Explore Your German Ancestry! Follow your family tree back to its roots in Bavaria, Baden, Prussia, Hesse, Saxony, Wurttemburg and beyond. This in-depth genealogy guide will walk you step by step through the exciting journey of researching your German heritage, whether your ancestors came from lands now in modern-day Germany or other German-speaking areas of Europe, including Austria, Switzerland, and enclaves across Eastern Europe. In this book, you'll learn how to: • Retrace your German immigrant ancestors' voyage from Europe to America. • Pinpoint the precise place in Europe your ancestors came from. • Uncover birth, marriage, death, church, census, court, military, and other records documenting your ancestors' lives. • Access German records of your family from your own hometown. • Decipher German-language records, including unfamiliar German script. • Understand German names and naming patterns that offer research clues. You'll also find maps, timelines, sample records and resource lists throughout the book for quick and easy reference. Whether you're just beginning your family tree or a longtime genealogy researcher, the Family Tree German Genealogy Guide will help you conquer the unique challenges of German research and uncover your ancestors' stories.
Trace your Swedish, Norwegian, or Danish ancestors! This convenient guide will help you discover your Northern European family history while optimizing your research time. Highlights include: • Strategies for identifying immigrant Scandinavian ancestors, plus how to trace them back to Europe from North America • Methods for locating Swedish genealogy records, Norwegian genealogy records, or Danish genealogy records within your family's town of origin • Detailed guides to finding and decoding common Scandinavian records, including: church records, civil registration records, census returns, property deeds, military records, and many more • Quick guides to Scandinavian history, geography, and language • Historical timelines, sample records, and resource lists that will bring your family history to life If your family tree includes Swedish roots, Danish roots, or Norwegian roots, The Family Tree Scandinavian Genealogy Guide is a must-have for your genealogy research.
Discover your Irish roots! Trace your Irish ancestors from American shores back to the Emerald Isle. This in-depth guide from Irish genealogy expert Claire Santry will take you step-by-step through the exciting--and challenging--journey of discovering your Irish roots. You'll learn how to identify immigrant ancestor, find your family's county and townland of origin, and locate key genealogical resources that will breathe life into your family tree. With historical timelines, sample records, resource lists, and detailed information about where and how to find your ancestors online, this guide has everything you need to uncover your Irish heritage. In this book, you'll find: • The best online resources for Irish genealogy • Detailed guidance for finding records in the old country, from both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland • Helpful background on Irish history, geography, administrative divisions, and naming patterns • Case studies that apply concepts and strategies to real-life research problems Whether your ancestors hail from the bustling streets of Dublin or a small town in County Cork, The Family Tree Irish Genealogy Guide will give you the tools you need to track down your ancestors in Ireland.
Trace your Eastern European ancestors from American shores back to the old country. This in-depth guide will walk you step-by-step through the exciting--and challenging--journey of finding your Polish, Czech, or Slovak roots. You'll learn how to identify immigrant ancestors, find your family's town of origin, locate key genealogical resources, decipher foreign-language records, and untangle the region's complicated history. The book also includes timelines, sample records, resource lists, and sample record request letters to aid your research. In this book, you'll find • The best online resources for Polish, Czech, and Slovak genealogy, plus a clear research path you can follow to find success • Tips and resources for retracing your ancestors’ journey to America • Detailed guidance for finding and using records in the old country • Helpful background on Polish, Czech, and Slovak history, geography, administrative divisions, and naming patterns • How the Three Partitions of Poland and the Austro-Hungarian Empire affect genealogical research and records • Information on administrative divisions to help you identify where your ancestors' records are kept • Sample letters for requesting records from overseas archives • Case studies that apply concepts and strategies to real-life research problems Whether your ancestors hail from Warsaw or a tiny village in the Carpathians, The Family Tree Polish, Czech and Slovak Genealogy Guide will give you the tools you need to track down your ancestors in Eastern Europe.
Discover your Scottish roots! You take the high road, and I'll take the low--and your family tree will be in Scotland before you know it. This book will help you uncover your Scottish heritage, from identifying your immigrant ancestor to tracking down records in the old country. With help from Scottish genealogy expert Amanda Epperson, you'll learn about church records, civil registrations, censuses, and more, plus how to find them in online databases and in archives. Inside, you'll find: • Basic information on how to start family history research, including identifying and tracing immigrant ancestors • Step-by-steps for finding and using records from both the United States and Scotland • Crash-course guides to Scottish history, geography, surnames, and naming conventions Whether your ancestors hail from the Highlands or the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond, this book will help you grow your family tree in Scotland.
Discover your Italian roots! Say "ciao" to your Italian ancestors! This in-depth guide will walk you through the exciting journey of researching your Italian famiglia both here and in Italy. Inside, you'll find tips for every phase of Italian genealogy research, from identifying your immigrant ancestor and pinpointing his hometown to uncovering records of him in Italian archives. In this book, you'll find: • Basic information on starting your family history research, including how to trace your immigrant ancestor back to Italy • Strategies for uncovering genealogy records (including passenger lists, draft cards, and birth, marriage, and death records) from both the United States and Italy, with annotated sample records • Crash-course guides to Italian history, geography, and names • Helpful Italian genealogical word lists • Sample letters for requesting records from Italian archives Whether your ancestors hail from the island of Sicily or the hills of Piedmont, The Family Tree Italian Genealogy Guide will give you the tools you need to track your family in Italy.
