Course: 2025-11
Advanced German Research
Faculty:
- Coordinator and Instructor: F. Warren Bittner, MS
- Other Instructors: Daniel Jones
Tuition:
- Regular Price: $585.00
- NGS Member Price: $550.00
Description:
Come explore the challenges faced by advanced German researchers. Crossing the ocean and diving into German records can be an intimidating task for the researcher accustomed to American records. Students taking this course will plunge into German sources to find they are not as intimidating as initially feared. This course is designed to provide students with a variety of advanced German research topics, including learning about changes in territorial boundaries, using maps in research, development of law in Germany, published genealogical sources, in-depth analysis, and use of parish records. With these skills established, students will then review case studies that demonstrate how the tools learned can be used to solve daunting research challenges. This hands-on course will help students tackle a wide variety of German sources to identify immigrant origins and conduct research in German records.
Student Prerequisites:
NONE, but come to class with questions about basic German research. No German reading or speaking ability is needed for these classes, but familiarity with basic German church-book research is recommended. For some of the optional evening homework assignments, the ability to read Gothic German script will be helpful.
Notes for Class:
These eighteen topics do not correspond to specific class times. Some of the topics require less than 75 minutes of class time, and others require more. Each day at the end of the afternoon, an optional homework assignment will be given. The following morning, the assignment from the previous afternoon will be discussed.
All times are listed in Eastern Time.
Live Sessions may be subject to schedule adjustments by your course coordinator.
| Day | Session | Time | Session Title | Description | Instructor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday 14 July |
Intro | 8:30 – 9 AM | Class Intro | Bittner | |
| 1 | 9 – 10:15 AM | German Maps and Territories | Learn how German territories have changed over the last 400 years and why it is important to identify the correct territories for ancestors from previous centuries. | Bittner | |
| 2 | 10:45 – 12 PM | German Research and the Law | Learn about the development of law in Germany and how it played a role in the lives of our ancestors. | Bittner | |
| 3 | 1:30 – 2:45 PM | German Published Sources | Examine published sources with genealogical information and how to access them. Use the extensive German handbooks of burgher families, published marriage lists, village family books, published biographies, and more. | Bittner | |
| 4 | 3:15 – 4:30 PM | Making Full Use of Parish Records | See how a more in-depth analysis and use of parish records can identify ancestors and family connections that are not specifically stated in baptism, marriage, and burial entries. | Jones | |
| Extra | 4:30 – 5 PM | Enhancement Session | Discussion of Homework/Studies | Bittner | |
| Tuesday 15 July |
5 | 9 – 10:15 AM | Finding Your Ancestors in German Directories | In Germany, more and more directories are online. These records can provide an occupation and place where other records fail. Discover where to find them, how to work with them, and how to interpret the information typical for German directories. | TBD |
| 6 | 10:45 – 12 PM | The Palatine Immigrants – Tracing and Locating 18th-Century German Immigrants Online | Discover how to track those who traveled from the German states to the colonies in the 1700s. Learn techniques that will assist you in discovering their place of origin in Germany through the Internet and other sources. Use migration patterns to help you locate their family and friends. | TBD | |
| 7 | 1:30 – 2:45 PM | Reading for Social and Historical Context | Reading social histories is essential to interpret correctly the lives of our ancestors. See examples of learning about school life, marriage customs, peasant life, and more. | Bittner | |
| 8 | 3:15 – 4:30 PM | Defending the Vaterland | You will learn the history of military service in Germany, what kind of records could exist for your ancestor, and see the surprising amount of information proving an unusual family connection in the accompanying case study. | Jones | |
| Extra | 4:30 – 5 PM | Enhancement Session | Discussion of Homework/Studies | Bittner | |
| Wednesday 16 July |
9 | 9 – 10:15 AM | Adding Character: Using Repositories and Archives to Enrich your German Ancestor’s Life | So often, the real gems of Pennsylvania German research are not found in the typical location, | Bittner |
| 10 | 10:45 – 12 PM | Is This the End? Taking Your German Brick Walls Down Piece by Piece | but rather in the varied repositories and archives of Pennsylvania. You will learn how to locate these archives, how to search their collections (finding aids), and how to use what you find in your research. We will focus on finding and using manuscripts, city directories, diaries, letters, and photographs to flesh out our ancestors’s stories. Learn to find the “Good stuff” – the meat on the bones of our ancestors or sometimes the means to breaking down brick walls. | TBD | |
| 11 | 1:30 – 2:45 PM | German Records Online | The golden age of online German records is beginning. Learn about the collections from different archives being digitized and put online and how they can aide your research. | Jones | |
| 12 | 3:15 – 4:30 PM | German Calendars and Symbols | Explore the various calendars that appear in German records: the Roman calendar, the Julian and Gregorian calendars, and the Liturgical calendar. | Bittner | |
| Extra | 4:30 – 5 PM | Enhancement Session | Discussion of Homework/Studies | Bittner | |
| Thursday 17 July |
13 | 9 – 10:15 AM | Complex Thinking in German Research | Learn to think “outside the box” of usual sources used in German research. Learn to read beneath the surface of the records for easily overlooked information. | Jones |
| 14 | 10:45 – 12 PM | The Zuppann Family: Two Generations of Immigrants | This session shows the surprising amount of information found in various archives and record types for two generations of Zuppann immigrants- one into Germany and one out of Germany. | Jones | |
| 15 | 1:30 – 2:45 PM | German Marriage Sources You May Have Missed | Explore the wide range of German marriage sources frequently overlooked by genealogists. These included documents showing the external pressures on marriage choice, the lengthy marriage process, and published marriage sources. | Bittner | |
| 16 | 3:15 – 4:30 PM | Understanding and Researching Illegitimacy | Illegitimacy ran as high as thirty percent in some areas. Learn how to research sources for illegitimacy and the role it played in the lives of those involved. Hear a case study of how one village’s efforts to stop a marriage resulted in three out-of-wedlock births. | Bittner | |
| Friday 18 July |
17 | 9 – 10:15 AM | Onsite Research in Germany | The German archives are rife with documents regarding our ancestors. See examples of the types of documents that can be found in German Archives. Research in German archives is as essential as courthouse research is in the United States. | Bittner |
| 18 | 10:45 – 12 PM | Preparing for an Archival Visit | Visiting an archive in a foreign country can seem overwhelming. This session provides a primer on making a successful visit to an archive, from identifying an archive to visit to showing up at the door. | Jones |