German Genealogy Pointers
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Researching Mennonite Regions of Damals Preußen (former Prussia)
For those who research the Mennonite areas of what was once Westpreußen (West Prussia) and Ostpreußen (East Prussia), you know it can be very frustrating. For numerous years I have performed these searches in what can be best described as: the best way I knew how! Recently due to a client opportunity, I decided to establish a more thorough, exhaustive, and rigorous approach to conducting my Mennonite research. Do not confuse this approach with being easy, simple, or highly automated. It is, rather, much more disciplined and focused. To begin with, I use three major Genealogical Resources for obtaining Mennonite source material(s). I have listed them below in order of…
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Researching the Eastern European German Diaspora (Tutorial)
ManyRoads is pleased to provide this free Eastern European Diaspora “self-help” to individuals researching those regions. Hopefully, you will find the materials below to be of interest and assistive. By way of introduction, this ‘tutorial’ focuses on the populations of Germans in Eastern Europe which reached more than 18 million people scattered in former German communities. Their settlement area was roughly bounded by the Oder-Neisse River (West), the Ural Mountains (in the East), the Baltic Sea (in the North) to Turkey (in the South). Be advised, this tutorial only covers research in the former German Eastern European settlement regions (described above). The Americas, Australia, New Zealand, etc. are not covered.…
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Deutsche Verwaltungsgeschichte (German Administrative History) 1871-1990
One of the Internet’s most valuable German research websites has been removed from service, Dr. Michael Rademacher’s: Deutsche Verwaltungsgeschichte von der Reichseinigung 1871 bis zur Wiedervereinigung 1990 (German administrative history from the Reich Agreement of 1871 to reunification in 1990). I do not know the reason for the site’s (and its related facebook site’s) removal; but I happen to have a copy of the original site (reconstructed from the Wayback Machine) and present it here in memory of its author: Dr. Michael Rademacher M.A.. I make no claim of ownership, nor do I acknowledge responsibility for the original site’s content. As per the original site: alle Rechte vorbehalten (all rights…
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Finding Online Records in Poland
Are you researching the regions which are part of today’s Poland including: the lost Eastern German Provinces of West Prussia (Westpreußen), Pomerania (Pommern), Silesia (Schlesien), Posen and parts of the former province of East Prussia (Ostpreußen) the Kingdom of Prussia (Königreich Preußen) Poland Galicia If you are, you may know that that access to records across this large Central European region can be difficult to find. The following article (Blog posting) provides an excellent road map of where to hunt. The content format and material on the following material in this post is mirrored from a posting on The Lost Shoebox. (I have mirrored the complete original posting so as not…
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Matricula Online
Just today, I stumbled across an excellent source for Free online “German” Church records. And to think, I thought I knew all the really best locations… The site is called Matricula Online. This site offers church registers (mostly containing birth, marriage and death records) from several “German or former German speaking regions in today’s European countries of Austria (with the most data), Germany, Serbia and Poland (around the former Breslau today Wrocław, Poland). It appears that Matricula has plans to expand, although I am not sure into which regions. To get an idea of their present coverage see the map (on the right) for more details on their current record…
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Allenstein (Ostpreußen) Records
For those interested in, or researching the region(s) near, the former German/ Prussian city of Allenstein Ostpreußen – East Prussia (today the city is known as Olsztyn in Poland) numerous updates have taken place recently with respect to available pre-1945 records. These involve most notably: Churches near the former German city of Allenstein (Ostpreußen) – the Polish city of Olsztyn today. Polish State Archive of Olsztyn ( Archiwum Państwowe w Olsztynie )- the records archive. The man whose leadership is key to bringing these records online is project team leader Bernhard Ostrzinski. Bernhard and his team of dedicated “researchers” publish digital copies of records in the Olsztyn State Archive…
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Mennonite, Hutterite, Amish Records Coming Online!
