RootsChat.Com
Research in Other Countries => Europe => Topic started by: Berlin-Bob on Wednesday 15 September 04 09:07 BST (UK)
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Just helped somebody out with this and thought it would be useful to others:
What were they called:
Many people emigrating to a new country have changed their names
- to avoid political repurcussions,
- to "disappear" from view, as far as the "Old Country" was concerned
- "new country, new start in life", trying to fit in
- the old name was hard to understand, so the name was anglicised, either voluntarily, or, in some cases, arbitrarily by immigration officials
Whatever the reasons, it makes life difficult for us, unless we know both the "before & after" names.
Here a some of the simpler name changes:
1) straight translation. the name looks similar and has the same meaning
e.g. Braun => Brown, Schmidt => Smith, Grun or Grün => Green, Müller => Miller, -feld => -field, etc
2) losing the umlaut vowels (pronounced: um-lout)
the official, alternative spellings for ä,ö, ü, ß are ae, oe, ue, ss. But on emigrating, many just dropped the umlaut => a, o, u,
e.g. Gröbener => Groebener or => Grobener
But: ä can be pronounced 'ay' as in Hay or 'e' as in hedge, so Bäcker might become Becker (soundex) or Baker (translation) or Backer (lose the umlaut)
Any other suggestions ??
p.s.
The exception confirms the rule:
Looking through the Susser Archive: http://www.eclipse.co.uk/exeshul/susser/dentists.htm I found this sentence, which I just have to share with you:
".. Abraham ben Isaiah, otherwise known as Moses Abraham Groomsfelt, or Jones,
a silversmith .."
I found the idea of changing his name to JONES amusing.
I could understand GROOMFIELD or something similar, but JONES !!
--- the mind boggles. There has to be a story there !
Edited: 02.04.2005
cell has just posted a "searching for " story on http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,47221.0.html
Her ancestor changed his name from Karlson to Carlson !!!!
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What were they called: (Continued)
Just posted a link in "Sharing Useful Links: Germany & ..."
http://www.rootschat.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=11752.msg46863#msg46863
which has a lot about polish and ukranian names
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German BMD Records:
As I said before -- "Sharing Useful Links: Germany ..." -- not a lot of "hard" data on german web-sites !
There are two reasons for this:
1) Germany arose out of the prussian state, and the prussian bureaucrat mentality dies hard !
Data is collected 'en masse', (for instance, there is obligatory registration of domicile, within 14 days of moving, for everybody), but only 'authorized' persons are allowed to see it.
2) Reading a book on german Ancestor Research, I came across this passage. The gist of it (my very free translation) is:
"During the National Socialist period it was obligatory for every family to have an Ancestry Book ('Sippenbuch'). This book was a genealogical record of the family, going as far back as possible. Loyal party members were even allowed access to otherwise unavailable records, to help them fill out this book."
Sounds like Genealogist's Heaven, doesn't it ! ... until you read on ....:
"These books were used by the (Nazi-) Party to establish that you were a 'true' aryan. Any non-aryan blood could be more easily spotted and the whole family marked as 'suspect', discriminated against, etc. The Nazis had an 'Office for Genealogical Research' with plans for a later 'Ministry of G.R.', which would have had wide reaching powers to act upon 'unfavourable' data, and not just collect it !"
I think we all know what THAT means ! Given the above, it is not surprising that for many, many decades after the war, the whole idea of genealogical research was tainted !
The only BMD records I know of are on the German BDM exchange:
e.g. Germany: http : //iigs.rootsweb.com/bdm/germany/index.html (Link reported as broken)
Sounds good, but: "Last revised 11 April 2003" (DE) and. I would guesstimate about 3000 names on the German site and very few an the austrian site!
Otherwise, if you are lucky enough to have ancestors from these particular places,
there are Ortsfamilienbücher (Local Heritage Books) which give personal info.
Check out your luck here: http://www.online-ofb.de (http://www.online-ofb.de)
The only other sources are private, family web-pages, which sometimes grow to include whole areas. try Googling.
13.05.2013 Updated: One link reported broken, second link modified as pages are no longer written in HTML
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German Census Records:
In general, there are none !
There may be bits and pieces of local census here and there, but the official census is
a) only statistical, no names, no pack drill !
b) irregular. The last one I know of was in 1987. Although the government constantly emphasized that only statistical data was being collected, that all forms would be anonymous, etc, etc, many people protested, even threatening to burn the census forms !
