German Phase 2: Research in the Hometown Online

Church and civil records are the primary resources used to trace one’s ancestry. Many of these records are available online. This course teaches how to find available church/civil records for their German hometown and use them to their fullest. If the records are not available online, students will receive guidance on hiring someone to do that research. The course will introduce other resources available online. Some basic handwriting and language skills will be taught. Students will be given resources for expanding their knowledge.

Week 1, 13 October

Welcome and Class Orientation, 8:00-8:30

A Brief History of Germany, 8:30-9:45

This session provides a brief history of Germany up to 1918 and covers those events that are genealogically significant and relevant. Coverage of jurisdictional changes will also be provided.

Instructor: Debra Hoffman

German Research Tools, Maps & Gazetteers, 10:00-11:15

This session provides tools and tips for using maps and gazetteers. The focus is using these tools to find the church record location and find the German town on a map. It includes tips for identifying misspelled towns and multiple towns of the same name.

Instructor: Teresa McMillin

Working with German Church Records: A Step-by-Step Guide, 12:15-1:30

This presentation guides participants through a practical, step-by-step approach to reading these valuable records, focusing on extracting key elements such as dates, names, parents’ names, occupations, places of residence, and more. Participants will develop an understanding of record formats, content conventions, and genealogical terminology, while also building skills in recognizing aspects of the old German handwriting and interpreting abbreviated and historical language.

Instructor: Katie Schober

German Civil Records: A Systematic Approach to Extracting Genealogical Clues, 1:45-3:00

This presentation examines German civil records, introduced across Germany in 1876 (and in Prussia in 1874). In addition to exploring the structure and conventions of these valuable German records, participants will also develop essential techniques for recognizing critical information such as names, dates, occupations, relationships, and more.

Instructor: Katie Schober

Homework Assignment, 3:00-3:30

Use Meyersgaz to look up your town. What does it tell you/what do you learn? Also give them an easy example of a church record and have them transcribe/translate. Answer key will be provided the next day.

Instructor: Debra Hoffman and Teresa McMillin

Week 2, 20 October 

Review of Homework Assignment, 8:00-8:30

Instructor: Debra Hoffman and Teresa McMillin

Church Records 1: History & Denominations, 8:30-9:45

This session covers the history of the religious changes in Germany, specifically the Protestant Reformation and its impact. The resulting denominations will be discussed.

Instructor: Debra Hoffman

Church Records 2: Records & Repositories, 10:00-11:15

This session covers the religious sources that researchers can expect to find and how to access them in various German repositories online. If not online, finding the right repository will be discussed.

Instructor: Debra Hoffman

Using Church Records Effectively, 12:15-1:30

This session will cover using church records effectively. The focus will be on whole family research, dealing with indexed and unindexed records, translation tools, and creating source citations.

Instructor: Teresa McMillin

Other Church Records, 1:45-3:00

This session goes beyond baptism, marriage, and funeral records. This teaches effective use of confirmation and communion records, as well as Familienbücher.

Instructor: Teresa McMillin

Homework Assignment, 3:00-3:30

Apply the lessons learned so far. Find where church records may be found for your town. They may not be online.

Instructor: Teresa McMillin and Debra Hoffman

Week 3, 27 October

Review of Homework Assignment, 8:00-8:30

Instructor: Debra Hoffman and Teresa McMillin

Hidden Gems in German and Polish Archives, 8:30-9:45

Many researchers are unaware of the wealth of resources held in local and regional German archives, ranging from wills and court records to mortgage registers, tax lists, and emigration files. Polish archives, meanwhile, are essential for researching Germans from the former Eastern Provinces, where church records often did not survive.

Archival materials can help fill in blanks in your family tree, but also provide details not found in parish records, allowing for a deeper understanding of an ancestor’s life experience. This presentation will show sample records from different areas of Germany and Poland, explain their value, and show how they were found.

