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Current group: soc.answers
soc.genealogy.german Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), Part 1/4
| Jim Eggert | | Jim Eggert | | Jim Eggert | | Jim Eggert |
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| | From: | Jim Eggert | | Subject: | soc.genealogy.german Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), Part 1/4 | | Date: | 29 Dec 2004 05:27:56 GMT |
|
|
 | Archive-name: genealogy/german-faq/part1
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Last-modified: 2002/06/12
Version: 2.8
URL: http://www.genealogy.net/faqs/sgg.html
soc.genealogy.german Frequently Asked Questions List, Part 1/4
Copyright (c) 2002 by Jim Eggert, EggertJ@crosswinds.net
Version 2.8, 12 Jun 2002. All Rights Reserved.
------------------------------
Subject: 1. Subject and intent
This FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) list was written to help
genealogists who are interested in German and German-American
genealogy. It is oriented to those who are getting started,
either with genealogy or with the Internet. "German" here
means the German language, so this list should be useful for
researchers of German, German-American, Austrian, Swiss,
Alsatian, Luxembourger, Liechtensteiner, and Eastern European
German genealogy.
The latest version of this FAQ is available
a) on WWW:
or in the USA at
b) via eMail:
mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu
message body: send faqs/genealogy/german-faq/*
c) via anonymous FTP:
ftp rtfm.mit.edu
Name: anonymous
Password: Your@Email.Address
ftp> cd /pub/usenet-by-group/soc.genealogy.german
ftp> mget soc.*
ftp> quit
------------------------------
Subject: 2. Table of Contents
-- Part 1
1. Subject and Intent
2. Table of Contents
3. How can I start researching my German or German-American family?
4. What introductory or general books should I read?
5. Can you help me with surname ABCDEF?
6. Where can I register/find my surnames?
7. What are the rules for given names?
-- Part 2
8. Where is the town/village Xyz?
9. How do I find an address or phone number?
10. How can I find out what village my ancestor came from?
11. What about the German census?
12. How about German cemeteries?
13. What does my German surname mean?
14. Is my family from a town with a name like their surname?
15. How can I learn about German noble families?
-- Part 3
16. Where can I find German military records?
17. How do I write to a German Standesamt, parish, or archive?
18. How do I find German postal codes?
19. I don't know German. What should I do?
20. I can't read German handwriting. What should I do?
21. What is the basic German genealogical vocabulary?
22. What are the German umlauts and genealogical symbols?
-- Part 4
23. How can I send money to Germany?
24. What is the IGI?
25. Where can I find passenger lists or ship information?
26. What is _Germans to America_?
27. What German archives and/or genealogical organizations are there?
28. How do I find a book about abc or xyz?
29. Should I buy a surname/crest/family history book sold by mail?
30. Where do I go on the Internet for German genealogy?
31. What are soc.genealogy.german, soc.genealogy.surnames.german,
and de.sci.genealogie?
32. Are there other online resources for genealogy?
33. How can I possibly repay you for all your help?
34. Acknowledgments
------------------------------
Subject: 3. How can I start researching my German or
German-American family?
Beginners should do two things first: interview elderly or infirm
relatives and read a good book on genealogy. The importance of
talking to relatives before they pass away cannot be over-
emphasized. Your local library probably has several books on
genealogy. Check out the ones that seem best to you and read them.
Don't ask how to do two things first, just do them.
Then you should gather and organize all the information you have
from various sources. You may want some genealogical software to
help in organizing your information. Document all your sources.
Organization allows you to develop an overview of what you have so
that you can better direct your research.
Next locate your local LDS (Mormon) FHC (Family History Center(tm)).
The genealogical collection of the LDS Family History Library (FHL)
is unsurpassed, and much of it can be used at your local FHC. You
need not be Mormon. You can probably find the LDS church in your
phone book. A list of FHCs and some of FHL resources are at
A partial list of FHCs can also be found at
You should also consult the online documents available on the
German genealogy server at and may
want to monitor the messages on the Usenet newsgroup
or its mirrored mail list gen-de-l.
The easiest way to make fast progress is to connect with research
already performed by others. When possible, such information
should always be verified from original sources. To find such
research, go online, go to your local LDS FHC, go to your library,
and join genealogy clubs.
Eventually your major information sources are likely to be German
civil records and German church registers. German civil records
start 1792 in Rheinland, 1803 in Hessen-Nassau, 1808 in Westfalen,
in 1809 in Hannover, 1 Oct 1874 in Prussia, and 1 Jan 1876 in all of
Germany. German church records start as early as the 15th century,
but for many areas extant records start only after the end of the
30 Years' War in 1648, or later. Some older civil records and many
church registers are available through the LDS FHC. Otherwise you
must write to the German Standesamt (civil records office) or parish
of interest or to the appropriate archive.
Other important sources include Ortssippenb"ucher, which list
all the families in a town, typically using church records as
the source; the IGI, which is an index of extracted records;
passenger lists; the ASTAKA, a collection of German genealogies;
German state censuses; and Geschlechterb"ucher, which is a series
of published genealogies.