After this census, the gov. decided to do a mini-census - 10% of the population - and extrapolate statistical findings. Since then Census has never been mentioned here !
As it was suggested in the 1987 census debate that the data being collected was already available in different government databases, I strongly suspect that any statistical analysis is now being done quietly, by linking databases !
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Searching in German:
Try googling for your ancestors in English, and then in German.
I'll start a german vocabulary list here, and add to it as needed.
Ahnenforschung = ancestor research
Familiengeschichte = family history
Familienforschung = family research
Genealogie = genealogy
Kirchenbuch = parish register
kirchenbücher = parish registers
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German Parish Registers:
Another source of information is the Kirchenbuch, pl. Kirchenbücher - the parish register(s).
The best way to find these is to Google with "parish register placename" and hope for the best.
Another possibility is to Google with "kirchenbuch placename" or "kirchenbücher placename": this will give you a different set of results, mixed german and english. Still worth doing, in case you recognise any other names in the search results.
Some of the web-sites mentioned in " .. links..", mainly the former german territories, seem to have put a lot of Kirchenbücher on-line, other places, they are available for look-ups, if you go to the local archives.
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Hi Bob,
lots of good tips and help trouble is my german is non existant had alook at the one for local heritage books but ................I suppose if you dont have a clue to places which I havent only Germany doesnt get me far still keep trying the sites and will try some german surfing maybe those elusive Raphaels will turn up.
:) :) :) :) ;D
sandie
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"... all we know is that s/he was born in / came from Germany / Poland / Russia / France / ... etc."
This happens often:
A relative came from from Germany, (or Poland, or France, or Wherever .....) and there are no other details!
This is my "clutching at straws" tip ...
AKA "It's raining and I have nothing else to do .."
AKA "It's a very long shot, but I can't think af anything else ..."
There is a german site: http://gedbas.genealogy.net/index.jsp where german researchers upload their family trees.
Try entering your name(s) here and go through the results. Sometimes a name will jog memories
Another site (international) is: http://www.geneanet.org/
Enter your name(s) and if lucky, you get a list of names back, with contributors. Click on the contributor and this usually takes you to their web-site, or a site such as GenCircles or FamilyTreeMaker, where they have uploaded their GEDCOMS.
Search through these pages. If you are lucky, you may find names, place names or other details that will jog your memory, and help to take you forward.
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Hello bob and all,
Very interesting facts on discovering your German Ancestors, greatly appreciated.
After discovering my surname had changed slightly from Schmalkalder to present day Smallcalder I was very fortunate to have records forwarded to me from dates circa 1460 of Schmalkalder Families in Stuttgart, this was I suppose lucky just sending right emails off to people of interest, these points always helped
Have German Translation with Email
Be polite
Send to right area
This web site was of great importance to me
http://www.genealogienetz.de/vereine/VFWKWB/index.html
Still would love to find out were the surname Schmalkalder derived from,
Having a town called Schmalkalden close to where most of them were born, I would say the surname is of there, but were they given it or just took it von or of Schmalkalder and the von was dropped later
very best
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I've just decided to try to trace my German ancestors so thanks for the tips. I tried the Google search for Kirchenbücher, and found this link from the IGI website :
http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/RG/images/Ger_BMD_RefDoc_HandbookGermanResearch.pdf which looks as though it gives a lot of useful information.
My "tip" for the umlauts, is that I used the character map, and looked at the shortcut - so pressing ALT and typing 0252 (only from the numeric keypad) gave me a "ü".
Don't know if they help?
In Germany, searching for Walter and Mocker (or is it Möcker!)
JB
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Stupid question, probably, however:
Can German surnames be regionalised, like, are certain surnmes common to a particular area of Germany. I'm looking for Fidell Beurle (anglicised to Bailey on the 1861 census) but the census only gives birthplace as Germany, approximately 1811.
Also, I had Fidell (or Fidel) down as a Spanish name. Has anyone researching in Germany come across this first name often or is it a hint at more Mediterranean origins (as the family 'rumour' goes)?
Any help appreciated!!
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Hi Sorcha,
I ran across a similar situation with a surname sounding either Spanish or Italian, Spanier, Christiani and Martini. These families German Spanier from Galizien and Martini & Christiani from Transylvania. It could steer you in the wrong direction, and who knows may be past Centuries Wars, battles, invasions etc, you never know! One can only continue to read and search.