Instructor: Ute Brandenburg

Civil Registration, 10:00-11:15

Online and also writing to civil registration office. Rhineland area had registration throughout 1800s. Some in Pfalz (or Bavaria) region.

Instructor: Daniel Jones

The Status Designation in Church Records: A Mirror of Local Society, 12:15-1:30

German church records contain detailed information about individuals’ social statuses – terms such as citizen, inhabitant, or neighbor – that reflected their place within the community. But what exactly do these designations mean, and why was status so significant? This lecture explores the importance of status in historical context, analyzing examples from communities of different sizes, locations, and periods.

Instructor: Ute Brandenburg

Published Sources Illuminate German Towns, 1:45-3:00

Learn about published sources available in the United States that cover German towns. Many relevant publications have been produced by German genealogical societies. Sources include Ortsfamilenbücher, Addressbücher, and German-language newspapers.

Instructor: Debra Hoffman

Homework Assignment, 3:00-3:30

Students will have an individual research project and will be expected to apply the concepts to their research each week. If applicable, look for civil registration records for your research subject and their family. What do you know about their social level and occupations?

Instructor: Debra Hoffman and Teresa McMillin

Week 4, 3 November

Review of Homework Assignment, 8:00-8:30

Instructor: Debra Hoffman and Teresa McMillin

They Joined and They Associated: Finding Records of Organizations and Other Collections, 8:30-9:45

Ancestral families often joined organizations related to German heritage, fraternal, charitable, religious, resettlement, political, social, or other types. There may be substantial family information buried away in a manuscript collection. Finding aids lead us to these collections with records of membership, relationships, donations, hardships, necrologies, stories, activities, and more.

Instructor: Paula Stuart-Warren

Exploring German Military Records, 10:00-11:15

This session explores the types of German military records one might access from the United States. It includes a high-level discussion of the availability of these records and techniques for finding them for a specific area of interest.

Instructor: Teresa McMillin

Using the Central File of the Department of State for Family Research, Part I: Despatches From Foreign Service Posts, 1789–1906, 12:15-1:30

Learn how to find death reports, facts about estate settlement, citizenship status, and other information about people among the despatches from American foreign service posts, including how to access them online.

Instructor: Kenneth Heger

Using the Central File of the Department of State for Family Research, Part II: The Numerical and Minor File, 1916–1910, 1:45-3:00

Learn how to make use of the Department of State’s new and indexed central files to find information on people quickly, easily, and how to access the files online.

Instructor: Kenneth Heger

Homework Assignment, 3:00-3:30

Students will have an individual research project and will be expected to apply the concepts to their research each week. What organizations might your research family have been involved with? Can you find records for that organization? Did your research subject have military service? What Department of State records might help your research?

Instructor: Debra Hoffman and Teresa McMillin

Week 5, 10 November

Review of Homework Assignment, 8:00-8:30

Instructor: Debra Hoffman and Teresa McMillin

Case Studies Illustrated Through Online Records, 8:30-9:45

Various case studies will be used to illustrate the information found in online sources and how to effectively analyze and use them in German genealogical research. 

Instructor: Debra Hoffman

Finding Volkers Father – A DNA Case Study, 10:00-11:15

Volker P. was born in Berlin in 1949 and emigrated to Australia with his parents as a young boy. In 2018, he learned that the man who had raised him was not his biological father. This intriguing case study demonstrates how a paternity case was solved through a third-cousin DNA match, the analysis of ancestral migration patterns, and careful sleuthing in historical records.

Instructor: Ute Brandenburg

Solving Complex Genealogical Problems: The Case of Balthasar Weber, 12:15-1:30

Instructor: Daniel Jones

Introduction to Archival Research in Germany, 1:45-3:00

German archives hold valuable records beyond the church records highlighted in this course. This session gives an overview of what might be accessible online and how to determine what else might be available.

Instructor: Teresa McMillin

Course Summation, 3:00-3:30

Instructor: Debra Hoffman and Teresa McMillin

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