Further documents are also available in German archives. Examples
of available documents include tax rolls, emigration papers,
land registers, wills, and court cases. Most of these have not
been filmed by the LDS and are available only at the appropriate
archive. Catalogs of the holdings of some archives are available
in printed form in some US research libraries.
Keep in mind a general rule of genealogy is to go from the known
to the unknown, and not the other way around. For example, if
your name is Bauer, you should concentrate on expanding the tree
of Bauers related to you by examining documents that refer to
them. You should probably not research the genealogy of some
other Bauer to see if he is related to you, because the chance
of success is slight. Note that this general rule does not
apply if you are researching a rare surname, or if you can pair
the surname with a town or another surname.
Another general rule is to do as much research as possible
locally. Use your local LDS FHC, library, interlibrary loan,
genealogical society, etc. to their fullest extent before
you write or travel to distant archives or churches. It is
usually cheaper and often more efficient, and it will make
subsequent research more productive.
------------------------------
Subject: 4. What introductory or general books should I read?
Here is a list of some useful books. Most of these works have
bibliographies that will lead you to other useful references.
Family History Library research outline, _Germany_,
inexpensive and excellent 52-page guide, also on the LDS site
Brandt et al., _Germanic Genealogy: A Guide to Worldwide Sources
and Migration Patterns_, 2nd ed., an excellent 517-page guide
Riemer, _The German Research Companion_, also excellent
Baxter, _In Search of Your German Roots_,
generally available, 3rd edition
Ribbe and Henning, _Taschenbuch f"ur Familiengeschichtsforschung_,
12th edition 2001, a standard German reference work
Burghardt, _Familienforschung_
Friedrichs, _How to Find My German Ancestors and Relatives_
Jensen, _A Genealogical Handbook of German Research_, vols. I-II,
also available on the LDS website
Palen, _Genealogical Research Guide to Germany_
_Glenzdorfs Internationales Genealogen Lexikon_, vols. I-III
Schweitzer, _German Genealogical Research_
Thode, _Address Book for German Genealogy_
Thode, _German-English Genealogical Dictionary_
Dearden & Dearden, _The German Researcher: How to Get the Most
out of an LDS Family History Center_
Bentz, _If I Can You Can Decipher Germanic Records_,
guide to reading handwriting and script
Smith, _German Church Books: Beyond the Basics_
Barth, _Auf den Spuren des europ"aischen Amerika-Auswanderers_
Arbeitsgemeinschaft Ostdeutscher Familienforscher, _Wegweiser_,
4. Aufl., for East Germany and former German lands in Eastern
Europe. Also in English translation.
------------------------------
Subject: 5. Can you help me with surname ABCDEF?
Simple surname queries without any supporting information are
strongly discouraged. For most surnames, there are simply too
many individuals with the same name for a surname request to be
useful. To make success more probable, you must supply as much
information as you can, including the surname(s) and given names;
place(s) of residence (in Germany and elsewhere); dates of birth,
emigration, marriage, and death; religious affiliation; associated
family names; and any other information you may have. Include
also what sources you have consulted, successfully or not, in
your search. Be concise but informative. Make your question
clear. Use an informative subject line like this:
SCHMIDT; Neustadt i.Holstein,SCN,DEU > Boston,MA,USA; 1873-1924
Many people prefer that surnames be written in all caps to aid
visual scanning. Make your placenames unambiguous (Neustadt an der
Weinstrasse; Frankfurt am Main). Avoid imprecise dates like
"the late 1800s" (does that mean 1850-1899 or 1805-1809?).
Be advised that it is unlikely that you will find someone willing
to do extensive research for you for free unless he or she is
related to the subject of your search. However, you may receive
valuable advice that may turn your dead end into a new lead. If
you are lucky, you may find someone who is also researching along
the same lines (same family, location, event, or resource) and
then you can both profit by sharing notes.
Also, common courtesy would require that, when you receive advice
or leads, you act on them before repeating the query.
------------------------------
Subject: 6. Where can I register/find my surnames?
Surnames are best registered on the Internet in several fora:
the RootsWeb Surname List
and the RootsWeb WorldConnect Project
The Gedbas project collects German genealogical data:
German surname listings are also made in the German GenWeb pages
The Forscherkontakte (FOKO, researcher contacts) lists mostly
German surnames, and can be searched at
You can also register your research and interests with the LDS.
------------------------------
Subject: 7. What are the rules for given names?
Different areas/times/families had different naming conventions.
No general rule applies in every case. Babies are often named
for family members or baptismal sponsors, and sometimes a pattern
can be found.
Often a person does not go by his first given name, especially
if that first name is Johann or Maria. The name actually used
(termed the Rufname) is often denoted by an asterisk or by
underlining.
