Dear Baden-Wuerttemberg List Friends, If you're just getting started in overseas German genealogy research (or have been at it for a while and are just hitting too many 'brick walls' and don't know where to turn next), I'd recommend the following great Web sites (all links below have been recently updated) to help you get started in the right direction. J Why not give at least some of these tools a try in advancing your German family search---you may be surprised how well you do! :-) Warmest wishes, Carla HELLER, Los Angeles, California USA mscarlah@earthlink.net List Co-Administrator, ROOTSWEB'S Baden-Wuerttemberg Mailing List _____ 1) soc.genealogy.german Frequently Asked Questions List http://www.genealogienetz.de/faqs/sgg.html#starters This helpful site answers the following often-asked questions in detail: How can I start researching my German or German-American family? What introductory or general books should I read? Can you help me with surname ________________? Where can I register/find my surnames? What are the rules for given names? Where is the town/village ___________________? How do I find an address or phone number? How can I find out what village my ancestor came from? What about the German census? How about German cemeteries? What does my German surname mean? Is my family from a town with a name like their surname? How can I learn about German noble families? Where can I find German military records? How do I write to a German Standesamt, parish, or archive? How do I find German postal codes? I don't know German. What should I do? I can't read German handwriting. What should I do? What is the basic German genealogical vocabulary? What are the German umlauts and genealogical symbols? How can I send money to Germany? What is the IGI? Where can I find passenger lists or ship information? What is Germans to America? What German archives and/or genealogical organizations are there? How do I find a book about ________________? Should I buy a surname/crest/family history book sold by mail? Where do I go on the internet for German genealogy? What are soc.genealogy.german, soc.genealogy.surnames.german, and de.sci.genealogie? Are there other online resources for genealogy? ============================================ 2) RootsWeb's Guide "On the Trail of Germanic Ancestors" http://www.rootsweb.com/~rwguide/lesson26.htm 3) RootsWeb's Guide "Tracing Your Immigrant Ancestors" http://www.rootsweb.com/~rwguide/lesson15.htm 4) RootsWeb's Guide "Explore Naturalization & Immigration Information [ISTG]" http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~rwguide/lesson16.htm 5) Linda Herrick's "Finding Where Your Ancestors Came From in Germany" http://www.originsbooks.com/132/cat132.htm?978 6) LDS Family History Library Ancestor Search [look up your ancestors' names (free) in the immense collection of extracted data gathered by the LDS Library] http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/frameset_search.asp 7) Cyndi Howell's amazing database of genealogy links, Cyndi's List (for Germany): http://www.CyndisList.com/germany.htm 8) Arnie Lang's Immigration, Ships' Passenger Lists & Naturalization Research Guide [excellent step-by-step advice] http://home.att.net/~arnielang/shipgide.html 9) Regional Research in German-Speaking Countries http://www.genealogienetz.de/reg/regio.htm 10) Links for German Genealogy on the Internet http://home.att.net/~wee-monster/germanlinks.html 11) Basic Research Outline for German Genealogy http://home.att.net/~wee-monster/outline.html ==================================================