If you are interested in Mennonite, Hutterite, Amish research, this announcement is very significant. Archion.de is in the process of providing online access to a significant body of Mennonite, Hutterite and Amish records. The Mennonite Research Center operated by the Mennonite Historical Society (Mennonitscher Geschichtsverein e.V.) offers remembrance and a memory storage of the Mennonites, Hutterites and Amish. It includes a library and an archive and plus an extensive collection of material concerning the history of the Anabaptist movement. It also stores original church books of some German, Ukrainian and Polish Mennonite communities. Note: Mennonite church books are often in poor condition. Because of the records fragility, on site…
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East Prussia – Ostpreußen
A Brief History (Background) East Prussia (Ostpreußen), a former province of Prussia and the 2. und 3. Deutsches Reichs (2nd & 3rd German Empires), was located in extreme Northeast Germany (existed prior to 1945; it was dissolved in 1945). The region of East Prussia has low rolling hills that are heavily wooded, and it is dotted by many lakes (especially in Ermland, Polish: Masuria) and drained by several rivers including the Nemen (Nieman). Its Baltic coast is deeply indented by the Vistula Lagoon (Frisches Haff) and by the Gulf of Kursh (Kurisches Haff). Historically, East Prussia was at the center of the development of historical Prussia. Up to the 16th…
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Finding Genealogy Data in Central & Eastern Europe
Lately, I have received a significant number of inquiries regarding how to ‘best’ approach the conduct of German- Prussian- Polish- Shoah research. The questions I have received point to a number of common questions, without specifically re-stating the questions, I will detail their responses here: I understand that English-speakers want European Records written and searchable in English. However… I am obligated to point out that our European ancestors may have spoken and written in languages other than English; and so… their records will ‘most likely’ be in their native languages (or perhaps Latin, Hebrew). As for genealogy and/or data search functions, I personally do not totally trust or rely on…
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On-line Prussian, Ukrainian, Russian Mennonite Records
West Prussian Property Records from Polish Archives The West Prussian Property Records are housed at Bethel College in Kansas. Please respect their rules & guidance when using the records. To quote from the Bethel College site: Why you might not be able to find someone in a property record for a specific village: Your ancestor was not a property owner. Note that by 1783 a large percentage of the Mennonite families in West Prussia were landless. This was one of the reasons for emigration to Russia. There are lists of Mennonite landowners for 1789 and 1824 (for Marienwerder region), as well as a list of those who acquired land between 1789 and 1798 and…
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Shoah Research (Holocaust) Resources
For those conducting Shoah (Holocaust) research, you know how difficult good resources and information are to find. Recently I came across a number of ‘less well-known’ (to me) web sites that offer a wealth of source and context information. Hopefully, these links will be of some use in your research efforts. Nazi holocaust documents found: 6,300 files discovered behind wall of Budapest apartment Many educators appreciate the value of using primary source materials in the classroom. The documents selected for this section provide many possibilities for classroom discussion or student activities. The Virginia Holocaust Museum BYU Harold B. Lee Library Shoah (Holocaust) Selected Digitized Documents Related to the Holocaust and…
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NEHGS Searchable German Duplicate Records
Today, I received an email from one of our readers (Beth Golden). Beth’s note provided the following information: German Church Book Duplicates (Online at American Ancestors- New England Historic Genealogical Society) Germany, Baden, Church Book Duplicates, 1810-1869 Germany, Prussia, Brandenburg and Posen, Church Book Duplicates, 1794-1874 These collections of church records for the territories of Baden, Brandenburg and Posen, Germany, were obtained from church book duplicates that were annually provided to the German state for use by civil authorities. If a particular region had only one religious institution, the clergy often recorded the births, marriages, and deaths of all local individuals regardless of religious affiliation. Microfilm numbers noted in the…
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Shoah Research- Getting Started
Are you embarking on Shoah (Holocaust) research? Would you like a little coaching in this area of research? Although I can hardly claim to be a Shoah research expert, I am more than willing to share what I have learned. By way of providing some background, for the past nine months, or so, I have been helping folks attempt to unearth the stories behind their Jewish roots in Poland and Germany, trying to discover ‘lost’ family records, and more. It has been quite the adventure. Needless to say, the Shoah is an area of emotion, sadness, mystery, frustration, intrigue, and much more. I thought that perhaps others might benefit…
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Why are so many records missing?