------------------------------
Suggestions for additions or improvements should be sent to
the author, Jim Eggert EggertJ@crosswinds.net.
|
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| | From: | Jim Eggert | | Subject: | soc.genealogy.german Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), Part 4/4 | | Date: | 29 Dec 2004 05:27:57 GMT |
|
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| Archive-name: genealogy/german-faq/part4
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Last-modified: 2002/06/12
Version: 2.8
URL: http://www.genealogy.net/faqs/sgg.html
soc.genealogy.german Frequently Asked Questions List, Part 4/4
Copyright (c) 2002 by Jim Eggert, EggertJ@crosswinds.net
Version 2.8, 12 Jun 2002. All Rights Reserved.
------------------------------
Subject: 23. How can I send money to Germany?
The most convenient and economical way to send money overseas is
to use a credit card for payment. Then you avoid bank fees and
get a good exchange rate. For small amounts you might consider
sending European cash, which you should be able to procure at most
banks, with a somewhat worse exchange rate and also an exchange
fee. For larger amounts you might want to send a bank wire.
Checks drafted in foreign currency may also be obtained from
International Currency Express Inc. for a US$5 fee. See
or call +1-888-278-6628.
In Germany, International Reply Coupons (IRCs) can only be redeemed
for postage, and even then only one coupon per piece of outgoing
international mail. Thus IRCs are not a general means of payment.
International postal money orders are not accepted in Germany.
------------------------------
Subject: 24. What is the IGI?
The International Genealogical Index is maintained by the FHL and
is available on microfiche or CD-ROM at your local LDS FHC, and
online at . It contains millions of
birthdates, christening dates, marriages, etc., indexed by surname.
It is by no means a complete index to all records, however.
Furthermore, it should be considered to be just an index; you
should always consult the source documents for IGI entries of
interest, as they may contain more information and the IGI may
have errors in transcription.
------------------------------
Subject: 25. Where can I find passenger lists or ship information?
Ship passenger lists appear in two basic types: embarkation and
arrival lists. German emigrants after 1850 typically embarked
in Hamburg or Bremen; before the 1830s the usual ports were
Le Havre, Antwerp, Rotterdam, and Amsterdam. The Bremen passenger
lists of 1832-1872 were destroyed in 1875 by governmental decree
owing to want of storage space. Thereafter only the current and
two previous years were kept, until the destruction ceased in 1907.
The lists of 1906-1931 were placed in the Statistisches Landesamt
Bremen, which was bombed on 6 October 1944, resulting in the
destruction of the remaining Bremen lists. An incomplete name
index of the lists for 1904-1914 is held at the Bundesarchiv
Koblenz, with microfilms available via your local LDS FHC. The
Bremen Handelskammer archives has an apparently complete duplicate
of the lists for 1920-1923,1925-1939 and a few lists back to 1834.
The Hamburg embarkation lists 1850-1934 are available on microfilm
via your local LDS FHC. They are indexed and usually indicate the
last residence of the emigrant, an important datum for researchers.
A few Bremen and Hamburg embarkation lists otherwise unavailable
were published in the Allgemeine Auswanderungs-Zeitung (1847-1871,
Rudolstadt). Some of these have been republished by Clifford
Neal Smith and others.
Arrival lists are available for many American ports, but are not
quite as useful as the embarkation lists in determining place of
last residence. The US arrival lists are available at the US
National Archives, many large research and genealogical libraries,
and through your local LDS FHC. Many of the New York City arrival
lists in the period 1892-1924 are available online at
The arrival lists are also partially indexed in the book series
_Germans to America_.
See also the pages at
Some passenger ship information can be found online at
------------------------------
Subject: 26. What is _Germans to America_?
_Germans to America_ is a book series devoted to indexed
transcriptions of passenger lists of vessels carrying Germans to
America. It presently covers the period 1850-1891. It does not
index all Germans who emigrated to America, and it does have
problems with its inclusion criteria and transcription fidelity.
But it is very easy to use and often quite helpful. It should be
considered to be just an index; you should always consult the
source passenger lists for entries of interest, as they may
contain more information and the index may have errors in its
transcription of the source information. Note also that 000
means either Obermoellrich or (usually) an unknown place!
The volumes that have appeared so far are listed on the German
genealogy server at
The books themselves are not on the Internet, but they are
available at many large research and genealogical libraries.
A list of holding libraries is available on the same server.
A portion of the series is also available on CD-ROM.
------------------------------
Subject: 27. What German archives and/or genealogical organizations
are there?
Andreas Hanacek maintains a list of German archives of
genealogical interest as part of an excellent offering at
Information about archives is also available in the regional
pages on the German genealogy server at
Polish archives are listed at
There is a list of German and German-related genealogical
organizations on the German genealogy server at
------------------------------
Subject: 28. How do I find a book about abc or xyz?
If you know the title and author, go to your favorite library and
ask the librarian for help. They can often get books through
interlibrary loan; fees may be involved.
If you don't know exactly what you are looking for, try browsing
one of the online library catalogs. Some of the best are
Harvard University
University of California (UC)
US Library of Congress (LOC)
Deutsches Bibliotheksinstitut (DBI)
Karlsruher Virtueller Katalog (KVK)
Search engine for a number of German online catalogs.