I'm sure there are not so common names that show up in a particular area of what was once part of the Austrian Empire. My branch went to Galizen, as they were in need of good farmers and people to build up this region, for free land. My surname is now found in this region, but it is a rare name.
Jane
PS There were also "Birl" family in the same region also spelt Bierl/Bürl, which I'm sure sounds the same as Beurle
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Hi Jane,
Thanks for your response; I suppose due to upheavals in Europe anything is possible - people moved and people from different nationalities or origins may have moved to Germany.
I just wanted to ask, how did you find out about the origins of your 'German' ancestors? Did you have anything to go on? All I have is an 1861 census return and the marriage of Fidel Beurle's daughter. Did you have more information to inform your research? Also, did you use research naturalisation records? I'm wondering if it would be worth my paying someone to research these at Kew incase they give me more specific information. I'm thinking that Fidel Beurle must have been in the country a few years, as his daughter was born in Chatham in 1844 and married in 1863; he also married Bridget, (who became Bridget Bailey) who was from Middlesex. Maybe when he anglicized his name he became a naturalised citizen??
Questions! Questions! Your response has given me hope and encouraged my thinking in other directions though. Many thanks!
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Hi Sorcha,
Please don't give up!! I have no knowledge of the German language, (so don't let that scare you!) or knew any of its history. I started my research for my husband who would have loved to have had the opportunity to have met his grandmother, but never did due to divorce and living the other side of the USA. When I started I was told her name was Catherine, and she was German, that was it!! Fortunately our surname is rare so I began by writing letter's to everyone who carried the same surname. Luck had it I received a letter from my husbands natural father's first cousin, who gave grandma's surname (spelt wrong, and later found her name was Katharina, plus her sister - two sister's married two brother's). I then searched the internet, posted I don't know how many message boards and read as much as possible. I have been fortunate as Grandma, lived in a very small village in Galizen, and someone who has now become a good friend of mine is the historian who lives in Germany. I made many, many mistakes along the way, but you learn from them. As my friend in Germany, can speak English, but cannot navigate the web in English, I took on a lot of research in English, especially the migration, for dis-placed Germans and also early 1900's migration. Logging everyone that came from this village with spelling's you would not believe. It also helped me to understand. I am not one of those people who can take in very heavy literature, just does not sink in. Doing this research on the internet, the same surnames kept popping up for this particular area. The other part that interested me was that certain families married into the same families. They're must have been status.
The petitions for naturalization in the USA are much more of a wealth of info, I'm sure they may have the same in the UK. My searches have only been in the US. All I can say is read the mistakes of others, and read the success stories.
The unfortunate part of it all is that after years possibly of research and you find the answer's, look over what you have, the answer's were staring at you all the time. That is frustrating. (eg: I was told Grandma came to Pennsylvania, I searched the port, only when I found her under a name you would not believe she came via the ship named Pennsylvania)
I also posted today for some excellent websites that I found in my research for German Genealogy.
I also want to point out that I have not spent a penny on my research on this particular family. I many years ago started my own family research and was sending checks to researchers like I just won lotto. I found experts in a particular field, who never really had the time to research, I did the leg work. I do have now Ancestry subscriptions, but chasing several families.
I am no expert at all, just a mum, kids at school and access to the internet, and nosy bascially as far as my family genealogy.
If I can help at all drop me a line
All the very best in your new history lesson (it is very interesting)
Jane
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On the census my ancestor gave his country of origin as "Hanover". This was a Kingdom ceded to King James of Scotland for the hand of his grandaughter Sophie in marriage. The borders changed during British rule until about 1900 when it became part of Germany.
The state are slowly putting names and the reference numbers of the emigration archives from Hannover,
Osnabrück, and Wolfenbüttel. The following explains something about using the archives:
Searching the Osnabrück, Hannover, Wolfenbüttel emigration records is done by going to the website:
http://app.staatsarchive.niedersachsen.de/findbuch/
It is a little confusing to use, especially if you don't know German. On the first page:
Choose one of the three locations on the bar (look for the arrow to show the areas) & click "Abschicken"
Go to "Index" in the middle of the page and click
Fill in the surname you are looking for in the box "Suchbegriff"
Choose "Personen" where it says "nach Ort"
Click on "Suchen starten" and you will get a list of persons who emigrated from Niedersachsen with that name. Or you may get nothing! Try the same search on all 3 locations.
