I would like to know how far anyone has traced there German ancestors and are they hard to trace? Is it easy to trace people in Germany? And does anyone have any suggestions for some one getting started? I need help. Donna

Hi Donna, This URL might be very helpful in answering some of your initial questions and providing resources for you to explore. http://www.genealogienetz.de/faqs/sgg.html<http://www.genealogienetz.de/faqs/sgg.html> In a word, no, it is not easy, whether here or in Germany. Mike's advice is excellent, with great emphasis on the need to know what village or town family came from for any hope of success in Germany. There is much available on line, but much that is not. American records are critical sources of information. Some are free and many not. Start with yourself and work backwards thoroughly. Be very organized from the beginning so you have fewer regrets later. Some spend years, even lifetimes researching their families. This and other lists are very helpful and supportive with the process. It is a remarkable journey, and you will learn much. Good luck to you. Sandy P.S. Never hesitate to ask a question. Provide as much information as you can so others can be helpful to you. ----- Original Message ----- From: Donna Osborn<mailto:dosborn@pldi.net> To: BAVARIA-L@rootsweb.com<mailto:BAVARIA-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, July 25, 2005 6:19 PM Subject: [BAVARIA] Tracing German Ancestors New at this I would like to know how far anyone has traced there German ancestors and are they hard to trace? Is it easy to trace people in Germany? And does anyone have any suggestions for some one getting started? I need help. Donna ==== BAVARIA Mailing List ==== Have you consider the volunteering of transcribing parish records to be added to WorldGenWeb Archives for others to research? Contact mailto:dsam@sampubco.com?subject=transcribing_records<mailto:dsam@sampubco.com?subject=transcribing_records>

Suggestions: #1 Start with recent records and times and work backwards. (Do not skip generations or connections). #2 Do NOT take internet sources as gospel. They can be, and often are, wrong. (Use them only as a pointer to POSSIBLE connections or areas to search.)(Also good advice for paid, commercial, databases, CD's and subscription services.) #3 For German research knowing the town or village of your ancestors is a MUST. (These are best found in local (here ) records. These can be the ancestors marriage here, the birth records of their children and their death records.)(After you have this information AND have followed suggestion #5, then you can research over there. #4 Join a local Genealogy society to learn from others. (Presentations at their meetings, seminars they run and their newsletters give great hints and help). #5 Use the local FHL to research as much as possible here, before writing and researching in Germany. #6 A magazine subscription may also help. Good luck Mike ----- Original Message ----- From: "Donna Osborn" <dosborn@pldi.net> To: <BAVARIA-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, July 25, 2005 8:19 PM Subject: [BAVARIA] Tracing German Ancestors New at this >I would like to know how far anyone has traced there German ancestors and >are they hard to trace? Is it easy to trace people in Germany? > And does anyone have any suggestions for some one getting started? I need > help. > > Donna > > > ==== BAVARIA Mailing List ==== > Have you consider the volunteering of transcribing parish records to be > added to WorldGenWeb Archives for others to research? > Contact mailto:dsam@sampubco.com?subject=transcribing_records > >

I have ancestors from Bavaria who I haven't traced yet-- I did trace my Brack ancestors at Altenbamberg, Rhineland Pfalz. Here's how I did it-- 1. I purchased a book that helped me read the old German script. 2. I went to the local LDS Library and rented microfilm for the parish at Altenbamberg. I think that was about $3.50 USD. 3. Fortunately the local LDS library had an apparatus on their microfilm reader that I could make copies. On the individual entries the surnames were in larger text, where I could see Brack very clearly. I copied all the Brack entries and took the copies home and translated them. I went back three additional generations in Germany by using the above steps. I tried to go back further in Altenbamberg Church records and I couldn't tell if the old records were in Latin or whether the person that made the entried had bad handwriting. Additionally , in Church records, I found all my Brack ancestors were stone masons which was evidently handed down, generation to generation. My grandfather's cousin had German friends who lived in the Hamburg area and they couldn't read the old script in our family Bible--they took it to someone that could translate it. Also, our early English script is hard to read and translate. I bought an aid that helped me with the old English script. Charles ----- Original Message ----- From: "Donna Osborn" <dosborn@pldi.net> To: <BAVARIA-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, July 25, 2005 8:19 PM Subject: [BAVARIA] Tracing German Ancestors New at this >I would like to know how far anyone has traced there German ancestors and >are they hard to trace? Is it easy to trace people in Germany? > And does anyone have any suggestions for some one getting started? I need > help. > > Donna

Donna, My german ancestors with the last name Juengst go back to 1400 and one guy, we even no his father's name. Everyone with that last name or any other similar sounding name is related to that guy. A family member in Europe wrote a genealogy in german which some of the Americans were still in contact with. However, she was a bit lax and although she seemed to be thorough, one of our german relatives went to two of the early towns in the tree and found a bunch of relatives in the record books that she had not listed. He didn't expect that. In the group of people she just had not listed was my relative and connection to the tree. I have recently gotten an email from this list that it is hard to order church films from Bavaria thru LDS since they didn't let the Mormons always copy the records. I would try anyway to see if I could get lucky. If I could have read the old german script from between 1800 and 1850, I would have been able to find the birth of the grandfather and his parents and gone one generation back to get my connection to the tree I needed. Tracy ----- Original Message ----- From: "Donna Osborn" <dosborn@pldi.net> To: <BAVARIA-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, July 25, 2005 8:19 PM Subject: [BAVARIA] Tracing German Ancestors New at this > I would like to know how far anyone has traced there German ancestors and are they hard to trace? Is it easy to trace people in Germany? > And does anyone have any suggestions for some one getting started? I need help. > > Donna > > > ==== BAVARIA Mailing List ==== > Have you consider the volunteering of transcribing parish records to be added to WorldGenWeb Archives for others to research? > Contact mailto:dsam@sampubco.com?subject=transcribing_records > >

Hi Donna, you usually get stuck in the 17th century, as this was the time when they started to register births etc. in the churches on a large scale. Also a lot of the population, books, and everything else perished in the 30th years war (1618-1648). (Including: an entire village being reduced to one surviving child, who didn't know anything about its family..) Regards Stefan