Why is it so hard to find genealogy information in the areas of Prussia, Poland, and Germany? Where did all the information go? Was the information moved to some safe place? I hear this type of question and discussion often. The answers to those questions are actually quite simple and brief; although achieving an appreciation and understanding of their response is often somewhat more elusive. Question: Where did all the information go? Answer: Much was destroyed or lost, never to be recovered. Question: Was the information moved to some safe place? Answer: The truth is there were few, if any safe places. Early ‘on the eve of destruction‘, many ‘crucial’ records/documents…
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Olsztyn/ Allenstein State Archives
The Archiwum Państwowe w Olsztynie (State Archive in Olsztyn) are providing free access to genealogical records from many of the towns and villages of that area (formerly East Prussia). These records are largely in German (as well as Polish) and are freely available as scanned images on the archive’s website. If your Polish is a little shaky, you may wish to access this page using Chrome (using Google Translate) or similar. The following link will take you to the archives: Archiwum Państwowe w Olsztynie Additionally, many of these same records (approximately 362,650) are available in a digitally searchable format courtesy of Bernhard Ostrzinski. You may access his excellent work on the…
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Oldenburger Adreßbücher online verfügbar
For those researching Oldenburg what follows is some good news. (Remember to ready your Google Translate functions, if your reading of German is weak). Adressbuch Oldenburg, 1940 Nach einem Gespräch zwischen Dierk Feye und Mitgliedern des Vereins für Computergenealogie hatte der Vorstand im letzten Jahr beschlossen, sich an der Veröffentlichung von Oldenburger Adreßbüchern zu beteiligen. Dierk Feye hat dazu zwei Adreßbücher digitalisiert und sie dem Verein für Computergenealogie zur weiteren Bearbeitung zur Verfügung […] Click here to view original web page at www.familienkunde-oldenburg.de English: The 1940 Address Book from Oldenburg: after a conversation last year [2014] between Dierk Feye and members of the Association for Computer #genealogy of Board [Germany] it…
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70 years on…
As everyone most certainly knows, this year is 2015. 7 May 2015 marks the official surrender date of German forces, some 70 years ago.For those who focus on 1945 as the end of WW2 in Europe, it was. Sadly, 1945 was not just an ending; it was also the beginning of the total destruction and removal of a ~600 year old way of life, a culture, and the homeland for millions of Eastern Germans. In the years following 1945, some 12 to 14 million people were forcibly removed from their homes and expelled from the recently surrendered German Eastern provinces. To place these events into a reasonably balanced historical context,…
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Researching “Lost” Eastern German Provinces
Many people get confused when conducting searches for their Eastern German forebears; this is especially true if those forebears purport to have been from Prussia (Preussen), Pomerania (Pommern), Silesia (Schlesien). Note: I have written a detailed article on helping you determine whether or not your family was Prussian and if so, what type. It might not surprise you that I encounter a lot of people having trouble doing, or trying to do, ‘their’ Prussian research. Given I have fairly extensive research experience in those regions of Europe, I thought I’d put together a quick tutorial, or key, for identifying and finding clues to those Eastern German ancestors ‘of ours’ who…
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Old German Terms, Occupations, etc.
Terms, occupations, and more change over time. If you are in the business of tracking down your German (Germanic) ancestors the following links may be of help to you. These links include old terms for professions, diseases, occupations, and more. Many of these terms and abbreviations are not in common use today… so hopefully these lists will help ‘clear’ some confusion. A note of caution, many (most) of these linked pages are in German; put on your German language ‘hat’ or use Google Translate! If you have any links you would like added, please use our contact page to let me know. These links also appear on our links page…
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ICRC World War 1 Prisoner of War Database
The International Committee of the Red Cross recently published a Free, online database of WW1 prisoners of war. The ICRC WW1 PoW Database contains some 5 million records and offers exceptional insights into the conditions and circumstances of the time, period and situation. Based on my testing of the ‘tool’, I think a few words of caution are in order: Be certain to read the instructions on How-to use the tool. (It might work in ‘unexpected’ ways; it did for me.) There is a nice tutorial (and it is easy to use). Often the print is faint; look closely at the records. Much of the text is in script; as…
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German Genealogical Societies
The following post provides a reasonably complete listing of German (meaning in Germany) Genealogical Societies and Groups. As I get and add new sites, this list will be ‘automagically’ updated. Note: Given the post- WW2 forcible expulsion of millions of Eastern Germans from former Eastern German lands and provinces, you may wish to examine Polish Genealogical Groups & Websites for pre- 1947 German forebears (N.B.: ManyRoads does not offer information on other Eastern Slavic or Baltic Societies) Familienkunde- Family Research (Links) Should you know of additional organizations we ought to included in our compendium, please contact me with the particulars and I will add them.