For lists of other such online catalogs, and there are many, try
To find German-language books in print, use the Verzeichnis
Lieferbarer B"ucher at
To purchase books from Germany, try an online German bookseller:
B"ucherzentrum Sch"onhuber
Sack/Struppe & Winckler
Osiandersche Buchhandlung
Bouvier/Gonski
Amazon.de
R"osslitor (Swiss)
Lists of publishers and bookstores with an Internet presence are at
------------------------------
Subject: 29. Should I buy a surname/crest/family history book sold by mail?
Be careful. Some unscrupulous firms offer books that are compiled
mostly from phone lists you can get for free on the Internet. The books
also contain some general and often erroneous information on the origin
of the family name and a crest. More information is available from the
National Genealogy Society's Consumer Protection Committee at
------------------------------
Subject: 30. Where do I go on the Internet for German genealogy?
The first place to go is the German genealogy server at
and in the US at
It offers many useful articles, reports, reviews, and links to other
Internet resources.
The Federation of Eastern European Family History Societies has lots
of information useful to German researchers, including maps, at
The German GenWeb project is at
Gary Horlacher's site contains many useful articles:
Adalbert Goertz has written several regional German FAQs:
Many regional German genealogy e-mail lists are available. See
The Virtual University German Study Group has materials at
For lists of German genealogy sites, see
------------------------------
Subject: 31. What are soc.genealogy.german, soc.genealogy.surnames.german,
and de.sci.genealogie?
The two Usenet newsgroups of interest to German genealogists
are soc.genealogy.german and de.sci.genealogie.
If you are trying to understand something, find a resource, get
advice, or find relatives, post to soc.genealogy.german.
If you prefer to read German-language postings only, then read
de.sci.genealogie.
Soc.genealogy.german is an unmoderated Usenet news group for queries
and discussion of all matters relating to German genealogy. "German"
here refers to language, and thus explicitly includes German, German-
American, Austrian, Swiss, Alsatian, Luxembourger, Liechtensteiner
and Eastern European German genealogy. The newsgroup is available at
and its original charter can be found at
When posting, only simple text should be used; MIME, HTML, enclosures,
binaries, and pictures should be avoided. Commercial postings
should go to soc.genealogy.marketplace, not soc.genealogy.german. New
posters automagically receive a warm and informative welcome e-mail.
For those without news access, soc.genealogy.german is mirrored to
e-mail lists in digest, message, and index mode. Subscription requests
should be sent to GEN-DE-D-request@rootsweb.com if you want individual
postings combined into circa 32KB digests as MIME attachments (normal
digest mode), to GEN-DE-NMD-request@rootsweb.com if you want the 32KB
digests sent as one long message (non-MIME digest mode), to
GEN-DE-L-request@rootsweb.com if you want messages sent individually
(mail mode), or to GEN-DE-I-request@rootsweb.com if you want only
message subject lines in a daily index (index mode). Put the word
"subscribe" in the message body, no quotes. You will receive a
confirmation and additional instructions. To unsubscribe, send the
message "unsubscribe" instead, with no quotes, to the request address
for which you are subscribed, from the account that is subscribed.
Postings by e-mail (not subscription requests) go to
GEN-DE-L@rootsweb.com. See also
The gen-de archives from 8 Dec 1995 onwards may be searched online at
Postings may also be viewed online in threaded format at
There have been short periods when the gen-de to soc.genealogy.german
mirror has failed, resulting in the existence of a few messages only
in the newsgroup and others only in the e-mail lists. Thus you may
also wish to consult a Usenet archive such as Google.com:
Soc.genealogy.surnames.german was an automoderated Usenet newsgroup
with strict subject line requirements. It has not functioned since
22 June 2000. Its archives are still useful, however. See
De.sci.genealogie is an unmoderated German-language-only Usenet
newsgroup for genealogy and related subjects, regardless of
geographical region or ethnicity.
------------------------------
Subject: 32. Are there other online resources for genealogy?
Lots. Here are a few excellent starting points:
There are also online resources for general German information:
German cultural newsgroup
FAQ for above
German info site
------------------------------
Subject: 33. How can I possibly repay you for all your help?
Please repay help freely given by helping other genealogical
researchers to the best of your ability. Publishing your
results, perhaps by submitting them to the FHL, is an excellent
way of helping others. A thank you would also be nice.
------------------------------
Subject: 34. Acknowledgements
Thanks go to the following people: Nate Blaylock, Henning Boettcher, Ed
Brandt, Heinz Bredthauer, Cynthia Dean, Steve Dhuey, Adalbert Goertz,
Manfred Groth, Andreas Hanacek, Kjell Ove Nyb/o; Hattrem, Rick Heli,
Reinhold Herrmann, Gail Hitchcock, Bob Kuehl, Friedrich Lehmkuehler,
Brigitte Gastel Lloyd, Lynn Main, Christel Monsanto, Joachim Nuthack,
Marianne Muthreich Southworth, Michael Palmer, Detlef Papsdorf, Fred
Rump, Bernhard A. M. Seefeld, Wolf Seelentag, Johannes Sempert, Uwe
Sentner, Joan Somers, Gunthard Stuebs, Arvo Tars, Arthur Teschler, Rolf
Ulbing, Julie Vigna, Don Watson, Robert Weinland, William Westphal, Alan
Wiener, Paul Zebe, and the many contributors to soc.genealogy.german.
