Optional Print Course Material: Research: German Ancestors

*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.

This genealogical helper is intended for North American English-speaking beginners, who want to find their German ancestors. In order to do successful family research in Germany, you need a basic understanding of the various parts of Germany during the time of your ancestors' lives. A brief examination of sources and repositories including the FamilySearch website will point the researcher in the right direction. It will be helpful to have some knowledge of the German or Latin languages since many of the documents have been complied in these languages, and with a flared script so resources for translation are discussed. A sample letter written in German, along with an English translation will assist you in case you need to correspond with an institution in Germany.