ROOTS & BRANCHES

Here’s a reminder that a lot of genealogy research is dependent on knowing the history of an area … and it helps when you overcome your sense of thinking that the history of different area will be the same as that to which you are accustomed.

I had an email forwarded to me from Mike Young a couple of weeks ago that drove this point home.

“I have some information concerning ancestors of mine who emigrated from Germany in the 1600-1700 period and settled mostly in southeastern Pennsylvania,” Young wrote. “I am planning a trip to Western and Southern Germany in April 2024.  During that time, if possible, I would like to meet with genealogical researchers in four states in Germany from where my relatives emigrated.”

Young identified these states as: Bayern, Baden-Wurttemberg, Rheinland- Pfalz and Hessen. “Could you please help me in finding contact information (e-mail, postal and, telephone numbers) for genealogical societies in each of these four states?” he asked.

The first thing that delighted me about Young’s inquiry was that he wanted to get this sort of information well ahead of his trip, and noted that I often more typically hear from someone who’s leaving in a few weeks and has rather

I’ll be delighted to share some information on this topic but I’d like to start by applauding you for wanting to get this information well ahead of your trip! I more typically hear from someone who’s leaving in a few weeks and rather inflated expectations.

In answering Young’s question in a roundabout way, I first reminded him that nearly all of the present-day German states are artificial post–World War II amalgamations of smaller states. They do have the equivalent of “state archives” but often these are less helpful to genealogists than local archives (dealing with a city or a former countship or principality).

So my best advice to Young was that if he knew actual villages of origin in Hessen, etc., to try and find a local archives or Heimatmuseum for that town and work up to higher levels from there.

And if Young didn’t know those village names, I recommend redoubling searches for those villages of origin in American records since so many German records are locally kept to this day. When I say redoubling, I’m recommending things such as finding all naturalization papers, recording of the immigrants’ children, and German-language newspapers. 

As far as Young’s original question, many German genealogy societies have websites hooked onto the Germany-based supersite Compgen.de (much in the way the old Rootsweb worked in America). They can be accessed here: https://www.compgen.de/ueber-uns/#kooperationen

And if Young chooses to engage a professional, there is a German-speaking professionals group, at this URL: https://www.berufsgenealogie.net/