German ancestors? Some essential resources
If your ancestors come from Germany, there are many resources available as you gather information from locating your ancestral town to investigating what records are available, including church records, and immigration records as your ancestors moved around.
Recommended guidelines are always to work back from what you know. Utilize information from passenger arrival and citizenship records, among others, to determine your family's original name and towns.
German Empire (1871)
Once you discover the original family name and place, you will be able to discover much more information. And don't forget about the specialized discussion groups where you can post questions and receive help from experts.
Links include maps and geography, dictionaries, online databases, archive information and much more. And don't forget to use MyHeritage's search engine for more information.
I look forward to reading your questions and comments. Let me know if you need more information.
GERMAN RESOURCE GUIDE
GERMAN SURNAME MEANINGS AND ORIGINS
GERMAN BIRTH, MARRIAGE AND DEATH RECORDS
GERMAN PASSENGERS INTO US PORTS
GERMAN WORLD LIST FOR GENEALOGY
GERMANY'S CHANGING BORDERS
An excellent map
DISCUSSION GROUPS AND FORUMS
German genealogy forums and discussion lists
BEGINNERS FAQ
Excellent beginners FAQ
ONLINE GERMAN GENEALOGY HANDBOOK
German genealogy online handbook
Guide for linguistically-challenged researchers who need to write to Germany, Austria, or parts of Switzerland to request records.
GOTHIC HANDWRITING GUIDE
Good guide to Gothic letters and handwriting in early German records.
JEWISH GERMAN GENEALOGY
JEWISHGEN
Many Infofiles, links and the GerSIG discussion group.
YAD VASHEM online databases
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