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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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Example No. 2<br> A patron wanted to find out where the town of Kleinich, now in the state of Rheinland-Pfalz, was formerly located. Meyers gazetteer was checked but a place by the name of Kleinich was not listed. Then Müllers gazetteer was checked and here Kleinich was found. However, this gazetteer does not indicate the former state or province in which the places were located before World War II. Next the German General Atlas (Deutscher General Atlas), [FHL Ref Q 943 E3m] was checked and on page 71 Kleinich was found. In addition a place by the name of Oberkleinich, south of Kleinich, and a place by the name of Thalkleinich, north of Kleinich, were found in the atlas.<br> All three of these places are listed in Müllers gazetteer, but only one of them, Thalkleinich, is listed in Meyers gazetteer. When the gazetteer of Prussia was checked it was found that Kleinich was formerly spelled with a "C," Cleinich. This was the reason why it was not found in Meyers under "K," Kleinich. Oberkleinich was also spelled with a 'C," Obercleinich, but Thalkleinich was spelled with "k." The spellings of the places as listed in the Prussian gazetteer (on microfilm 475,861) were also found in Meyers gazetteer and the former province in which these three places were located was Rhineland, Prussia. | Example No. 2<br> A patron wanted to find out where the town of Kleinich, now in the state of Rheinland-Pfalz, was formerly located. Meyers gazetteer was checked but a place by the name of Kleinich was not listed. Then Müllers gazetteer was checked and here Kleinich was found. However, this gazetteer does not indicate the former state or province in which the places were located before World War II. Next the German General Atlas (Deutscher General Atlas), [FHL Ref Q 943 E3m] was checked and on page 71 Kleinich was found. In addition a place by the name of Oberkleinich, south of Kleinich, and a place by the name of Thalkleinich, north of Kleinich, were found in the atlas.<br> All three of these places are listed in Müllers gazetteer, but only one of them, Thalkleinich, is listed in Meyers gazetteer. When the gazetteer of Prussia was checked it was found that Kleinich was formerly spelled with a "C," Cleinich. This was the reason why it was not found in Meyers under "K," Kleinich. Oberkleinich was also spelled with a 'C," Obercleinich, but Thalkleinich was spelled with "k." The spellings of the places as listed in the Prussian gazetteer (on microfilm 475,861) were also found in Meyers gazetteer and the former province in which these three places were located was Rhineland, Prussia. | ||
Listed below are some of the most common reasons why place names cannot be found when the given spelling is wrong:<br> 1. Misinterpretation of handwriting.<br> 2. Incorrect spellings given by those recording the information, including official scribes, ministers, and civil registrars.<br> 3. Localities have been absorbed by larger towns.<br> 4. Places are no longer in existence because of destruction by nature or through wars.<br> 5. Place name changes have occurred over the years.<br> | |||
An excellent overview of German gazetteers and how to use them can be found in [https://familysearch.org/search/search/index/catalog-search#searchType=catalog&filtered=true&fed=false&collectionId=&catSearchType=title&searchCriteria=A+GENEALOGICAL+HANDBOOK+OF+GERMAN+RESEARCH&placeName=&author_givenName=&author_surname= ''A Genealogical Handbook of German Research'']by Larry O. Jensen. | |||
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==== Checking Detailed Maps ==== | |||
Some places can only be found by checking detailed maps for various time periods. Maps of the German Empire of 1871 (FHL film 068,814) is anexcellent source for locating older place names. These and other maps are now available on Ancestry.com. | |||
==== Places names in foreign languages ==== | ==== Places names in foreign languages ==== | ||