23,837
edits
m
German counterparts
m (a) |
m (German counterparts) |
||
| Line 54: | Line 54: | ||
=== Finding "displaced persons" === | === Finding "displaced persons" === | ||
'''Question''':“We understand German people from the Northern Poland (Pomerania) area were sent out of the country to Germany when Russians moved in after WWII. Is there any way of knowing where these Pomeranian people settled? | '''Question''':“We understand German people from the Northern Poland (Pomerania or Pommern) area were sent out of the country to Germany when Russians moved in after WWII. Is there any way of knowing where these Pomeranian people settled? | ||
'''Answer:''' Towards the end of World War II, the Germans had to flee from the advancing Russian troops, mostly on foot, to the West. Many families were split up along the way. These displaced persons eventually found new homes all over West Germany. Some eventually emigrated to the United States, Canada, and other countries. The International Tracing Service (ITS) in Bad Arolsen was created to document all victims of the Nazi regime and to facilitate bringing families back together whenever possible. Its collection includes much information about displaced persons. You can learn more about this organization through its website http://www.its-arolsen.org/en/homepage/index.html. Recently the ITS made its material available to the public for research. | '''Answer:''' Towards the end of World War II, the Germans had to flee from the advancing Russian troops, mostly on foot, to the West. Many families were split up along the way. These displaced persons eventually found new homes all over West Germany. Some eventually emigrated to the United States, Canada, and other countries. The International Tracing Service (ITS) in Bad Arolsen was created to document all victims of the Nazi regime and to facilitate bringing families back together whenever possible. Its collection includes much information about displaced persons. You can learn more about this organization through its website http://www.its-arolsen.org/en/homepage/index.html. Recently the ITS made its material available to the public for research. | ||
| Line 62: | Line 62: | ||
Heimatkreise, or “homeland organizations” exist for various Pomeranian counties in Germany today. They strive to preserve both the cultural heritage and historical materials, and facilitate communication among their members through regular get-togethers, newsletters, and special interest groups. Members include those who were born in the respective Kreis or had their permanent residence there, as well as their descendants. Many groups have homepages on the Internet ( usually in German), which can be located by entering “Heimatkreis + [county name] “ in a search engine such as www.google.de. The Heimatkreis may be able to help you locate relatives or others who came from the same area as your ancestors. See http://heimatkreis-schlawe.de/index.php for an example of a Heimatkreis homepage. Reunions of former residents of various villages are listed in a calendar. This page also includes links to village pages and pages of interest to the genealogist. | Heimatkreise, or “homeland organizations” exist for various Pomeranian counties in Germany today. They strive to preserve both the cultural heritage and historical materials, and facilitate communication among their members through regular get-togethers, newsletters, and special interest groups. Members include those who were born in the respective Kreis or had their permanent residence there, as well as their descendants. Many groups have homepages on the Internet ( usually in German), which can be located by entering “Heimatkreis + [county name] “ in a search engine such as www.google.de. The Heimatkreis may be able to help you locate relatives or others who came from the same area as your ancestors. See http://heimatkreis-schlawe.de/index.php for an example of a Heimatkreis homepage. Reunions of former residents of various villages are listed in a calendar. This page also includes links to village pages and pages of interest to the genealogist. | ||
Similar homeland organizations exist for the various Kreise in East Brandenburg, Posen, Schlesien, East Prussia, and West Prussia. The [http://www.genealogienetz.de/vereine/AGoFF/fst/index.htm Arbeitsgemeinschaft Ostdeutscher Familienforscher] [Work Group of East German Family Historians or AGoFF] can also point you to various helpful organizations and web links for each area. | Similar homeland organizations exist for the various Kreise in East Brandenburg, Posen (Poznan), Silesia (Schlesien), East Prussia (Ostpreussen), and West Prussia (Westpreussen). The [http://www.genealogienetz.de/vereine/AGoFF/fst/index.htm Arbeitsgemeinschaft Ostdeutscher Familienforscher] [Work Group of East German Family Historians or AGoFF] can also point you to various helpful organizations and web links for each area. | ||
The [http://www.kirchlicher-suchdienst.de/en/ Kirchlicher Suchdienst] (Tracing service of the ecclesiastical Welfare organizations) can also help in locating relatives who were displaced after 1945. More than 20 million persons are included in card files arranged by the town of origin known as "Heimatortskartei". Information about the Heimatortskartei Pommern is found [http://hinterpommern.de/Wegweiser/node77.html here]. | The [http://www.kirchlicher-suchdienst.de/en/ Kirchlicher Suchdienst] (Tracing service of the ecclesiastical Welfare organizations) can also help in locating relatives who were displaced after 1945. More than 20 million persons are included in card files arranged by the town of origin known as "Heimatortskartei". Information about the Heimatortskartei Pommern is found [http://hinterpommern.de/Wegweiser/node77.html here]. | ||
== References == | == References == | ||
[[Category:Baerbel's_column]] [[Category:Germany|Baerbel's column]] | [[Category:Baerbel's_column]] [[Category:Germany|Baerbel's column]] | ||