Note the number on the right column. That number will direct you to the town later. Click on a name that matches a person you are looking for and you will get a code that will be what you use to order the record.
Finding what area the person comes from is not easy. On the Hannover site, it usually names a town right in the code.
For Osnabrück it is harder, although it sometimes names the town or part of it. Don't presume anything about the town . You need to go back to the page where you first
clicked on Index and this time click on Gliederung.
There you will see a list of towns and if you click on the numbers on the left, you will get a listing of the numbers of people who emigrated from that area. The numbers start with 1 and go up from there. So if the number
is 5 digits it will be closer to the bottom of the list. But you have to go to the one that has the number in it from the right column of the page with the list of names. When you find the right one, the code will match the code you saw earlier tied to the name you were looking for. I know this is confusing. Then, you can order the records from one of the 3 locations. The email addresses are:
Hannover - poststelle@staatsarchiv-h.niedersachsen.de
Osnabrück - poststelle@staatsarchiv-os.niedersachsen.de
Wolfenbüttel - poststelle@staatsarchiv-wf.niedersachsen.de
You have to realize that these emigration records cover only certain years--and not everybody is listed there. None of my relatives are. You're lucky if you find them!!
I would not order records until you know whether it is your ancestor. You can always write to the addresses given above and maybe they can help you.
Rena
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Stupid question, probably, however:
Can German surnames be regionalised, like, are certain surnmes common to a particular area of Germany. I'm looking for Fidell Beurle (anglicised to Bailey on the 1861 census) but the census only gives birthplace as Germany, approximately 1811.
Not stupid at all.
Some surnames do occur more frequently in certain areas. Where I live, in the south west, there is a VERY high frequency of surnames ending in -le. This comes from the local dialect.
If you come across a name ending in -mayr, you can bet its either Austrian or Bavarian. -ski is from the former German states of Silesia, pommern and east Prussia, but also to be found around the coal mining cities in the Ruhr area. (Silesia was an enormous coal mining area, so I assume there was migration of labour).
However, since the 1870s and in particular since WW2, the state boundaries have been fiddled with. In the south west, what was 3 kingdoms, several principalities and a load of free imperial cities became 3 states after WW2 and then in 1852 Baden-Württemberg. Each area within the state having its local "colour". What makes things worse is that the inhabitants are referred to as Swabians, but half of swabia is actually in Bavaria...
So to answer your question, yes to a certain extent, they can.
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Hi all:
Just found that some of my "Irish" Albrights were probably German Palatines arriving in England circa 1706. England took in some 10,000 Protestants from the "German" Bavaria area after Nantes recinded - 2000 shipped back that were RC. About 3,000 were sent to Ireland, some to Scotland & others to the Colonies.
Is there a list of the arrivals from Rotterdam for the1706 group? Are there lists for names of the 800 plus families who went to Ireland?
My Heinrich Albright became Henry Albright - am sure he was born in U.S., but his parents may be from Ireland. Also found Kirchner changed to Carkner in U.S. Thx
Lauraine :)
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Anglacized names in my tree:
Albrecht = Albright/Allbright
Kirchner = Carkner
Certainly liked the Groomsman to Jones one? ;)
Lauraine
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regarding the anglicanisation of German names - can anyone suggest names for me to try.
I am looking (with not much success) for the name ASSERT. I have just seen the double s written as a letter like a B. Sorry don't know the correct name. So I was wondering just what it might have been changed to.
Any ideas?
Regards
Gill
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I am looking (with not much success) for the name ASSERT. I have just seen the double s written as a letter like a B. Sorry don't know the correct name. So I was wondering just what it might have been changed to.
you mean the "ß"? its called "eszet", (literally "s, z") because that is how it is sometimes written. Also known as "scharfes S" - sharp S, for some reason.
As for the name Asset, I would have thought it easy enough to pronounce as it is, whithout it having to be anglicized. Where about did they originate?
D
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According to his marriage certificate (1874), my Adolf Bernart Assert was from Oelse. He was a tailor. His father was Carl Assert, a bricklayer.
Thanks
Gill
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Hello Bob and All.
I have been looking through the posts re tips. and found many interesting ones. Re: Umlauts, as I use umlauts quite often , I have now memorized the Ascci codes using the numeric pad with numlock on. it is very quick with practice.
