Researching in Germany, A Handbook for Your Visit to the Homeland of Your Ancestors, 2nd Edition

What experience could be more impressive and fulfilling than standing at the altar where generations of your ancestors were christened and married, or touring the home where your immigrant great-grandfather was born? Or walking down the road the family wagon would have traveled to their fields or standing in a narrow street in a town where your ancestors ran a tailor shop and picturing them selling their wares from a shop window? The adventures potentially awaiting your are essentially unlimited, and your trip to Germany could produce memories worth anything you pay for it.

Unfortunately, the opposite might be true as well. If your excursion is not properly planned, you might never find the home they lived in, nor see the inside of the church where they worshiped. You might find the office closed or see records you cannot read or pass by crucial records you did not know even exist. You may not achieve any of your goals but simply spend a great deal of money and come home with nothing more than general impressions of a very beautiful and progressive Germany.

The information and suggestions discussed on these pages focus specifically on Germany, but most are applicable to other German-language regions in Europe. We have included short sections on other countries, dealing specifically with conditions that are significantly different.