Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about researching German ancestors who immigrated to the U.S. in the 19th century. Heidi Mathis shares the importance of getting the surname right and learning enough German to be able to understand the records we find. She shares tips for doing wildcard searches in databases where names may have been transcribed incorrectly or spelled differently than we thought. She also gives hints for reading German handwriting. Links RLP 156: Tracing 19th Century Germans Part 1 – https://familylocket.com/rlp-156-tracing-19th-century-germans-part-1/ Part 3: Tracing Your 19th Century German Ancestors: Tips for Getting the Surname Right –...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about the challenges of German research when focusing on 19th century Germans who immigrated to the U.S. Heidi Mathis shares several questions to ask when beginning to research them, like “when did your Germans arrive?” and “what did German mean in the 19th century?” Join us as we discuss the answers to these questions, helpful record sets, and more. Transcript This automatic transcript was generated by PodScribe. Links Part 1: Tracing Your 19th Century German Ancestors- Which Germans? by Heidi – https://familylocket.com/part-1-tracing-your-19th-century-german-ancestors-which-germans/ Part 2: Tracing Your 19th Century German Ancestors: Start in...
In recent years DNA has become an amazing tool for helping solve our genealogical brick walls. For example in Part 5 of this series the fact that Burkhard Schlag’s descendants were fairly close DNA matches to his FAN club’s (i.e. nieces and nephews) descendant’s, provided important clues for tracing Burkhard’s parents. However using DNA with recent German ancestors may be more challenging than with some other communities. Germans may have an advantage with their church records and other documentary evidence, but may be somewhat at a disadvantage when it comes to using ethnicity and DNA. What do we need to...
In previous posts of this series, “Tracing Your 19th German Ancestors,” we began searching in America to learn everything possible about our ancestor before researching in Germany. In part 4 we learned steps for reading German-language records. In part 5 we will finally take a virtual trip to Germany. We will first show how to search Archion, the German website for Protestant records, in hopes of finding the baptism record for Burkhard Schlag (our example German-American). Next, we will explore the German mega-site, CompGen.de to locate German Genealogical Societies, German State Archives, OFBs (town family books) relevant to our German,...
In Part 4 we tackle the most daunting part of having a German ancestor and that is understanding their German language records. Many English-speaking researchers feel intimidated at this stage, but please don’t! I only understand the most basic words but have been able to follow the paper trail of many Germans through their American records back into Germany. We are lucky to live in a time where there are many accessible strategies for finding and comprehending the wonderful German language records left behind by our ancestors. We need to learn to read just enough German to find our ancestors....
One of the reasons we prioritized German-American church records in Part 2 of this series was that church records may have been the one place where our German immigrant’s name would have been recorded accurately by a German speaker (i.e. their minister). Most of the time, however, our Germans needed to be understood by English speakers, and so their names were frequently recorded inaccurately. In Part 3 we will try some tricks to learn to listen like a German and hone in on our German’s correct surname. After all how much easier will it be to find our ancestors back...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about the influx of German immigrants in St. Louis, Missouri in the period prior to the Civil War, and how it influenced the outcome of the Camp Jackson Affair. Heidi Mathis returns for more discussion of St. Louis and German immigrants. Join us as we learn about the different beliefs of southerners and German immigrants in St. Louis in 1861. Links Mid-19th Century Germans in St. Louis and the Civil War by Heidi Mathis at Family Locket Euphrasia Pettus Letter and Photo at Missouri Historical Society Abolitionizing Missouri: German Immigrants and Racial...
What is the best advice for those beginning to research their ancestor from German-speaking lands? Seek out their church records in America to discover their German hometown and parents. German research expert Roger Minert estimates that church records will be the best source of this information 65-76% of the time. Dr. Minert is the editor of a 35 volume (so far) series of books cataloging those German-Americans who have a hometown listed in their church records. (1)Like researching any immigrant, we will start by making an exhaustive search of what we know here in America before we try to move...
Today’s episode of Research Like a Pro is about German immigration to St. Louis, Missouri in the 1840s-1860s. We discuss the reasons for immigration and the cultural differences between Americans and newly arrived Germans. Heidi Mathis shares the historical context she learned when researching her ancestor, Burkhard Schlag, who arrived in St. Louis in 1854 from Hesse. Links Mid-19th Century Germans in St. Louis by Heidi Mathis at Family Locket Using German Newspapers When You don’t Know Much German Research Like a Pro eCourse Study Group – more information and email list Research Like a Pro: A Genealogist’s Guide by...
Are you one of the 44.2 million Americans with a German ancestor, but sense that researching them is more out of reach than others in your family tree? Researching our German can seem daunting because of the language hurdle, but also because the whole concept of “German” is complex. People from central Europe had particularly complicated histories compared to those with more fixed national identities such as the English. Perhaps living on an island has helped define and consolidate who is English, and made possible a more centralized government earlier on in history. Since the United States was primarily founded...
