- 1). Dig for information close to home. After gathering family history information and quizzing your oldest relative, log on to Family Search or visit one of the 1,800 Family History Centers. The extensive information available should provide you with lots of clues. Double-check names, dates and towns for accuracy. The spelling of names changed for many reasons.
- 2). Check with a county or state genealogical society if your German relatives settled in the area. German emigrants established communities in Texas, Pennsylvania and throughout the Midwest, so local societies and libraries might be able to help you search for your German roots.
- 3). Comb through the passenger lists for ships that brought people from Germany to the U.S. Approximately 7.2 million emigrated from Bremerhaven in the 19th and 20th centuries, while 5 million left from Hamburg. Hamburg's Ballinstadt Museum holds an extensive collection of passenger lists.
- 4). Go online to gain access to as many records as you can. Use only credible sources such as genealogical societies. Genealogy.net is a good place to start (see Resources).
- 5). Trace your German roots through church records. Like other countries in Europe, individual Lutheran and Reformed in Germany churches kept records for births, marriages and death starting in the late 1500s. If the LDS Family Library doesn't have anything, write to the archives for the town where the church records would most likely be located. Obtain records after 1871 from the registrar's office in the location where officials recorded it.
- 6). Search for a Heimatbuch or an Ortssippenbuecher. A Heimatbuch is a town history that includes details about important members of a village. Rarer is the Ortssippenbuecher, a genealogy of all the townspeople. Don't forget about other published genealogies.
- 7). Visit Germany if you have a chance. In addition to enjoying the many sights, you should stop at Bremerhaven's German Emigration Center. This museum offers a wonderful audio program of following an actual emigrant from Germany to his or her new home.
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