Suggestions for additions or improvements should be sent to
the author, Jim Eggert EggertJ@crosswinds.net.
|
|
| | From: | Jim Eggert | | Subject: | soc.genealogy.german Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), Part 3/4 | | Date: | 29 Dec 2004 05:27:56 GMT |
|
|
| Archive-name: genealogy/german-faq/part3
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Last-modified: 2002/06/12
Version: 2.8
URL: http://www.genealogy.net/faqs/sgg.html
soc.genealogy.german Frequently Asked Questions List, Part 3/4
Copyright (c) 2002 by Jim Eggert, EggertJ@crosswinds.net
Version 2.8, 12 Jun 2002. All Rights Reserved.
------------------------------
Subject: 16. Where can I find German military records?
All personnel rosters and card indices (Stammrollen und
Karteimittel) of the Prussian Army, the transition army
("Ubergangsheeres), the Army (Reichswehr), and the Imperial
Navy (Kaiserlichen Marine) were burned in an air raid on Berlin
in February 1945.
Preserved are medical records of those soldiers who were being
treated in military hospitals (Lazarett). The records, most with
personnel roster extracts (Stammrollenausz"ugen), for those born
from 1890 on are stored at
Krankenbuchlager Berlin
Wattstrasse 11-13
13355 Berlin
and for those born before 1890 are stored at
Bundesarchiv - Milit"ararchiv
Wiesentalstrasse 10
79115 Freiburg/Breisgau
Lists of Prussian and other German officers are generally
available in book series with titles like _Rangliste der
K"oniglich Preussischen Armee_. These books were published
roughly annually since at least 1796; some have been reprinted.
An overview of the Prussian army and its military church records
can be found in Lyncker, _Die Altpreussische Armee 1714-1806
und ihre Milit"arkirchenb"ucher_, and _Die preussische Armee
1807-1867 und ihre sippenkundlichen Quellen_, and also in Eger,
_Verzeichnis der Milit"arkirchenb"ucher in der Bundesrepublik
Deutschland_.
A list of pre-1914 Imperial German military units can be found at
Many German state military records are available at their
respective state archives. These generally cover up to 1920.
World War II German military personnel may have service records at
Bundesarchiv - Zentralnachweisstelle
Abteigarten 6
52076 Aachen
or at
Deutsche Dienststelle (WASt)
Eichborndamm 179
13403 Berlin
WASt holdings center on those reported to be prisoners of war
(POW), missing in action (MIA), or killed in action (KIA), and
also on members of the navy, though other records are also held.
The Bundesarchiv has no records for navy personnel. Requests
for information may be sent to either office; they will be
forwarded as needed to the appropriate office.
German military cemetery listings for World Wars I and II can be
found online at
For civilian records, one must write to the appropriate agency or
ministry archives (e.g., justice, finance, railroad, post). Those
who had relatives in NSDAP positions can request information from
the Bundesarchiv or, soon, the US National Archives.
------------------------------
Subject: 17. How do I write to a German Standesamt, parish, or archive?
For archive addresses, see the question on archive addresses.
For most towns, the Standesamt or parish address would be simply
Standesamt _or_ ev. Pfarramt _or_ kath. Pfarramt
????? Town-name
Germany
where the second choice indicates Protestant, the third choice
Catholic. The five question marks need to be replaced by the
correct postal code. For larger towns, there are likely to be
several churches, but the above address will often work anyway.
For cities, you will need to know the section of the city to
find the correct Standesamt or church; inquiries at a main
office are sometimes forwarded correctly.
You should write in German and include DM10 to cover postage
and basic fees. There may be further expenses billable to you;
extensive research will not usually be performed for a small fee.
Make sure you indicate how you are related to the sought persons.
Sample letters are available from the German genealogy server at
or make use of the German genealogy volunteer translation service.
There is also an excellent letter-writing guide on the LDS site.
Many local parishes have deposited their older church records in
the corresponding church archives; in these cases communication
with the local parish may be forwarded to the appropriate archive,
answered with an indication of the appropriate archive, returned,
or ignored, all at the option of the parish office. Furthermore,
strict privacy protection laws in Germany very often prohibit
official release of personal information to individuals unless
they can demonstrate direct descendance from the person to be
researched or unless there is a legal entitlement to the
information, for example for matters of inheritance. Some
archives may also have requirements on the age of the information
before they allow release, even to direct descendants.
------------------------------
Subject: 18. How do I find German postal codes?
German postal codes (Postleitzahl or PLZ, equivalent to US zip
codes) are available on the Internet from
and
They are also listed in German postal code books. For towns with
only one postal code, you can also consult the Michelin red guide,
the RV Autoatlas, or Arthur Teschler's geographical server.