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Polish Genealogical Societies
The following post provides a reasonably completelisting of Polish (meaning in Poland) Genealogical Societies and Groups. As I get and add new sites, this list will be ‘automagically’ updated. Note: Due to the forcible expulisons of Poles in both 1939 and post-1945, you may wish to examine areas in today’s Belarus & Ukraine for information. Unfortunately, ManyRoads does not have much information on those regions. Should you know of additional organizations we ought to included in our compendium, please contact me with the particulars and I will add them.
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Might your family be descended from Prussian Mennonites?
Do you believe you might be descended of “Prussian” Mennonites? Are you unsure? Is it worth a look? To get a good idea of who the Low German Mennonites were (and whether you might be descended of this group) please review the Family/ Surname list provided on MennoniteDNA. If you find one of your family names on that list then please “read on.” For those who research family in West & East Prussia (today the area is in Northeastern Poland) an important, but ‘not very well known’, set of genealogical source documents should be included in your search – West & East Prussian Mennonite church record books . I…
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Using HADIS to search in Hesse
If you are looking for family/ ancestors who may have lived in Hesse, HADIS (Hessisches Archiv-Dokumentations- und Informations-System) offers an outstanding and useful toolset. Since most people I come into contact with are looking for genealogy related information and emigration, I will provide a brief explanation on conducting an emigration search. First, goto: HADIS. Next, enter [Your Desired FamilyName] into the “Schnellsuche” box (menu bar on the left, near the bottom of the page). Try the family name of Henss as an example. Wait for the search to return. When you see your search results, select the “Auswanderer-Nachweise” listed in the middle of the page to view Emigrants’ information. …
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German Illness/ Death Terms and Translations
The following is a compiled listing of illnesses and causes of death gleaned from three primary sources. They are posted here in the hopes that they may aid family historians and genealogists in interpreting the conditions in which their ancestors lived and died. My role has merely been to find/ source the material make three small updates and then reformat the list into a pdf document which contains both type-written and German Sütterlin script. Hopefully this will help you better recognize the script in source documents. German-Diseases 46.6 KB The credit for the translation work should go to Ann Rempel, Dora Epp, V. Lyle von Riesen, and Adalbert Goertz. This work…
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Pommern Genealogy Research of Egon Giese
A few weeks ago, Egon Giese contacted me to ask if I was willing to post his largely Pomeranian genealogy research (Pommern Ahnenforschung) on ManyRoads. Naturally I could not refuse his exceedingly generous offer. This posting is the official announcement of his research materials availability on ManyRoads. For those who would like access to Egon’s original emails and data submissions, you will find them in the ‘bottom’ section of this posting. Kreis Schlochau 1 Kreis Schlochau 2 Kreis Schlochau und Umgebung Kreis Neustettin Hinter Pommern Geburten und Taufen Wurchow Gross und Klein Kuedde, Kreis Neustettin Kreisen Bublitz, Neustettin, Rummelsburg Schlochau und Schlesien Westpreußen In the event that you are not…
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digibiblio German Database
The Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek a project (subsidiary) of Genealogy24.com is offering Free user registration through the end (28) of February 2014. The digitized data they offer generally consists of digitized Ahnenpässen (passports), Familienstammbüchern (family books) and GEDCOM files. The Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek If you are looking for “a needle in the haystack”, this could afford you an unexpected/ free opportunity to search additional data. None of my family names are listed, but that doesn’t mean yours won’t be! Viel spass beim forschen! (Have fun in the hunt!)
