m (Text replacement - "Category:Germany Search Strategies" to "Category:Germany Research Strategies") |
m (Text replacement - " " to " ") |
||
| Line 3: | Line 3: | ||
==== "Steinhausen, Germany" ==== | ==== "Steinhausen, Germany" ==== | ||
'''Question''': "My ancestor's U.S. church burial record stated that he was born in "Steinhause, Rhein Kreis, Bavaria" in 1780. Other records also identified his birth place as Steinhausen. He was Protestant. | '''Question''': "My ancestor's U.S. church burial record stated that he was born in "Steinhause, Rhein Kreis, Bavaria" in 1780. Other records also identified his birth place as Steinhausen. He was Protestant. I would like to identify his birth place." | ||
'''Answer''': Technically the "Rheinkreis" was | '''Answer''': Technically the "Rheinkreis" was in the Pfalz [Palatinate] region of Bavaria during parts of the 19th Century. However, when the term shows up in U.S. records it may also mistakenly refer to Upper or Middle Franconia. A search of the Bavaria gazetteer showed two localities called Steinhausen in the Kingdom of Bavaria. The population of both towns was Roman Catholic. A separate gazetteer for the Pfalz [Palatinate] did not list any entries for "Steinhausen". | ||
However, it is possible that the town name included something else besides "Steinhausen", may be "Steinberghausen" or "Untersteinhausen" etc. A reverse-sort gazetteer is a good tool to check out those possibilities. This kind of book lists all | However, it is possible that the town name included something else besides "Steinhausen", may be "Steinberghausen" or "Untersteinhausen" etc. A reverse-sort gazetteer is a good tool to check out those possibilities. This kind of book lists all localities in a certain region alphabetically, beginning with the LAST letter of the name. As a result, places with the same ending, such as "hausen", are grouped together. Roger P. Minert has published a whole series of gazetteers that include a "reverse-sort" section. For this problem I used: | ||
Minert, Roger P., ''Palatinate place name indexes | Minert, Roger P., ''Palatinate place name indexes : identifying place names using alphabetical and reverse alphabetical indexes,''Woods Cross, Utah : GRT Publications, 2000, [[/en/index.php?title=Special:BookSources&isbn=0967842026|ISBN 0967842026]] (FHL 943.3 E2m 2000 copy 1 ) | ||
This gazetteer suggested two possible localities: Grosssteinhausen and Kleinsteinhausen. | This gazetteer suggested two possible localities: Grosssteinhausen and Kleinsteinhausen. | ||
The gazetteer on [http://www.jewishgen.org www.jewishgen.org] can also be used in a similar way. It will work for localities known to be situated in the former Federal Republic of Germany [West Germany before 1989], since the German part of this | The gazetteer on [http://www.jewishgen.org www.jewishgen.org] can also be used in a similar way. It will work for localities known to be situated in the former Federal Republic of Germany [West Germany before 1989], since the German part of this tool is based on a 1960 gazetteer. Use the [http://www.jewishgen.org/Communities/LocTown.asp JewishGen Gazetteer]. There are four search options: | ||
*phonetically by Daitch-Mokotoff Soundex | *phonetically by Daitch-Mokotoff Soundex | ||
| Line 20: | Line 20: | ||
*contains | *contains | ||
The search can be narrowed down to a certain region or European country. In this case, choose "Germany". A search for place names in "Germany" containing "steinhausen" results in eighteen matches, including Grosssteinhausen and Kleinsteinhausen, both located in the Palatinate. | The search can be narrowed down to a certain region or European country. In this case, choose "Germany". A search for place names in "Germany" containing "steinhausen" results in eighteen matches, including Grosssteinhausen and Kleinsteinhausen, both located in the Palatinate. | ||
Both Grosssteinhausen and Kleinsteinhausen belonged to Hornbach Reformed parish. Civil registration records beginning in 1798 were kept in Grosssteinhausen. The ancestor's marriage was found in the Grosssteinbach civil registration records. | Both Grosssteinhausen and Kleinsteinhausen belonged to Hornbach Reformed parish. Civil registration records beginning in 1798 were kept in Grosssteinhausen. The ancestor's marriage was found in the Grosssteinbach civil registration records. | ||
| Line 28: | Line 28: | ||
=== Mystery Places === | === Mystery Places === | ||
Identifying German places of origin recorded in U.S. | Identifying German places of origin recorded in U.S. records can be challenging. Often checking a gazetteer or refererence book is not enough. It may be neccessary to study the history of a particular region and follow up on boundary- and place name changes. | ||
==== Examples of decoded mystery place names ==== | ==== Examples of decoded mystery place names ==== | ||
| Line 34: | Line 34: | ||
*Maberschan = Mappershain next door to Kemel, Hessen-Nassau. [soft versus hard consonants, ending contracted] | *Maberschan = Mappershain next door to Kemel, Hessen-Nassau. [soft versus hard consonants, ending contracted] | ||
*Noerle = Noerdlingen in Swabia [place name abbreviated in dialect] | *Noerle = Noerdlingen in Swabia [place name abbreviated in dialect] | ||
*Baldange {from a U.S. citizenship record] | *Baldange {from a U.S. citizenship record] = Buedingen in the Grand Duchy of Hessen-Darmstadt [... dange" is a common French form of the German ending "...dingen"] | ||
*Chattenbergen = Scharrachbergheim near Westhoffen, Alsace [Note the contraction "...bergen" vs - "...bergheim" | *Chattenbergen = Scharrachbergheim near Westhoffen, Alsace [Note the contraction "...bergen" vs - "...bergheim" | ||
*Stoppen in Holstein [U.S. church marriage record] = Stubben, Kreis Stormarn [vowel change plus hard/soft consonant] | *Stoppen in Holstein [U.S. church marriage record] = Stubben, Kreis Stormarn [vowel change plus hard/soft consonant] | ||
*Sanktmagelsdohn | *Sanktmagelsdohn Holstein [parent's origin listed in a child's U.S. baptismal record] = Sankt Michaelisdonn, Holstein | ||
*Weilinstadt [U.S. passenger list] = Weil (der Stadt) in Wuerttemberg | *Weilinstadt [U.S. passenger list] = Weil (der Stadt) in Wuerttemberg | ||
*Giengenheim, Hessen-D., or Gingenheim, Hessen | *Giengenheim, Hessen-D., or Gingenheim, Hessen [U.S. civil marriage record]= Gau-Koengernheim, Hessen [the reverse-sort index suggested Koengernheim. There were two towns by that name in Hessen- Darmstadt. A search in the online telephone book for the known surnames suggested that Gau-Koengernheim was the correct place, which was proven through subsequent research.] | ||
*Giessingen [death record in Alsace] = Guinsing, Bettviller, Moselle | *Giessingen [death record in Alsace] = Guinsing, Bettviller, Moselle | ||
*Deux-Ponts = Zweibruecken in the Pfalz region [place name translated into French] | *Deux-Ponts = Zweibruecken in the Pfalz region [place name translated into French] | ||
*Conisone, Pommern = Nieder- or | *Conisone, Pommern = Nieder- or Obercomsow, Kreis Lauenburg, Pommern | ||
*Frohnhoppen, Thronhoppen, | *Frohnhoppen, Thronhoppen, Fronhoffen etc. = Fronhofen | ||
=== German Research on the Internet- handouts === | === German Research on the Internet- handouts === | ||
| Line 63: | Line 63: | ||
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 (Poznan), Silesia (Schlesien), | 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.agoff.de/ 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) | 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:Germany Research Strategies]] | [[Category:Germany Research Strategies]] | ||
edits