------------------------------
Subject: 19. I don't know German. What should I do?
The best overall solution is to learn German. Often such a large
investment offers rich rewards. You might consider taking courses
at your local college or Goethe Institute
In the meantime, you can make use of the German genealogy
volunteer translation service administered by Arthur Teschler.
Send e-mail to trans@genealogienetz.de. The first line of the
message body should read:
#GER>ENG (for a German to English translation,)
#ENG>GER (for an English to German translation, or)
#S (for a snail mail/fax translation, fee by arrangement).
The rest of your message should be the text to be translated,
no more than 40 lines. For the snail mail/fax service, you mail
or fax a copy of the original document to the translator, and
receive a translation by e-mail. For more information see
For larger documents or for guaranteed precision, professional
translation is recommended.
Computer translation programs are normally not recommended;
their clumsy translations usually requires human correction.
A good German-English dictionary, available in most libraries and
bookstores, is usually needed for translations. Sometimes a good
German dictionary or encyclopedia is a better resource. There is
an online German-English dictionary at:
(US mirror)
(Europe).
------------------------------
Subject: 20. I can't read German handwriting. What should I do?
There is of course no one German handwriting, but often German
documents are hard to read. It takes practice to read handwritten
documents, and each hand is different, often requiring some study
even for the practiced eye. Try to figure out words from context.
Most genealogical documents have a limited vocabulary. Look at
other entries in the same hand to help you decipher the hardest
parts. Often the best approach is to ask another knowledgeable
researcher at the library or archive where you encounter the
difficult document. There are also several books that can help
teach you how to read German handwriting; these are available from
genealogical supply firms or good bookstores. Or use the German
genealogy snail/fax translation service outlined above.
The German genealogy server has examples of old German
handwriting, Windows software for learning German handwriting,
and a bibliography of texts on the subject at
------------------------------
Subject: 21. What is the basic German genealogical vocabulary?
birth; born Geburt; geboren, geb.
(il)legitimate (un,ausser)ehelich, (un)eheleiblich
baptism; baptized Taufe; getauft, get.
marriage Heirat, Hochzeit, Trauung, Verm"ahlung,
Eheschliessung, Verehelichung, Kopulation
marry heiraten, verheiraten, verh., verm"ahlen, verm.,
trauen, getr., verehelichen, verehel., kopulieren
death Tod, Sterbefall, Todesfall, Ableben
died gestorben, verstorben, gest.
burial Beerdigung, Begr"abnis
buried beerdigt, beerd., begraben, begr.
widow; -ed Witwe, Wwe.; verwitwet, verw.
divorce; -ed (Ehe)scheidung; geschieden
father; mother Vater, V.; Mutter, M.
parents Eltern
husband Mann, Ehemann, (Ehe)gatte, Gemahl
wife Frau, Ehefrau, (Ehe)gattin, (Ehe)weib, Gemahlin
married couple Ehepaar, Eheleute
son; daughter Sohn, S"ohnlein, S.; Tochter, T"ochterlein, T.
child; -ren Kind, K.; -er
male; female m"annlich; weiblich
brother; sister Bruder; Schwester
siblings Geschwister
uncle; aunt Onkel, Oheim; Tante, Muhme
(great-)grandfather (Ur)grossvater
grandson; -daughter Enkel; Enkelin
grandchild Enkelkind, Grosskind
nephew; niece Neffe; Nichte
cousin (m;f) Vetter, Cousin; Kusine, Cousine, Base
cousins Geschwisterkinder
sponsor, godparent Gevatter, Gev., (Tauf)pate, Taufzeuge
day of the week Wochentag
days of the week Sonntag, Montag, Dienstag, Mittwoch,
Donnerstag, Freitag, Samstag (Sonnabend)
month Monat
months Januar (J"anner), Februar (Feber), M"arz,
April, Mai, Juni, Juli, August,
September, Oktober, November, Dezember
year Jahr, Jahreszahl
date Datum
place Ort
residence Wohnort, Aufenthaltsort, Wohnst"atte
village Dorf
town (Land/Samt/Gross)gemeinde
city Stadt
county (Land)kreis (modern), Grafschaft (noble)
(grand) duchy (Gross)herzogtum
principality F"urstentum
kingdom K"onigreich
A more complete vocabulary guide can be found on the LDS website.
------------------------------
Subject: 22. What are the German umlauts and genealogical symbols?
Umlauts, etc.:
ASCII TeX 850 8859 Mac HTML Postscript Name
_____ ___ ___ ____ ___ ____ __________ ____
"A,Ae \"A 142 0196 128 Ä Adieresis A umlaut
"O,Oe \"O 153 0214 133 Ö Odieresis O umlaut
"U,Ue \"U 154 0220 134 Ü Udieresis U umlaut
"a,ae \"a 132 0228 138 ä adieresis a umlaut
"o,oe \"o 148 0246 154 ö odieresis o umlaut
"u,ue \"u 129 0252 159 ü udieresis u umlaut
"s,ss,sz \ss 225 0223 167 ß germandbls eszet
"y,y,ij \"y 152 0255 216 ÿ ydieresis y dieresis
"e \"e 137 0235 145 ë edieresis e dieresis
850 refers to the IBM code page. IBM code page 437 is identical
for these characters, except it lacks the eszet. IBM code page
819 is ISO 8859-1 compliant, while Windows code page 1252 is a
ISO 8859-1 superset. All numerical codes shown are decimal.