Explore Your German Ancestry! Follow your family tree back to its roots in Bavaria, Baden, Prussia, Hesse, Saxony, Wurttemburg and beyond. This in-depth genealogy guide will walk you step by step through the exciting journey of researching your German heritage, whether your ancestors came from lands now in modern-day Germany or other German-speaking areas of Europe, including Austria, Switzerland, and enclaves across Eastern Europe. In this book, you'll learn how to: • Retrace your German immigrant ancestors' voyage from Europe to America. • Pinpoint the precise place in Europe your ancestors came from. • Uncover birth, marriage, death, church, census, court, military, and other records documenting your ancestors' lives. • Access German records of your family from your own hometown. • Decipher German-language records, including unfamiliar German script. • Understand German names and naming patterns that offer research clues. You'll also find maps, timelines, sample records and resource lists throughout the book for quick and easy reference. Whether you're just beginning your family tree or a longtime genealogy researcher, the Family Tree German Genealogy Guide will help you conquer the unique challenges of German research and uncover your ancestors' stories.
Island of Tears No More! Embark on the journey of finding your Ellis Island ancestors Nearly 20 million immigrants arrived through Ellis Island between 1892 and 1924 - roughly 40 percent of Americans descend from these "huddled masses yearning to breathe free." Since the Ellis Island website launched in April 2001, there have been more than 60,000 users visiting it every day, trying to find their ancestors. For some researchers, locating their immigrant ancestors in Ellis Island's massive database of passenger arrival lists is a snap. For others, the "Island of Hope, Island of Tears" takes on a new meaning. You know your ancestors are in that giant computer file somewhere, but where? The Family Tree Guide to Finding Your Ellis Island Ancestors is here to help. In this comprehensive guide, you'll discover: the basic information you need to begin your search. tips and strategies for successfully finding your Ellis Island ancestors online. how passenger lists were created and what information they contain. how to use microfilmed passenger lists and indexes. what to do if you're still coming up empty-handed. Journey with your ancestors as you learn what it was like for them to travel across the ocean by steamship, how they processed through Ellis Island, and where to find information and photographs of your ancestor's ship. And for those who had ancestors who arrived right before the Ellis Island years, a special chapter is devoted to Castle Garden and its arrivals. It's the only guide you'll need for finding your Ellis Island ancestors.
Foreword by German Genealogy Author James M. Beidler. Have German genealogy documents but can't read them? You're not alone. Whether you are a beginner, intermediate or advanced genealogy enthusiast, these easy-to-use transcription and translation tips by professional German handwriting translator Katherine Schober will help you reach new levels in deciphering your ancestors' genealogy records. In this newly-revised, comprehensive collection of Katherine's most popular articles and blog posts, you will discover how to easily recognize a number of letters in the old German handwriting, become familiar with the abbreviations, occupations and outdated words that pepper German documents and learn how to use the very same resources as a professional genealogy translator when deciphering letters, diaries, church records, certificates and more. Complete with "real-life" handwriting samples, German word glossaries and additional lists of genealogy tools, this guide is a must-have for anyone working with the old German script. In this book, you will learn: How to easily recognize certain handwritten letters The "look-alike letters" in German handwriting and how to work with them Common ancestral occupations for both men and women in German genealogy Abbreviations and milestone words found in German documents Outdated German words no longer in dictionaries and their meanings today The typical spelling mistakes on German records and how to identify them How to read the standard German marriage certificate format The best online resources for transcribing the old German handwriting and more! Whether you've mastered the old German handwriting or are just starting out, this book will provide you with the knowledge necessary to delve deeper into the exciting world of German genealogy. REVIEWS OF KATHERINE'S ARTICLES: "Katherine's tips on how to translate old German script has been invaluable to my family research. Using her suggestions I have been able to decipher birth and death records from my great-great grandfather's family in Austria! From helpful websites to playing 'hangman', the suggestions she presents have expanded my family research capabilities not only in German, but with other languages as well!" - D. Thalner "Katherine's tips on deciphering German script has handed me the key to unlocking documents from my past. Through her tips on interchanging letters, I realized that the death certificate I thought was for my great uncle Karl was actually that of a more distant relative called Paul. The two names look almost identical in the German handwritten script! Thanks to Katherine, I stopped following the wrong branch of the family tree." - C. Thornthwaite "Not being able to read, translate or write in Old German, I found Katherine's tips helpful in finding which words were most often used in old German documents. The clues as how to tell similar letters apart helped me tremendously." - G. Scholl "The author's writing style makes it easy to understand and use her tricks and tips. Her articles are not about what she can do, but what anybody can do." - G. Haas "The articles have been an excellent resource in helping me apply the author's knowledge of German surname consonant variations in my German genealogy research." - L. Erdman "Katherine Schober's skill at translation of German script was very helpful for me as a professional genealogist working through German church information for my clients. Her writings on how to decipher German records have been a valuable resource as I review German birth and marriage records from the 19th century." - Rettammel Genealogy Service LLC
