Download file Published 17 November 2014 Put away that Ouija Board. You may not need to summon the dead to get your genealogical quandaries solved. You might find the answers you seek by locating and connecting with your living relatives. There are many reasons for wanting to find living relatives–whether it’s to locate an heir […]
Tag: german
German Genealogy Tip #29: Use the German Phone Book to Find Surname Concentrations
Do you have a German immigrant ancestor whom you have absolutely no idea where in Germany they came from? Most of us do. One great method for finding clues on where they might have come from is to use the modern-day German phone book, which is available online at: http://www.dastelefonbuch.de/ Here’s how it works. If the […]
Episode #4: “What’s in a Word?” | The German-American Genealogist Podcast
Episode 4: What’s in a Word? Download file Published 27 October 2014 What’s in a word? When doing German genealogy, it pays to recognize that the way German words are used can have profound meaning for locating and understanding your German ancestors. In this episode, find out how and why German towns changed their names […]
Episode #3: “All About Death” | The German-American Genealogist Podcast
Download file Published 20 October 2014 Happy Halloween! To celebrate the spooky and the macabre, this episode of the podcast is dedicated to exploring the records left behind by our ancestors after their deaths. How to find a death certificate, how to find a newspaper obituary, how to find cemetery burial records, and how to […]
German Genealogy Tip #7: Anglicized German Names
Something you will inevitably find when you research German ancestors who immigrated to America are names that changed to something more “English sounding”. Can you blame somebody named “Balthasar” for desiring a name that fits in a little better in America? Some Germans would change their names only slightly: Wilhelms would become Bills, and Adelheids […]
Episode #1: “German-American Day” | The German-American Genealogist Podcast
Download file Published 6 October 2014 The very first episode of The German-American Genealogist Podcast! In this episode, we discuss the history of German-American Day, October 6th, and the struggle of German-Americans to find their place in the national fabric. We also discuss tips for researching German ancestors: things you need to know about your […]
German Genealogy Tip #6: In Germany, People Used Their Occupation as a Title
When looking at genealogical records in Germany, especially from the pre-20th century era, you will often find that individuals’ names were prefixed by their job title. These occupational prefixes were capitalized, so don’t confuse the job title for being part of their given name. Common examples are: Taglöhner Johann Brack (English: day laborer Johann Brack) Leinweber […]
Index of Vital Records in Iba, Machtlos, and Gilfershausen post-1876
I am happy to announce that I have added a “Free Genealogy Resources” section to my website, at http://www.SchmidtGen.com/Resources.php. My first offering is a set of three indexes I spent hundreds of hours translating and compiling. The indexes cover births, marriages, and deaths in the German towns of Iba, Machtlos, and Gilfershausen in 1876 and […]