The y dieresis is really a keyboard shortcut for an ij ligature.
To type these characters on a PC, hold down the alt key and
enter the 850 or 8859 keycode on the numeric keypad.
On a Mac, for umlauts type option-u and then the letter to be
umlauted. For eszet, type option-s.
Genealogical symbols:
ASCII Typeset Meaning
_____ _______ _______
* asterisk Born
(*) asterisk in parentheses Born illegitimately
+* cross and asterisk Stillborn
~,=3D single or multiple water waves Baptized
Y communion cup Confirmed
o ring Engaged
oo,& linked or touching rings Married
o|o separated rings Divorced
o-o separated rings Illegitimate union
!! two exclamation marks Pastor
+ cross or vertical dagger Died
X crossed swords Died in battle
+X cross and crossed swords Died from battle wounds
[],=B1,# box Buried
++ two crosses This line extinct
------------------------------
Suggestions for additions or improvements should be sent to
the author, Jim Eggert EggertJ@crosswinds.net.
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| | From: | Jim Eggert | | Subject: | soc.genealogy.german Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), Part 2/4 | | Date: | 29 Dec 2004 05:27:56 GMT |
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| Archive-name: genealogy/german-faq/part2
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Last-modified: 2002/06/12
Version: 2.8
URL: http://www.genealogy.net/faqs/sgg.html
soc.genealogy.german Frequently Asked Questions List, Part 2/4
Copyright (c) 2002 by Jim Eggert, EggertJ@crosswinds.net
Version 2.8, 12 Jun 2002. All Rights Reserved.
------------------------------
Subject: 8. Where is the town/village Xyz?
The best places to look are:
online:
Genealogisches Orts Verzeichnis (GOV)
For modern and historical Germany. Gives geographical,
historical, archival, and bibliographical information.
GEOserv
For modern Germany only.
Send email to geo@genealogy.net with the message body
the name of the village you are looking for. Further
instructions can be received by using INFO as the name
of a village, or from the German genealogy server at
Yahoo Routenplaner
Expedia
GEOnet Names Server (GNS)
For modern placenames anywhere outside the USA.
ShtetlSeeker, for central and eastern Europe,
gives German and local names
Deutsche Ortschaften im 19. Jahrhundert,
incomplete, but covers Germany, Poland, Hungary, Rumania
Kartenmeister
For formerly German places east of the Oder and Neisse rivers.
Atlas des deutschen Reiches
1883 edition by Ravenstein with index. View at 400%.
http://www.library.wisc.edu/etext/ravenstein/
atlas:
Falk (formerly RV) Autoatlas (volumes for Germany and Poland)
Available for DM30 in German bookstores or from
Interlink Bookshop, 3840A Cadboro Bay Road,
Victoria, B.C. V8N 4G2 Canada, +1 (800) 747-4877,
maps:
Excellent modern and historical maps are published by the
German Landesvermessungsbeh"orden (geodetic survey offices)
,
the Bundesamt f"ur Kartographie und Geod"asie in Berlin
the Bundesamt f"ur Landestopographie in Switzerland
the Bundesamt f"ur Eich- und Vermessungswesen in Austria
and others, and are available at German bookstores or through
Interlink Bookshop.
The FEEFHS has an online maproom at
Old city and town maps are available from Generations Press at
gazetteers:
1912 _Meyers Ortslexikon_ (Meyers Gazetteer)
For towns in Germany or lost by Germany after either 20th-
century world war. Probably at your local LDS FHC.
_Ortsnamenverzeichnis der Ortschaften jenseits von Oder und
Neisse_ (Gazetteer of Localities East of the Oder and Neisse)
If the town was lost by Germany after the Second World
War, this will give you the current name.
------------------------------
Subject: 9. How do I find an address or phone number?
For German phone numbers, the best resources are CD-ROMs
or the DeTeMedien website.
DeTeMedien, Telefonbuch f"ur Deutschland, PC/Mac/Linux.
G-Data, PowerInfo Auskunft 2002, Windows 95/98/2000/NT4
TopWare, D-Info 2001, Windows 95/98/NT4/2000/ME/XP
For Austria, three CD-ROM listings are available:
Herold ATB CD - expensive and limited retrieval methods
O-Info - ATS 299, similar to the Herold edition
A-Info - ATS 299 and very flexible
and a website at
For Switzerland, try the online directory at
Several CD-ROM listings are also available:
Telecom CD (PC), TwixTel/lite (PC), and Quick 111 (Mac).