Hold Alt and type the code ie ß = alt+225. ü = alt129. ö =148, Ö =153, Ü =ALT+154. Ä= ALT =142 Ä
I also have another computer dedicated to German with the umlaut keyboard which is easier when you get to know the various combination of the keys.
Re family History. I was fortunate to be married to a German Lady for many years and living there in Düsseldorf NRWF "Nord Rhein Westfalen", and when we married she showed me the "Deutsches Einheits Familien-Stammbuch" (Family Register) that went back to her family in 1929, and the last two pages has Our marriage certificate and later her death Certificate . Her Father and Mother's record shows Lyck in East Prussia, and Alsass Lorrain on the Franco German border (now Alsass Löthringen.) All the family children's records are in it from Derendorf and Düsseldorf.
I am delighted to see that there are many who are interested in German Genealogy. I am however at the moment fully occupied with my mothers side Delaunay, from 1697 to present date. I shall later research as far as possible my German Wifes relatives, with the help of some of her descendent's. I thank Berlin Bob for his excellent first hand contributions.
Best Wishes to All
Mit freudlichen Grüßen
Raphael UK & D.
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the Osnabruck site that Rena refers to is coming up a dead link for me. Can anyone tell me if it's working for them?
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If any researchers have German ancestors who may have emigrated to Aust [as a very great number did, especially to the southern districts.] here is a fast-growing website I found yesterday which strives to list German burial headstones from the South Westrn region of Vic.
http://www.familienarchiv-papsdorf.de/OZcemeteries.htm
It is texted in both German and English.
Sue
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I'm sorry if this question has been asked (and possibly answered) elsewhere, but are there any records available of immigrants from Germany and Russia to UK in the mid 1800s?
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Not much, I don't think, but I only know Germany, and not very much of it.
There is an emigration museum just opened in Bremerhaven last year. It mostly covers overseas emigration, but also some who went elsewhere. Their records currently cover the periods 1820-1833, 1840-1891, 1904 and 1907. You can actually order a search to be done online, for a fee (rather hefty). http://www.deutsche-auswanderer-datenbank.de/index.php?id=51
I have just learned that 3 (possibly 4) of my relatives are listed there. They all went to England, never to America. For me, it is a very valuable resource; perhaps it would be of value to you as well.
Various archives in Germany have various records. With the help of another rootschatter, I found a relative on the Auslanderer (emigration) records of the Lower Saxony Archives (Niedersachsen) online, which led remarkably quickly to my discovering my living German family! See Rena's post on the previous page of this thread. The Auslander record, from 1867, said he was going to America, but he did not get there; he only went to England. The archivist at Niedersachsen archives most emphatically would not send me the record, saying "it is not possible", and she tried to discourage me from thinking I might have found the right person, but, still, in spite of her, the info online was sufficient to get me started in the right direction, and I was right all along, as it happens. So, don't be discouraged by German archivists is my message!
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Hi
Ancestry.co.uk has hamburg passenger list, 1850-1934.
cheers
scott
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Hello all!
Many thanks for the sites and tips :) I will try them all!
Been hungrey for some information on German searching... D apD where did you go ? :'(
One of our German surnames is HEFLINE with many different spellings I am sure. The first record we can find is on the 1830 US Census for our GrGrGrGrandfather John HAEFLEIN , from Germany. SUPPOSEDLY as family stories go, the name was "VON" HAEFLEIN, HEFLINE, HEFLEIN, HEFLENE..etc and somewhere in the tree was a German Count in Baden....SUPPOSEDLY....
Cannot seem to find what port he arrived in, but ended up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Have records from 1830 on, but brickwall prior to that, so hopefully those sites will help in our search.
Another German surname in our tree is THAW... any suggestions as to other spellings.? ???
All the best, Marilyn :)
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Hello Marilyn
It could be "Thor". The "h" is not pronounced. If you go to Family Search and put this name in, you'll see there's some in US, Canada and from various countries in Europe and Scandinavia.
It could also be "Dohr". The t and the d are not always pronounced as the t and d in English. My neighbour's husband is called Thomas but when she shortens it to Tommy it sounds like Dommy to me.
Good luck
Gill
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Many thanks Gill, never new about the t and d thing. Will give it a try and see what comes up!
I felt very confident searching my English and Scottish lines, but now, with the German side of the family, I feel somewhat handicapped and unsure of myself.. So glad to have this panel to come to for help ;)
I was also told the Thaw could be "Tau". Any thoughts on this?
