Hello Everyone,
I'm fairly new to genealogy, but have found on Rootsweb ancestors back 7 generations. Which is exciting all on its own! My husband and I will be going to Germany in July for a week, and I'm not sure where exactly to go to search archives there. Most of my ancestors came from Harpolingen, Freiburg, and Haenner, Waldshut in the Baden-Wutemburg area. We will be staying Stuttgart. I'd love any suggestions on how best to use my time there looking for info. of my Malzacher ancestors!
Thanks so much for any help!
Lois (Malzacher) Weeks
Have you ever researched any records here that are written in old German? If not, I would definitely try doing that before going to any archives in Germany. They are not the easiest to read. Many records have been filmed by the Mormons. It would be much better perusing them at your leisure than trying to do so in a hurry over there.
When my sister and I did our first family history trip to Germany, I told her that I was not about to sit all day in any archive, looking at records that I may or may not be able to read. I never regretted that decision.
A week is a very short time. Why not soak up the atmosphere of the places you visit? I am sure you would not regret it.
Thanks Bobbi,
I've been looking into the film from the Mormon Family Research Center, with no luck so far. We don't know which church my ancestors were with, so it's like finding a needle in a haystack.
And we do plan to go sightseeing while in Germany. Definitely!
Lois
Hi Lois.
I have been researching in Germany since the early 1970's. Now one cannot get more remote than Australia?
I have found that to successfully research in Germany, one MUST KNOW the exact location of the event one is researching & that person's religion. The very fact that Germany does not have National Archives as many other Countries do, makes this task just that little more difficult. I have also found that in some smaller towns with only one Church, some People of other religions are registered in the Church books. This is not all that usual, however if one come up with a Brick wall, then it is another option to look at?
It is also important to Know the general History of the area were one is researching, given that Germany as a nation is comparatively young & has had many changes of Borders over this period, some places that were in Germany are now in other Countries, while once a village or smaller town in it's own right, is now a suburb of a Larger City.
Early civil registration is another problem (many in some cases) A lot of these earlier records were transcribed from the Church Books, Mistakes were made in spelling? dates ? & in some cases even Surnames. One needs to understand that until some period around the late 1700's into the mid 1800's the same surname was not used on a regular basis? In my own Family Three distinct surnames were used concurrently by the same person??? It was not until around 1718 that this settled down to the use of a single continuous surname, by the Son of the first person I was talking about above! That surname continues till this day.( those dates are notional only & vary from place to place in Germany))
Unless you have a good grasp of the German Language, you will find great benefit from a relative? Or Friend? that does speak & read the German Language while on your research in Germany. Not too many German citizens these days can read the old Script? If one is younger than say, late seventy or early eighties, then one would have had to study that Script to be able to read it today?
Ingrid's site that she recommended is most helpful. I would also recommend that as one studies the letters in Suetterlinschrift, one would also write the letters. This not only helps one to memorize the letters, but also gives an idea of how they will vary in everyday "scribbling". In this way, you can get to be an "expert" in a very short time.
My maternal grandmother always wrote in the old script, and she was thrilled when she discovered that I could read and write it. I was the only grandchild who could handle the language that she always loved.
Gene
Eugene M. Wiese
838 Linlawn Drive
Wabash, IN 46992-3903
emwiese1@comcast.net
(260) 846-0516