Vera Nagel, Germany) raised the issue of the IGI in trying to help another researcher. I have used the IGI (International Genealogical Index) but have some questions. What exactly is the info on the IGI? Is it transcribed info from the actual birth, marriage, death records (civil or religious) in a given country, or is it info from a researcher's family tree or Bible, etc. (posted by a person on the IGI) rather than from the actual civil & parish records? The reason I'm asking is that I found birth info on the IGI for Margaretha (my gr grandmother) & Jacob Goetzelmann (sibs) born in Oberaltertheim, Bavaria, Germany, in Oct. 1856 & Feb. 1854 respectively. Mother's name: Barbara Goetzelmann. No father's name was given for either birth, which makes me wonder if Barbara was actually married. Family lore says she buried 2 husbands. Barbara remarried sometime, either in Oberaltertheim or Chicago, to Michael Schatzlein & gave birth to John Schatzlein 1 Jul 1868, abt 1 month after arriving in Chicago as widow Goetzelmann. I was 12 when Margarethe died at age 100, & I'm still kicking myself for never asking about her family. I don't need any help with the research since I've got just about everything for the family in the U.S. However, the IGI records giving no father's name has become a sticking point for me. If the IGI records are transcribed from official Bavarian records, I can assume family lore is wrong about the 2 husbands. That would also color how I look at other info gleaned from the IGI in the future. Thanks in advance for clearing this up. Judy in Alaska

The information contained in the IGI varies. Sometimes it's from records themselves, sometimes it's from people. I would suggest that it merely be used as a guide to doing your own research. I personally wouldn't read too much into the lack of a father's name on there until I had independently verified it. https://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/International_Genealogical_Index -----Original Message----- From: german-bohemian-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:german-bohemian-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of judy petersen Sent: Tuesday, May 29, 2012 3:14 PM To: German Bohemians mail list Subject: [GERMAN-BOHEMIAN] the IGI at familysearch.org Vera Nagel, Germany) raised the issue of the IGI in trying to help another researcher. I have used the IGI (International Genealogical Index) but have some questions. What exactly is the info on the IGI? Is it transcribed info from the actual birth, marriage, death records (civil or religious) in a given country, or is it info from a researcher's family tree or Bible, etc. (posted by a person on the IGI) rather than from the actual civil & parish records?