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German Genealogy Groups – Deutsche Genealogische Vereine
What follows is a fairly exhaustive (okay, maybe just long…) listing of German Genealogy Associations & Groups. I have the organizations listed in alphabetical sequence (When possible their German names are used because they are, oddly enough, most are German.). To query for groups by area name (or other key word) use control-f (your browser’s find function) to find those groups/ associations containing the place name (or other key word) you are searching for. Additional German Genealogy and History links may be found on our main Links page. Should you have additional German Genealogy Group links you would like to see here, please send them to me via our contact…
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Hesse (Prussia) Genealogy Research
As many of you may already know, the region of the world sometimes referred to as Prussia was both large and diverse, incorporating lands far beyond East & West Prussia. My wife’s family comes from one such area, the lands between Kassel and Darmstadt in what is today: Hessen, Germany. If you, like me, are looking for genealogical search aids and portals for the region of today’s German Province (State) of Hesse, here are numerous. But be aware, you will need to use your German skills to make the sites I have provided work optimally for you. If you do not read or speak German, you may wish to download…
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So you think your ancestor was Prussian…
What does it mean when a record(s) says that your family member was Prussian? This topic comes up frequently and seems to cause a lot of confusion, especially here in the US. Listen to this article’s “Life in the Past Lane” Podcast! Podcast Show Notes: Episode 02- March 2019 So you think your ancestor was Prussian.pdf 154 KB Perhaps, the following explanations and links will help clarify the matter.To begin with you need to be aware that there are, at least, four major categories or groups of people with clear and justifiable claims to being Prussian. And they are: The original Pruzzen (English) or Prußen (German) peoples. To quote…
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Ethnic German Genealogy
If you are interested in getting and sharing information, tips & pointers regarding the search for German Ancestors, Ethnic German Research may be the “perfect” LinkedIn Group for you. As many of you already know, I have a “small” but “abiding” interest in conducting German Research. My primary areas of interest include (but are not limited to) West Prussia (today part of Poland), Prussian and Swiss/Alsatian Mennonites (Amish), and the Ostgebiete des Deutschen Reiches oder auch ehemalige deutsche Ostgebiete (former Eastern German Regions). I, also, have been and remain highly interested in researching the area(s) formerly known as Darmstadt-Hesse (in today’s Western Germany). If like me, you have discovered these regions…
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“Our” Mennonite Churches in Europe
As you may have noticed, a “goodly portion” (to quote my father-in-law) portion of both sides of the Henss & Rabideau families have roots in Amish/ Mennonite/ Anabaptist traditions. Out of curiosity, actually out of a desire to find church building photos, I did a little web research on our families’ past church homes. As you might have guessed, nothing identifiable remains of our Prussian/ Poland Mennonite congregations, the Second World War took care of that. However, I have stumbled across a number of our families’ Alsatian congregations on the Internet. It is wonderful to see that many of our predecessors’ beliefs and traditions live on and that our family’s…
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Finding Former Eastern German Place Names
One of the great challenges in researching areas like the former German Eastern Provinces is that they are all gone- governments, people, Churches, libraries, Universities, and yes, in many cases, houses and villages as well. In an effort to help me, and perhaps others, identify place names, I am creating this document with its eclectic cross reference materials. Hopefully these documents, websites, etc. will prove useful to those of us who have difficulty in finding ‘our family’s’ former German places and locations. Former Prussian Places & Locations (Westpreußen u. mehr/ West Prussia & more) Documents Ravenstein’s Atlas des Deutschen Reichs 9000-Village-Names-in-Prussia 1.5 MB Errata for document: Zeyersvorderkampen = Kępiny Małe…
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Swiss- Alsatian Mennonite- Anabaptist Research
This page contains information regarding source materials I am using from across the Internet to conduct Henss/ Rich family research. These links and pages will change ‘automagically’, over time, as I add, change, and delete materials in Mendeley. If you wish, you may also join the group and contribute to the research library. Related Anabaptist- Mennonite Sources Prussian Mennonite Research Materials Mennonite/Amish/Anabaptist Research Materials
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Mennonite/Amish/Anabaptist Research Materials
For those interested in following my Anabaptist information gathering process/ results, I will publish my Mennonite Mendeley related folder contents on this page. Because of the rather extensive listings, over time I will create numerous sub-pages that will be accessible from here. These links and pages will change ‘automagically’, over time, as I add, change, and delete materials in Mendeley. If you wish, you may also join the group and contribute to the research library. Related Anabaptist- Mennonite Sources Swiss- Alsatian Mennonite- Anabaptist Research Prussian Mennonite Research Materials
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German Genealogy Research Aids
Based on email traffic I have seen lately, it seems to me that all too many people think they are doomed to failure with their German genealogical research simply because they are unfamiliar with the German language (dialects) or unaware of German speaking peoples’ histories. Knowing something about German and “the history of German speaking people” can certainly be very useful in conducting research. But in all honesty, there are simply not that many folks out there, no matter their daily language skills or history knowledge, who are familiar with everything about ‘old Germany’. The Germans, like most European ethnic groups, have a long and complex history, one which is…
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Automated Translations
We all have languages we do not understand or read. Some of us struggle along in our native tongue only; others have a small or large suite of languages with which they are able to work. In the end though, we all hit a language wall and need to rely on tools other than our personal skills. And… that’s where the challenge begins. Today, I was translating a small German paragraph for use here on ManyRoads. So for grins and laziness reasons, I thought I’d attempt to use Google Translate to help speed up my effort. Boy was I surprised! Let me explain what happened. The paragraph I wanted to…
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Eastern Germans, a cold case?
