary source for records before 1886. In some locations, churches served as a civil registration office as well.
The Meyers Orts-und Verkehrs-Lexikon, or just the Meyers Gazetteer, is a great place to begin your hunt for German records. It provides a wealth of details on “every place name in the German Empire (1871-1918),” which includes info on place, civil registration offices, and parish details.
The initial Meyer’s Gazetteer can be found online at MeyersGaz.org. Searching a place name will offer access to the initial entry, an English translation, explanations for abbreviations, and supplemental information including appropriate church information.
This resource is especially helpful when preparing to browse church records as you will need to understand what both your ancestor’s town and the parish it lay in. Consult this abbreviation list for more assistance understanding the entries.
Church records end up being more concise and complete the more recent the date. Types of records that may be readily available include baptism, marriage, burial, member lists, confirmation, communion, family (entire book on one family) or parish signs up (paperwork of parish lineage information), and financial details.
Try utilizing church record stocks to discover out types and locations of records and what years are readily available– these also list contact info. Inspect the FamilySearch catalog under Germany, Church Records, Inventories to discover offered church stocks.
If you are tracking down church records offline there are a couple of locations to inspect. Often state archives have duplicate records that were created to avoid record losses.
Less typically, records may be found at a central church archive. FamilySearch is a solid source for details on archives and some collections from German archives have even been digitized by FamilySearch. To find what collections are offered free of charge online search the FamilySearch catalog utilizing the town name. For more information on German church records, go here.
Depending on the region, civil registration records begin anywhere from 1792 to 1886, but locations affected and affected by the Napoleonic wars began keeping records sooner. There are some civil records readily available digitally, check FamilySearch’s German collections for these records. Likewise, try searching their catalog under specific German states to see what is available on microfilm.
Hessian civil registration records have all been digitized and you can find complimentary collections at Arcinsys. When browsing, know that current personal privacy laws need that marriage records be kept personal for 80 years, birth records for 110 years, and death records for 30 years. This may be prevented if you have the ability to prove your relationship to the topic of interest.
To discover offline civil records utilize meyersgaz.org to locate the relevant civil registration office and contact them in composing. If the records are not found there, it is possible they lie at county or state archives.
Some extra tips for offline research study can be discovered in this guide.
Deciphering German Language Documents
Another difficulty for modern, non-German speaking persons is trying to analyze old records written in German and in Old German Script. Lots of records offered online have actually currently been transcribed and can be checked out quickly and equated by using an online translation tool, however if you are working with initial files prior to WWII, there are resources to help you with this.
BYU offers a free online script tutorial, that includes basic standards, common terms, letter charts and more. The Alte Deutsche Handschriften script generator tool will also enable you to enter your household names or other terms to see examples in old German script.
This complimentary online German-English dictionary may also work. For more details and resources on this subject see the FamilySearch German handwriting page, that includes links to a complimentary course on handwritten German records.
AI can likewise be helpful, see our course on using AI in your genealogy research study here.
Extra handwriting resources can be discovered here.
Section 3: Quick Tips for Researching German Ancestors
Here are a few fast ideas to assist you start, and make progress, investigating your German ancestors:
If your forefather emigrated, begin your research in their brand-new home to find your forefather’s exact German birth place.
Acquaint yourself with the history of your forefather’s region in Germany. This will assist you find out where precisely your ancestors lived and where their records are being kept.
When contacting German archives and other centers, do so in composing, ideally in German. Prevent electronic translation tools that confuse language. Instead try to find people who can help at RAOGK.
Some sites in German have an English alternative– look for flag icons or you can use a translation extension for your web internet browser or Google Translate. This will not translate records (unless they are typed), but it will reduce website navigation.
Use the Meyers Gazetteer when you have an exact place you ancestor lived in! Meyersgaz.org offers open door to the initial entries in addition to additional info such as translation, explanations on abbreviations, and places of parishes linked to the location.
Concentrate on keywords in documents. Use a list of typical terms in German or produce one with Google translator to assist you quicker recognize the information you require in the records.
When browsing vital records, don’t limit yourself to simply your direct ancestors. In the search for your 2nd great grandpa’s birth location, for example, look for birth and marriage records for all recognized children as this will increase your chances of finding hints on a place of origin.
When searching for emigration records, understand that about 28% of German immigrants emigrated from ports outside of Germany. The most common were Le Harve in France and Antwerp in Belgium, but some individuals also left via ports in the Netherlands.
If you discover yourself entirely stuck, you can attempt using GeoGen to determine the appeal of specific surnames in various areas of Germany.
If you have had DNA tests completed it may be possible to connect with genetic relatives in Germany using the product site tools or sites like GedMatch.
Area 4: Free Genealogy Resources for German Research
In addition to the totally free collections noted throughout this post, take a look at the following sites for access to countless German records online:
1) FamilySearch’s Germany Research page is the landing page for all German records collections and finding out resources available through FamilySearch. Collections are too many to be named however consist of church, civil, military, and city records with more records being digitized on an ongoing basis.
2) GenWiki German (full version) is a vast learning tool and contains 13 databases. These consist of an ancestor database, school records, passenger lists, local heritage books, ancestral tree, and city directory sites. There is likewise a metasearch.
3) JewishGen Germany Database is a growing database offered by the larger JewishGen site. “The combined databases have over 500,000 entries, describing individuals living in Germany and previous German regions.”
4) German Genealogy Group was created to offer assistance in researching Germanic forefathers outside Germany and has a concentrate on the New York location. It currently has 53 databases with indexed details gathered from initial files. It likewise supplies details on how to get originals.
5) Immigrant Ancestors Project is a complimentary resource from Brigham Young University (BYU) that utilizes emigration signs up to discover the birthplaces of immigrants in their birth countries.
6) LAGIS Hessian Vital Records and Arcinsys use access to Hessen State civil registration records.
7) National German Grave Registration consists of 5 million records connecting to German burials consisting of war graves and POW records. It also consists of a searchable database and interactive maps.
8) Dos Bundesarchiv focuses on historic and cultural resources consisting of German military workers records, a database of individual documents and images of German history, and name directory site for Jewish victims of Nazi tyranny.
9) The Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild (ISTG) German departures page provides records of traveler lists from 8+ ports from 1710-1952.
10) Gjenvick-Gjønvik Archives offers access to 10,000 plus documents and photographs, including guest lists to America, original immigrant passage contracts, steamship brochures, and more.
11) German Cemetery and Death Records, Internmet.net contains thousands of cemetery and death records for the 16 German states.
12) POWVETS enables researchers to search for POWs kept in German camps throughout WWII.
Paid Databases
We may make a commission to support our website if you choose to register for these paid membership sites.
Ancestry.com, MyHeritage, and Archion also should have a reference since lots of terrific records are readily available in their databases, however accessing them needs a paid subscription. Still, for lots of, the cost deserves it for easy gain access to.
Extra Online Learning Resources
Online knowing resources for each topic are linked throughout this short article. A few of the websites noted above also consist of Educational guides, such as FamilySearch’s Germany Research page where you can access 34 free courses related to German genealogy research along with useful PDF handouts.
Another extensive resource is the German Research Course offered complimentary online by Brigham Young University (BYU) and their German Research guide. You can also utilize OCLC WorldCat to locate print resources through libraries and other organizations in your location.
Leave a Reply