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Identifying Place Names in German documents (view source)
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35 places by the name of Rosenberg<br> 44 places by the name of Kirchberg<br> 60 places by the name of Bruch<br> 32 places by the name of Bruck<br> 48 places by the name of Bühl<br> 75 places by the name of Holzhausen<br> 81 places by the name of Grünhof<br> 96 places by the name of Weinberg<br> 100 places by the name of Moos<br> 308 places by the name of Neuhof<br> 347 places by the name of Neumühle | 35 places by the name of Rosenberg<br> 44 places by the name of Kirchberg<br> 60 places by the name of Bruch<br> 32 places by the name of Bruck<br> 48 places by the name of Bühl<br> 75 places by the name of Holzhausen<br> 81 places by the name of Grünhof<br> 96 places by the name of Weinberg<br> 100 places by the name of Moos<br> 308 places by the name of Neuhof<br> 347 places by the name of Neumühle | ||
In a recent article in the German periodical ''Saarländische Familienkunde ''Bernd Gölzer discusses some of the common errors that can occur in family history research. Focusing on place names he identifies some of the problems that have occurred in the compilation of local family books and family histories when the wrong assumptions have been made by the authors. He illustrates with the place name "Brücken," denoting the word "bridge." He notes that in the church books of Niederkirchen, "Brücken" stands for "Osterbrücken," in the church registers of Mimbach, it stands for "Ohmbachbrücken," and in the court records of Blieskastel, it stands for "Bliesbrücken." He also questions why researchers only search records of Kutzenhausen by Augsburg or Herbitzheim an der Blies when they find these names listed in a family book, when the same place names can be found in the bordering areas of France. He suggests that authors compiling local family books and family histories should clearly identify small localities, such as mills and farms to make searching easier for other researchers.<br> In another example from this same article Gölzer mentions the entry of the marriage of Georg Pitz of Biernbach and Anna Gitinger from Kirkel. The author of one town family book has assumed Biernbach is the same as Birnbach im Rottal. This false assumption has misled many researchers. He explains that "Biernbach" is generally known as "Bierbach bei Blieskastel," and there the marriage entry Bietz-Gutdücken will be found, noting the spelling variation of the surnames. | In a recent article in the German periodical ''Saarländische Familienkunde ''Bernd Gölzer discusses some of the common errors that can occur in family history research. Focusing on place names, he identifies some of the problems that have occurred in the compilation of local family books and family histories when the wrong assumptions have been made by the authors. He illustrates with the place name "Brücken," denoting the word "bridge." He notes that in the church books of Niederkirchen, "Brücken" stands for "Osterbrücken," in the church registers of Mimbach, it stands for "Ohmbachbrücken," and in the court records of Blieskastel, it stands for "Bliesbrücken." He also questions why researchers only search records of Kutzenhausen by Augsburg or Herbitzheim an der Blies when they find these names listed in a family book, when the same place names can be found in the bordering areas of France. He suggests that authors compiling local family books and family histories should clearly identify small localities, such as mills and farms to make searching easier for other researchers.<br> In another example from this same article, Gölzer mentions the entry of the marriage of Georg Pitz of Biernbach and Anna Gitinger from Kirkel. The author of one town family book has assumed Biernbach is the same as Birnbach im Rottal. This false assumption has misled many researchers. He explains that "Biernbach" is generally known as "Bierbach bei Blieskastel," and there the marriage entry Bietz-Gutdücken will be found, noting the spelling variation of the surnames. | ||
<br> In "Place Names in German-Speaking countries", Gerhard Jeske gives this research example: | <br> In "Place Names in German-Speaking countries", Gerhard Jeske gives this research example: | ||
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Family Tradition might say that an ancestor who spoke German came to the United States from Europe in 1825 from a place by the name of Baden. If this ancestor came from Germany, there are at least three possibilities as to the place of origin. | Family Tradition might say that an ancestor who spoke German came to the United States from Europe in 1825 from a place by the name of Baden. If this ancestor came from Germany, there are at least three possibilities as to the place of origin. | ||
1) The ancestor may have come from the former | 1) The ancestor may have come from the former Grand Duchy of Baden.<br> 2) His place of origin might be the city of Baden, now known as Baden-Baden, which is a district city in the Schwarzwald area (Black Forest) in the former Grand Duchy of Baden, now in the German state of Baden-Württemberg.<br> 3) The ancestor could have come from the village of Baden in the district (Kreis) of Achim in the former Prussian province of Hannover, now in the German state of Niedersachsen. | ||
In addition to these three possibilities in Germany, there are at least two more possibilities, one in Switzerland and one in Austria. | In addition to these three possibilities in Germany, there are at least two more possibilities, one in Switzerland and one in Austria. | ||
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1) The ancestor may have come from the city of Baden in the Canton of Aargau, Switzerland.<br> 2) His place of origin might be the city of Baden in Niederösterreich (Lower Austria), Austria. | 1) The ancestor may have come from the city of Baden in the Canton of Aargau, Switzerland.<br> 2) His place of origin might be the city of Baden in Niederösterreich (Lower Austria), Austria. | ||
In such cases every possible effort should be made by the researcher to find some facts in addition to family tradition as to the place of origin of the ancestor. Search existing records in the United States to extract clues as to the ancestor's origin. | In such cases every possible effort should be made by the researcher to find some facts in addition to family tradition as to the place of origin of the ancestor. Search existing records in the United States to extract clues as to the ancestor's origin. | ||
==== Gazetteers and Place Name Dictionaries ==== | ==== Gazetteers and Place Name Dictionaries ==== | ||