BADEN-WURTTEMBERG-L Archives

From: "Carla Heller, M. A." <>
Subject: [B-W] German Family Research: Correspondence or Microfilms? :-)
Date: Wed, 28 Jan 2004 09:06:00 -0800

Dear Baden-Wuerttemberg List Friends,

We've had one or two queries recently which mentioned writing to
churches in Germany to request ancestral information. For those
thinking of doing this, here's an important consideration BEFORE you
write.

While it may be the natural first inclination to send a letter
somewhere, many of us can tell you that if you seek ancestor information
from Europe, this is not often the most effective method. Before
writing to Germany at all, it is wise to determine *first* whether the
information you seek has already been made accessible to you *locally.*
Don't ignore such resources as the microfilms of original, international
church and other records made by the LDS (Mormon) Family History
Library. Using such resources is normally faster, far less expensive,
and less complicated than sending inquiries to Germany for
the identical information shown on the microfilms.

Note that the records you want may not even be stored on the parish
premises any longer. A majority of German churches have long ago
forwarded their older records (particularly those dating from earlier
centuries) to Catholic or Lutheran church *archives*; advantageously,
the LDS Family History Library often microfilms original records *right
in the archives or parish* where they are stored.

When you write to a parish church (or even an archive) in Germany, there
can be quite a turnaround time in getting a response (months or
longer). Keep in mind that the parishes and archives often receive
numerous requests for genealogical information from researchers all over
the world. The churches (especially in the smaller towns and villages
where most of our ancestors originated) are usually not that
well-staffed, and their primary responsibility is *religion*---not
research. They may understandably feel an imposition on their limited
time to be expected to do research that you can do for yourself.

If the records you need have been microfilmed by the LDS, take advantage
of their local accessibility near you. You can generally get much more
information about your ancestors in a shorter period of time by
researching the records yourself. Microfilm research does not have to
be limited to one or two people, as it usually would in a written
inquiry---you can take the time, if you wish, to seek out other
generations or allied family who may appear in the same records.

To check for available microfilms for your ancestor's locality, the LDS
Family History Library Catalog is available both at your local FHC or by
accessing it online at:

http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp

Click on the button marked, "Place Search," and on the next screen, type
in the name of the village, town or city in which you have interest.
The FHL system will respond with links to the catalog which match the
locality name; look for the words "church records" in the choice of
links, and select that to see what the library has. The common
religions which appear for Germany are "Katholisch" (Catholic),
"Evangelisch" (Lutheran Protestant), and "Reformiert"
(Reformed/Calvinist). If you are not sure what religion the
ancestor practiced, take an educated guess, and check the appropriate
records.

(NOTE: If you do not find microfilms under the name of your ancestral
town or village in the LDS Library Catalog, that *may* mean the church
for that location or denomination was located somewhere else, such as a
neighboring town or village. The LDS films only records from those
localities which actually had a church or civil registry in them---*not*
every individual town. You may need to consult a geographical gazetteer
(a type of locality index) to determine the exact location of the church
your ancestor attended. Gazetteers for Germany, such as "Meyers-Orts,"
are also available at most LDS Family History Centers.)

Hope this provides an effective alternative! Good luck! :-)

Warmest wishes,

Carla HELLER, Los Angeles, California USA
List Co-Administrator, RootsWeb's Baden-Wuerttemberg Mailing List

This thread:

• [B-W] German Family Research: Correspondence or Microfilms? :-) by "Carla Heller, M. A." <>