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 | Village Family Books | Students will learn about these books, which are available in many areas of Germany. They will learn the abbreviations and symbols used, see how to reconstruct multiple generations of a family, and where to find valuable books. | Bittner |
| 6 | 10:45 – 12 PM | The Ins and Outs of CompGen | CompGen has many tools that can aid the search for German ancestors, from published genealogies to jurisdictional gazetteers. This session will explore how to use the German genealogical website CompGen fully. | Jones | |
| 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, etc. | 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 ancestors, 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 | Uncovering the Threads of German Chain Migration | We often have a romanticized view of our ancestors walking off the ship, getting a new name by immigration officials, and eking out a life on their own in the New World. The reality was that the destination of the vast majority of Germans was family or friends they knew before they even got on the ship. This class will showcase how chain migration influenced where our German ancestors settled. | Jones |
| 10 | 10:45 – 12 PM | Once I Get to Germany, Then What? | Students will follow a case where the Elusive Immigrant leaves multiple independent sources, giving an exact place of origin in Germany. However, when records of that locality are searched, the immigrant is nowhere to be found. Learn techniques in German sources to prove immigrant identities. | Bittner | |
| 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 aid 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 |