Searching for missing or lost family members from the former German Eastern Provinces can be quite a challenge. As you may already know, following the WW2 defeat of Germany by the allies, almost all ethnic Germans were ‘cleansed’ from their former homes in East/ West Prussia, Pomerania, Silesia, etc. (as well as much of Eastern Europe). In both the Expulsion process and the bombardments that preceded the Expulsions much was destroyed. Churches, City and Governmental records, family bibles, photographs, keepsakes, books, notes, were almost all gone. In the case of my opa (grandfather), he was able to salvage the bottom half of a coffee can worth of keepsakes and treasures.…
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Danzig- Westpreussen (West Prussia) Heimatortskartei
For those wishing to gain access to photographic images of the actual Heimatortskartei from the towns, cities & villages which were near what used to be Danzig in West Prussia, they are available on FamilySearch. (LINK to Danziger Gebiet (Area ) Westpreussen (West Prussia) Heimatortskartei). These represent images of a civil register (handwritten and printed works) of refugees from the former province of Danzig-Westpreußen, Germany, now Gdańsk and Bydgoszcz provinces in Poland. For those of us whose families were expelled from their homes by the allies after World War 2, this represents a set of documentation that could contain the handwriting of ‘our’ family members, from that place and time.…
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German Expulsions & the Diaspora
While doing some research for an email response, I came across a body of work related to Die Vertreibung (The Expulsion). These papers are presented on the website of Dr. Stefan Wolff. Stefan Wolff is Professor of International Security at the University of Birmingham, England, UK. A political scientist by background, he specialises in the management of contemporary international security challenges, especially in the prevention, management and settlement of ethnic conflicts and in post-conflict stabilisation and state-building in deeply divided and war-torn societies. Stefan Wolff, “Stefan Wolff,” political research, academic, Stefan Wolff, n.d., http://www.stefanwolff.com/. Ethnic Germans in Poland and the Czech Republic: A Comparative Evaluation Co-authored with Karl Cordell and…
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The Former German Provinces & Missing Persons Search
If you, like me, research and search for family through the area of West Prussia (Westpreussen)- East Prussia (Ostpreussen) and Pomerania (Pommern), these sites will be of interest. I have also listed all these sites on the links page of ManyRoads. (Please Note! the links to external webpages are in the headers themselves and they appear before the individual site descriptions, when one exists.) If you are looking to find information on missing relatives from the Second World War, these sites are most helpful: DRK-Suchdienst (German Red Cross Tracing Service) The German Red Cross Tracing Service has always been on the side of those in need and by taking this…
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Kick-starting your genealogy efforts
I have put this little reminder checklist together to help me and others quickly examine our obvious options when we either are stuck or just getting started. This list is hardly exhaustive and if you try everything here without success you should not feel like you have to throw your hands up in despair, there are still many avenues to examine. Hopefully though, using these tools will prove useful and productive and fun. Enjoy! Have you checked? For basic name searches try these out. Not all of these tools are genealogy focused but they are all quite robust and helpful. Google Mocavo FamilySearch Ancestry If the above hasn’t provided you…
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WW1 German Casualty Lists – 1.WK Armee-Verordnungsblatt Verlustliste
Since I originally wrote this article, a number of new source material sites have come online. Be advised the only records listed here are those for German War Dead or Wounded. In the event that you are unaware of key statistics involving German troops in WW1 here is a rough sketch: Killed in Action: 1.7 to 2 million Wounded: 4.2 million 65% of all mobilized men were casualties (killed or wounded) A word of caution, Austrian or other German Central Power Aligned Troops are listed elsewhere, as are those of the Allied Powers. As of 8 Feb. 2015, you may find WW1 German Casualty Lists online at (but be aware…
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Finding German War Dead
