Germany, Prussia, Brandenburg, Landkreis Ostprignitz-Ruppin, Miscellaneous Records - FamilySearch Historical Records: Difference between revisions

*Use the age in the marriage records to find an approximate birth year to begin your search in church or civil records       

*Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have been born, married or died nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify. Compile the entries for every person who has the same surname; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual. This compiled list can help you identify possible relations that can be further verified by researching [https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/Germany_Vital_Records_Index_(FamilySearch_Historical_Records) vital records] in the country       

*[[Germany Church Records|Church Records]] often were kept years before government records were required and are a good source for finding ancestors before 1900. If the officiator of a marriage or death was a minister, you may be able to determine to which religion or congregation your ancestor belonged. Look for church records of the birth, marriage, or death which may provide more information on the family

*Switch to a different record collection. Depending on the time period, German Civil Registration records or German Church records may be more useful                                                                                                     

*Standard spelling of names typically did not exist during the periods our ancestors lived in. Try variations of your ancestor’s name while searching the index or browsing through images. Pay special attention to how the name should have been pronounced and try variations on the pronunciation         

*Remember that sometimes individuals went by [http://usgenweb.org/research/nicknames.html nicknames] or alternated between using first and middle names. Try searching for [http://genealogy.about.com/od/first_names/fl/nickname-given-name-equivalents.htm these names] as well       

*Search the indexes and records of [[Germany Societies|local genealogical societies]]