My good friend, Jim Beidler, just wrote a new book for us titled Trace Your German Roots Online, A Complete Guide to German Genealogy Websites. I got a few hours to read the volume, and I’m recommending it to anyone doing German genealogy research.
Jim knows how to write – and write so we can all understand the topic. This brand new book, focusing specifically on online research tools for German genealogy, features step-by-step guides to accessing online resources. I spend a lot of time on German research and I found resources mentioned, and in some cases detailed, that I didn’t know existed.
The following is from the Table of Contents:
INTRODUCTION
PART ONE: GERMAN GENEALOGY BASICS
CHAPTER 1 BEGINNING YOUR GERMAN RESEARCH Kick-start your genealogical journey with this chapter’s information about the basics of German research and the Bundesrepublik Deutschland.
CHAPTER 2 RESEARCHING GERMAN GENEALOGY ON THE INTERNET Learn the dos and don’ts of online German genealogy. This chapter will outline key Web resources and help you set realistic expectations for your research.
CHAPTER 3 UNTANGLING GERMAN PLACE NAMES AND SURNAMES Decode your ancestors’ garbled name and place of origin with these translation tools and keys to understanding botched German spelling and phonetics.
PART TWO: TOP GERMAN GENEALOGY WEBSITES
CHAPTER 4 FAMILYSEARCH.ORG: THE LARGEST FREE GENEALOGY WEBSITE Explore the Internet’s largest free resource for family records. This chapter unpacks the more than 50 million German records housed by FamilySearch.org.
CHAPTER 5 ANCESTRY.COM: THE ULTIMATE ÜBER-SITE Pinpoint your ancestors’ records in the vast collection of databases held by Ancestry.com and its a affiliate sites. This chapter unpacks what the world’s largest genealogy website can do for you.
CHAPTER 6 GENEALOGY.NET: TWO WEBSITES IN ONE Discover what the German (Genealogy.net) and English (GenWiki) versions of this valuable resource can offer you.
CHAPTER 7 MYHERITAGE: A FOREST OF FAMILY TREES Scour MyHeritage’s vast collection of family trees for information about your own German ancestors.
CHAPTER 8 ARCHION: PROTESTANT CHURCH RECORDS GALORE Master Archion’s invaluable collection of Protestant church records from across modern Germany.
PART THREE: ANSWERS TO YOUR RESEARCH QUESTIONS
CHAPTER 9 HOW DO I IDENTIFY MY ANCESTORS’ PLACE OF ORIGIN? Trace your ancestors to the homeland. This chapter contains passenger lists and emigration databases that will help you follow your family to the old country.
CHAPTER 10 WHERE ELSE CAN I ACCESS CHURCH RECORDS? Seek out even more birth, marriage, and death records created by your ancestors’
place of worship with the resources in this chapter.
CHAPTER 11 HOW DO I CONTACT PEOPLE AND PLACES IN GERMANY? Reach out to researchers on the other side of the Atlantic. This chapter gives you tips for contacting professional genealogists, heads of archives, and even long-lost relatives in Germany.
CHAPTER 12 WHAT ORGANIZATIONS AND ARCHIVES CAN HELP MY RESEARCH? Obtain key records left behind by your ancestors and learn more about their lives through German archives and historical and genealogical societies. This chapter details how and where to search and write for more information.
CHAPTER 13 HOW CAN SOCIAL MEDIA SITES HELP? Delve into the world of likes and hashtags with this guide to using social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter in your German research.
CHAPTER 14 WHAT ELSE SHOULD I ADD TO MY TOOLBOX? Broaden your research horizons with these resources you might not have thought to check.
APPENDIX A MAPS
APPENDIX B WEBSITE INDEX
INDEX
Trace Your German Roots Online, A Complete Guide to German Genealogy Websites; by James M Beidler; Paperback; 238 pp; 7×9; Published: 2016; ISBN: 9781440345180; illustrations; Item # FNW13 Click on the link to order.
