Guild records contain lists of merchants, craftsmen, tradesmen, skilled laborers, and persons bound by indenture to serve others for a prescribed period to learn an art, trade, or skill. The records reflect the Germanic heritage of the Hanseatic League in the Baltics. Records are extant from the 1500s-1920. These records can be used to identify family groups and ages. Records go beyond metrical books as a linkage source and are considered by genealogical researchers to be as important as metrical books. | Guild records contain lists of merchants, craftsmen, tradesmen, skilled laborers, and persons bound by indenture to serve others for a prescribed period to learn an art, trade, or skill. The records reflect the Germanic heritage of the Hanseatic League in the Baltics. Records are extant from the 1500s-1920. These records can be used to identify family groups and ages. Records go beyond metrical books as a linkage source and are considered by genealogical researchers to be as important as metrical books. |