Blog
German Phase 2: Research in the Hometown Online
At some point, many genealogists encounter it—a record, a birthplace, or a clue that leads to a German hometown.
And with it comes a new set of challenges.
Records may be written in unfamiliar handwriting. Place names shift over time. Multiple towns share the same name. Church and civil records follow different systems, and not all of them are easily accessible.
German Phase 2: Research in the Hometown Online focuses on working through those challenges with a clear, step-by-step approach.
The course centers on identifying and using church and civil records tied to a specific German locality, whether those records are available online or require additional strategies to access. Participants learn how to locate the correct town, use maps and gazetteers effectively, and navigate the structure and content of German records.
Instruction also addresses practical skills such as reading historical handwriting, recognizing key terms, and extracting meaningful information from records. Beyond church and civil sources, the course introduces additional materials—including archival records, published town histories, and other lesser-known resources that can deepen research.
Through case studies and hands-on work, participants apply these methods directly to their own research, building confidence in their ability to move forward even when records are complex or unfamiliar.
For those whose research has led to Germany—and stalled there—this course provides a structured way to move past uncertainty and continue the work with clarity and direction.