If, like me, you seek relatives who fought on the German side of a war, you might have experienced difficulty in finding information about these forebears. One of the most useful online services I have encountered in this area is the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge (link below). It is through the wonderful efforts of the Kriegsgräberfürsorge that I have been able to find information about two of my great-uncles, who lost their lives in WW1: Adolf Senger Albert Senger and three cousins who died in WW2: Willi Wedhorn Egon Recht Erich Recht To quote the Kriegsgräberfürsorge site: The Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge e. V. is a humanitarian organization which is charged by…
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“Un-German” German Names
Last evening, my wife and I watched a documentary on Poland, it covered the Gdansk (Danzig)- Szczecin (Stettin) area in particular. Baltic Coasts – Hidden Treasures: Explore the coastline from Vistula Lagoon via Gdansk Bay to the sandy beaches and steep cliffs of Pomerania and West-Pomerania. The reason for this post involves what I learned from one of the featured individuals, a talented young Photographer; his name- Michal Szlaga. Looking at his name never made me think of German descent or Germanic heritage but then the announcer pronounced his name and it was Michael Schlaeger / Schläger (exactly). You can imagine my surprise. I certainly would never have pronounced his…
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Understanding the German Past
German Genealogy is not much different from any other genealogy. You really need to have a plan as you begin your research, especially if you are unfamiliar with the region/ area or time period. Never assume that one locale looks like or offers information or data in the same as another. Each area, region or time frame offers its own unique idiosyncrasies, its own information. German research is really no different in this regard from other places; it is not the US or Canada and the available data is different from that commonly available in North America. Having said all that, this posting is more of a concrete example on…
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Finding German Genealogy Data
So where are the best places to find German Genealogy data? I hear this question, or something similar, often. Perhaps it is because I am an American that I notice, but it seems most Americans I hear from expect to find German Genealogical record keeping and data ought to mirror that in the US. Unfortunately, they do not. A number of historical factors impact the quality and type of genealogical records to be found in Germany today. What follows are a few points regarding German history that merit understanding: A number of fairly destructive wars ran over German lands. These wars not only destroyed people and buildings, but also innumerable…
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German Name Spellings
For those unfamiliar with, or simply wishing to learn more about, conducting German/ Prussian genealogical research this is my second posting in a series on the topic of German-Prussian Genealogy Pointers. One of the greatest difficulties people have with researching Germanic family members involves name spellings. This is especially true for those English speakers. Over the centuries, Germans who emigrated into English speaking lands have either tried to spell their names in ways that would be pronounced correctly or had assistance with their name spellings upon arrival or ‘later’ in Census takings. This ‘help’ has lead to numerous challenges in finding the right folks in the old homeland (Heimatland). Here…
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Conducting Better German Research
Recently, I have received numerous queries on how to get started or better conduct German genealogy research. Rather than simply email folks one at a time, I thought a post on the subject might be useful. By way of background, I ought to state that almost everyone I hear from tells me that they are: German (of German descent) the neither read nor speak German (or just very little) few are aware of much German history fewer are aware of their family’s cultural background in Germany Having provided the little list above likely provides clues as to items researchers need to pay attention to: If you do not speak the…
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Source Materials- It’s almost magic!
I don’t know how it happens but it does, at least for me. As I noted in an earlier post, not all source documents are easy to read. Often they are muddled, smudged, faded, and torn. Sometimes the authors had been quills, bad penmanship or unsteady hands. Yet somehow this stuff is readable. Even when it’s not. I know that sounds strange but I can assure you it is true. I don’t know how many times I have been pouring over documents looking for threads of information when suddenly in the midst of an illegible mass there appears a relative. One particular case comes to mind. I was searching for…
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