There is an online emigration database which covers Hannover at
http://app.staatsarchive.niedersachsen.de/findbuch
Following is an English translation of directions on how to use it:
Go to that website to find the database
for thematical
inventories made by the State Archives of Osnabrück and Wolfenbüttel as well
as the Main State Archives of Hanover on the theme "Emigration in the 18th
and 19th centuries". In those descriptions you can look for people who have
emigrated - especially to America - during the foresaid period. The fonds
were analysed by the three archives and the informations are resumed in the
field "Titelaufnahme" (i.e. title) of the izn-AIDA database. The other State
Archives of Lower-Saxony (Aurich, Bückeburg, Oldenburg, Stade) have either
no such fonds or they are still working on their Internet presentation.
On the first page of the search engine you have to make a choice you choose
one out of the three inventories or you can search in all three inventories.
In any case you will have the choice between three ways of research.
Please notice: instead of the letters ä, ö, ü, ß or any other combinations
you do not know, you can type the "per-cent-symbol" as a wildcard.
The first research-template gives you the possibility to search for up to
four different items or descriptive data elements alternatively from the
title ("Titelaufnahme"). Here you can e.g. look for 1-4 different jobs or
places or years, or a combination of them. In the fields you do not need,
leave the word which is already typed in ("Suchbegriff2" etc.).
If you are not sure about the spelling of a name, you can type different
spellings:
you are looking for an ancestor called e.g.: Meier or Maier or Meyer or
Mayer
Type in one of the alternative spellings. The result of your search will
englobe all these different spellings.
You may also type parts of names or words. However, the quantity of results
will then be rather high. E.g.: the results for the search for "mann" will
englobe jobs like "Zimmermann" (carpenter) or "Kaufmann" (merchant) as well
as family names or christian names like "Großmann" or "Hermann".
At the bottom of the first page of the research template, you can click for
the second form. It links up to three items, i.e. there will be results only
if all three items or parts of them can be found in the descriptive data
elements. Please notice that the more precise your search items are, the
more limited and exact the results will be. The per-cent-symbol (%) which is
already in the three fields is not to be erased as it serves as a wildcard!
In case you know the name, job and the person's place of origin, then you
may type them in the three fields:
e.g.: Lange, Kaufmann, Lüneburg
Do not change the data elements in the fields "Laufzeitbeginn" and
"Endlaufzeit"! They are important to locate the proper entries in the
finding aids. The xx symbols are not to be erased!
The third possibility is the search within the index. The index button is on
the first template's page. In the index you can look for people, places,
institutions, objects/themes or conduct a full-text-research; or you may
type only the beginning letter: looking for people, you would choose the
index "Pers" and merely typing an "a", you will see the list of all people
whose name begins with an "a". If you type only the per-cent-symbol (%)
wildcard you will be shown all items listed in the chosen index.
On the page of the index-list you click onto the field "Lfd.Nr". (i.e. file
number) of an item and it will show you the record's reference number for
ordering that record, in which your item has been found.
Interpreting the results:
The informations about emigrants are taken from the database field
"Titelaufnahme" which has the following descriptive elements:
1. family name, christian name, place of origin
2. date of birth/age
3. job / social status
4. parents' names
5. names of those who the person has emigrated with (also age/job)
6. religion
7. destination (country/town)
8. date of emigration or of issuing of the passport
9. situation of income
10. miscelleanous:
relatives in the town the emigrant has gone to
ship
others
A dataset's completeness depends on the informations which could be derived
from the records: if e.g. there are no parents' names mentioned in the
records, then field 4 will remain empty.
The result of your research is stored in a list with the records' ordering
reference number. This list is sorted after the State Archives, in which the
records are kept, and it shows you which Archives you should go to or
contact to have a look into the records or to order copies from them. You
will find the postal and e-mail addresses in the Internet pages of the
participating Archives (see Links).
Please note: Regional Archives charge customers for genealogical research.
Following is an English translation of directions on how to use it: