Germany Finding Town of Origin: Difference between revisions

Before beginning research on a German ancestor, you need to know his or her German town of birth. Most of the time this information is found in a source found in the country of immigration, that is, the immigrant’s new home land. After gathering home sources and contacting relatives, research needs to continue in other records. Search the records listed below, plus any others you can find, for your ancestor and any known or suspected relatives.<br>• 19th Century census records, available for the United States, Canada, England, and other countries. Censuses are often taken every ten years. Try to locate your ancestor in every census during which he or she was alive. This information provides a good framework for further research. The 1850-1880 U.S. federal censuses sometimes list a German state or province as birth place. The censuses for 1900 to 1930 ask for the year of immigration and whether or not the person was naturalized. This information can help you find naturalization records or a passenger list. Many images of census records are available without charge at [https://familysearch.org/ familysearch.org]. Others can be accessed at various subscription Web sites. State census records vary in availability and the type of information they contain, but they are always useful as another source to document an ancestor in a specific locality.