Tutorial
German Genealogy Tip #20: Find Your Immigrant Ancestor in the NARA’s “Germans to America” Database
Have you had bad luck searching for your German immigrant ancestor’s arrival record in the Ancestry.com collections or on other websites? The best and most comprehensive database of German arrival records for 1850-1897, in my opinion, is the National Archives’ “Germans to America Database,” located at: http://aad.archives.gov/aad/fielded-search.jsp?dt=2102&tf You can search for your immigrant ancestor by last […]
German Genealogy Tip #19: How to Find an Ancestor’s Newspaper Obituary
One of the–I think–most overlooked and underappreciated resources when doing German-American genealogy, or genealogy in general, are newspaper obituaries. Especially when the obituaries are printed in the newspapers of smaller towns in rural areas, they can contain a cache of golden information. Some of the most important pieces of information a newspaper obituary might offer […]
How to Access Hessian Death Records Online (1876-1929)
Do you have any ancestors from the Hesse / Hessia / Hessen-Kassel region of Germany? Here is a little known secret: you can access most of the death records from this region, for the years 1876 through 1929, for free, online. To access the death records, first go to the HADIS website. Step 1: Go […]
How to Use Jr, Sr, II, III, etc. (with Cartoons)
Ever wondered what qualifies a person to put a “II” or “III” after their name, or what the difference is between a “II” and a “Jr”? Learn how to use generational suffixes, with a little help from cartoons. (Who doesn’t love cartoons?) Rule #1: Parent & Child with Same Name = Sr. + Jr. This […]