French (including Alsace-Lorraine) addresses and telephone
numbers can be had at
Enter the following departement numbers:
Alsace (Elsass) Lorraine (Lothringen)
67 Bas-Rhin 54 Meurthe-et-Moselle
68 Haut-Rhin 55 Meuse
57 Moselle
88 Vosges
For the Netherlands (Holland), try
US addresses and telephone numbers can be found at
There are also many online directories at
------------------------------
Subject: 10. How can I find out what village my ancestor came from?
This is sometimes easy, sometimes quite difficult, and sometimes
impossible. This is the general order of resources to be used in
finding the German origin of German-American families:
o Narratives from older relatives
o Previous family research, notes, etc., if available
o Family documents or mementos from the old country
o US census (1920 and earlier) - can learn immigration and/or
naturalization year
o IGI, for uncommon names, if the birth or marriage date is
known, or if two names in combination are known
o Passenger ship records, and indexes like _Germans to America_
o Naturalization records - usually held at the county level
in the US
o Obituaries, especially in German-language newspapers
o American church records
o County histories/genealogies
o Local historical/genealogical societies
o Local fraternal and other ethnic or cultural organizations
o Tombstones or cemetery records
o German state emigration records and indexes, including
citizenship release papers, passports, estate and debt
settlement papers, property sales, departure taxes,
expulsion papers, and records for transportation of minors
o US Social Security records, for individuals living after 1935
Note that the Social Security Death Index is only a start.
o Probate records
o US Civil War pension or other military records, if appropriate
o Ahnenstammkartei (ASTAKA)
o Individuals in Germany with the same name, but only if the
name is very unusual or if you know approximately where
your ancestor came from
o Neighbors in America, because sometimes unrelated families
emigrated together
o Contemporary newspapers, which often printed passenger lists
and emigrant correspondence
Search these sources not only for the German immigrant, but also
his or her spouses, descendants, and other relatives. There is
an excellent and concise list of resources for German-American
immigration research available on the German genealogy server at
The FHL also offers a good research outline entitled
_Tracing Immigrant Origins_, available at your local FHC or online.
------------------------------
Subject: 11. What about the German census?
The German central government conducted censuses in 1871, every five
years from 1875 to 1910, 1919, 1925, 1933, 1935 (Saar), and 1939.
West Germany had censuses in 1946, 1950, 1961, 1970, and 1987. East
Germany had censuses in 1945, 1946, 1964, 1971, and 1981. Except
for the 1939 census, these censuses are not useful for genealogical
purposes; available data are of a statistical nature only.
Each of the states conducted their own censuses at other times.
Some of these censuses are available via your local LDS FHC and
are quite useful genealogically.
The central German census authority can tell you if certain
censuses exist and where they can be found:
Statistisches Bundesamt
Gustav Stresemann Ring 11
Postfach 5528
65189 Wiesbaden
http://www.destatis.de/
------------------------------
Subject: 12. How about German cemeteries?
German cemeteries are not as useful for genealogical purpose as
those in the US. Normally gravesites are leased for 20-25 years,
after which they may be renewed or usually revert to the cemetery
owner (church or town) and are reused. Some gravesites are sold
to a family and used for generations, but even then the site is
reused within the family. Some gravestones of historic importance
are retained for the long term. Gravesites are maintained by the
families. Sometimes cemeteries are converted to parks, but retain
their cemeterial nature. Graves in 20th-century military
cemeteries are not reused, but are maintained by a commission as a
reminder of the honor of soldiers and the horror of war.
------------------------------
Subject: 13. What does my German surname mean?
The meaning of a German surname can often be found in a German-
English dictionary (e.g., Schmidt means smith, M"uller means
miller). Sometimes spelling modifications, pronunciation shifts,
or dialectal origins hide the original meaning. In such cases,
a general or specifically German name lexicon can be useful.
Three standard German works are
_Deutsche Namenkunde_ by Max Gottschald,
_Deutsches Namenlexikon_ by Hans Bahlow,
also available in English as _Dictionary of German Names_, and
_Das grosse Buch der Familiennamen_ by Horst Naumann.
Please note that name interpretation is often speculative.
------------------------------
Subject: 14. Is my family from a town with a name like their surname?
Assuming that the family name is a place name perhaps with the
common suffix -er (as in Oberheimer), then it is very possible that
the family did indeed come from that place (Oberheim) originally.
But they probably left that place before they acquired the surname,
which was probably before the earliest extant records, so you will
likely never be able to prove it. Also note that place names are
often shared by several towns, and that a surname may be related
etymologically but not genealogically to a place name.
------------------------------
Subject: 15. How can I learn about German noble families?
The standard series of books on German nobility is the Gotha
series, which has appeared under various titles since the late
18th century. Look in your library catalog for a title similar
to _Gothaisches genealogisches Taschenbuch der adeligen H"auser_
or _Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels_. The latter has an online
surname index at
Herbert Stoyan has an excellent online resource for noble
genealogy called WW-Person at
Paul Theroff has an online Gotha at
Please be advised, however, that stories of noble relations in
American families are often exaggerated.
------------------------------
Suggestions for additions or improvements should be sent to
the author, Jim Eggert EggertJ@crosswinds.net.
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