Published 3 November 2014
Have you ever pulled your hair out trying to find the birth place of your immigrant ancestor? Well, save your hair line, because this whole episode is devoted to that very topic. In this episode, we talk about how an examination of the first household your immigrant ancestor inhabited in America can give clues to their origins, how you can trace chain-migration, how you can find an elusive passenger arrival record, how to tell if your ancestor was a stowaway, how to use the NARA’s “Germans to America” database, how to use local county history books, how marriage affected where a German couple lived, and how to use the modern-day German telephone book to help you find your immigrant ancestor’s hometown.
Hi Josiah, I’m really enjoying your podcasts! In episode 5 you talk about the right to practice a trade, referring to it as the Berger Status??? I realize this may not be the correct spelling. I would like to learn more about this practice if you can set me straight with something I can search for.
Thank you!