German Genealogy Headquarters

If you'd like to learn from the best, look no further! Ursula is exceptionally knowledgeable and a great presenter.

Cracking the Case with German Records You’ve Never Used Before - Legacy Family Tree Webinars Learn about unknown German records by following the life of the German dairy farmer Friedrich Stange who came to America in 1855. Ursula will tell his story,...

Can you figure out what you’re looking at here?

New books from Hannover!

NEUE KIRCHENBÜCHER BEI ARCHION

In den vergangenen 7 Tagen sind 226 Kirchenbücher aus diesen Orten online gegangen:

Ahlerstedt
Apensen
Barbis
Bargstedt
Bartolfelde
Buxtehude
Elbingerode
Gieboldehausen
Harsefeld
Hattorf
Horneburg
Lauterberg
Osterhagen
Pöhlde
Schanzfeld
Wollershausen
(Landeskirchliches Archiv der Evangelisch-lutherischen Landeskirche Hannovers)

Großbodungen (St. Petri)
Hauröden (St. Trinitatis)
Krimderode (St. Nicolai)
Oberdorf (St. Petri)
Petersdorf (St. Johannis)
(Landeskirchenarchiv der Evangelischen Kirche Mitteldeutschland/Magdeburg)

Die neuen Digitalisate finden Sie immer im Menüpunkt „Archion entdecken“: https://www.archion.de/de/archion-entdecken/alle-news/neue-digitalisate

Indexes are wonderful, but you must always check the original record!
Here, the indexer made all sorts of "adjustments" - and initially I had dismissed this record. But when I did look at the original, I found that the marriage took place in 1878, not 1848, and both spouses were born circa at 1853, not 1823. And it was the couple I was looking for. How the indexer got so much wrong - I have no idea.

I'm attending an international seminar on German Jewish genealogy today. This is one of my favorite areas to research. Learning about the social context of cattle trading has been fascinating. A shout-out to Jeanette R Rosenberg for putting together and moderating this well-attended event!

One year ago, I went on tour with my client Marilyn and her friend Cherri. This delightful memory is of Marilyn and the local historian, who graciously spent the day with us, visiting the ancestral church in Frauensee, Thuringia. I love the lighting at this special moment.

The discovery of her Romani ancestors in West Prussia was my work.

As we continue celebrating AAPI Heritage Month, tonight we revisit Season 11 of with as she uncovers the remarkable history hidden throughout her family tree. ✨

Watch at 8/7c on .

Tomorrow!

You’re invited to join SGGS on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at 10 a.m. (PT) / 1 p.m. (ET) for our *free* monthly webinar! The month’s topic is “The Emperor’s New Code: German Records under Napoleon’s Rule” presented by Ute Brandenburg.

The French Revolution brought sweeping changes to governance and record-keeping through the Napoleonic Code, introducing standardized civil registration in 1798 and creating some of the richest genealogical records researchers can encounter. Researchers may also face the challenges — and surprises — of the French Revolutionary Calendar and unfamiliar record formats.

Although many German regions returned to church records after Napoleon’s defeat, areas west of the Rhine continued using the French civil system until civil registration was introduced across the German Empire in 1874/1876.

This engaging presentation offers practical strategies for locating and interpreting Napoleonic civil records in Germany while exploring how these records compare to contemporary church registers.

Ute Brandenburg is a bilingual German American, born in the US and educated in Germany. As a researcher, she combines her thorough understanding of German history, geography, and culture with a broad knowledge of US immigration history and sources.

Ute has a fascination with old documents. One of her favorite experiences as a researcher is to work with original records at German and Polish archives. She enjoys and excels at reading handwriting from five centuries.

In recent years, Ute has had remarkable success in using DNA to solve German origin questions as well as cases of unknown paternity in Germany. She lectures to international audiences on this topic.

Register for this unique webinar opportunity on the SGGS website at https://sggs.us. We look forward to sharing this presentation with you!

Four baptism records from Paderborn, Westphalia, in 1781. Can you spot the difference? 😆
Can you explain the difference?

I spoke about German and Polish archives last night to a large group of attendees with The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania. Many stayed for a Q&A session that lasted an entire hour!
There are no right or wrong questions in German genealogy, and I LOVE when researchers ask. We can all learn from it.
If you still have a question, please ask it here. And if you'd like to discuss your research in much more detail with me and other researchers, watch for the start of a new session of the German Genealogy Lab later this summer 👀 - the Lab is where breakthroughs happen! 💡🧩