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From: "Carla Heller, M. A." <>
Subject: [B-W] Letters (& Advice) for German Genealogy Correspondence :-)
Date: Wed, 28 Jan 2004 09:06:17 -0800


Dear Baden-Wuerttemberg List Friends,

Here are some Web sites (and a personal suggestion) about German
genealogy correspondence that may prove helpful.

Incidentally, 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 stressful than sending inquiries to
Germany for the identical information shown on the microfilms. :-)

For those seeking contact with a potential family member or ancestral
townsperson (rather than a record repository or institution),
correspondence is more necessary. Keep in mind that at least the
*initial* genealogical inquiry letter one sends to Germany should be
short and to the point. You want to determine politely whether the
recipient indeed *has* any information of value to you, and whether they
have an interest in *sharing* it.

If you choose to correspond, make your letter's content as *brief and
clear* as possible. My personal recommendation is to write it *in
German,* so the recipient can respond with a minimum of time spent,
confusion or inconvenience. Please don't despair if you are a
non-German-speaker (like me) ! :-) There are pre-translated German form
letters available FREE online, which can be copied and used for
genealogy-related correspondence purposes. Letters with different
content for various uses can be found at the following Web sites:

German Letter Writing Guide (Research Aid from LDS Family History
Library)
[when at this page, scroll down to the listings for the letter "G," and
then select "German Letter Writing Guide"]
http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/RG/frameset_rhelps.asp

German Genealogy Net - Form Letters in German
http://www.genealogienetz.de/misc/letters/

Genealogy Letter Translations English to German
http://www.puffin.com/puffin/tree/letters.htm

German Study Group [2 Letters by Sacramento German Genealogical Society]
http://thorin.adnc.com/%7Elynnd/vuword.html#g

Karin Schoepke's Sample Letter to German-speaking Individuals
http://www.on-line.de/%7Ekarin.schoepke/Briefe.htm#anfang

Donna's Genealogy Help Page German & Polish Letter Translations
http://hometown.aol.com/Nodoubtay/translations.htm

Michael M. Ziefle's Letters in German
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/Homepages/M_Ziefle/famcom2e.htm

Hope this provides some basic practical assistance! Good luck! :-)

Warmest wishes,

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


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