Marilyn
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Hello Marilyn
Thaw = auftauen
Tau = dew
I've seen German names translated such as Kurz into Short, so this is a possibility.
Looked quickly on FamilySearch, a lot of "Taus", many Asian but there were a number in Germany and Holland.
Happy hunting
Gill
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Well thats a surprise! Thanks again, will take a look. :)
All the best, Marilyn
ps - you're not caught up in all those nasty floods, are you?
what a tragic time for all the folks involved...M
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I didn't know where to put this link which is of the German-Canadian Museum of Applied History. This is devoted to the Braunchweig region of Germany and gives details of various armies including names.
http://home.ica.net/~claus/
Rena
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Hello searchers ;)
If i keep hitting a brick wall, i send a e-mail to the city where my great-aunt,
her husband and daughter where born. My great-aunt and her family, moved from Brighton to Merseburg. She was born British, her husband German.
Don't give up!!
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Hello everyone
Lots of lovely info there hope it will help in my search for GGf
Gustav Heise. See my post further down.
Michael
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this is possible - if a german speaks Tau and an english person write the word down he may come to Thaw about the pronouncing.
as example i have seen by the name Riedl which became americanized Reatl as both sound similar - the one spoken in german and the other in english. 8)
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Yes, there can be regional surnames. I was able to localize one of my family lines to a single county in Bavaria by the simple expedient of searching the German telephone directory for that name. I was very lucky in that case. It seems that, except for the branch that emigrated, the family has never strayed very far from home.
Good luck,
Margaret
Stupid question, probably, however:
Can German surnames be regionalised, like, are certain surnmes common to a particular area of Germany. I'm looking for Fidell Beurle (anglicised to Bailey on the 1861 census) but the census only gives birthplace as Germany, approximately 1811.
Also, I had Fidell (or Fidel) down as a Spanish name. Has anyone researching in Germany come across this first name often or is it a hint at more Mediterranean origins (as the family 'rumour' goes)?
Any help appreciated!!
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A few tips I've picked up along the way.
I assumed my grandparents were born in Czechoslovakia because I googled and found thier birth place. So I assumed (again) that they were Czech. WRONG! The town where they were born was THEN in Austria.
Also surenames. I have a Ruzicka surname in my tree for a female. WRONG! Ruzicka is the male version of the name Ruzickova is the female version.
Also my great grandfather began his life as Veseley and ended up as Weseley.
Has anyone got any idea why the whole family up-routed and moved from Vsetine (in Czech) to Mettmann in Germany before 1900?
Thanks for taking the time to read this....
Ursula (pronounced Or-zu-la) ;D
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"Also surenames. I have a Ruzicka surname in my tree for a female. WRONG! Ruzicka is the male version of the name Ruzickova is the female version."
the - ova was not always taken - i also have a ggggrandmother which had the name Ruzicka not Ruzickova. she was the mother of my gggrandmother from Medlice in Moravia (Czech Republic).
also had female cousins of my grandmother who
immigrated to USA before 100 years. the one stated at arriving her name as Skaryd, the other as Skarydova. both was usual that time. :)
"I assumed my grandparents were born in Czechoslovakia because I googled and found thier birth place. So I assumed (again) that they were Czech. WRONG! The town where they were born was THEN in Austria."
what was the lastname of your grandparents and the town they came from?
Bohemia and Moravia (now Czech Republic) were austrian crownlands that time, but if they had czech names , so also were from czech orgin. or did they have german lastnames, so they were germans (Sudeten-germans)?
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Otherwise, if you are lucky enough to have ancestors from these particular places,
there are Ortsfamilienbücher (Local Heritage Books) which give personal info.
Check out your luck here: http://www.online-ofb.de/index.html
Just started search for my BIL's family on ofb site. When translated into English it also translates names - coming up with things such as Dirt Leather; Diaper; Fabric Rain etc.
Very strange and extremely confusing.
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Hi msr,
Possibly a translator program trying to come to terms with old words and phrases :)
Why not start a new forum topic with one or two entries, and we can help "interpret" them :)
regards,
Bob
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Hi Bob
It's no problem as the names are shown in the original German and the 'quaint' translations.
One ancestor - Windeler translated as diaper. Obvious US translation otherwise for UK it would probably have been Nappy. ;D ;D
Susan
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Yes, Windeln = Diaper = Nappy ;D
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"windeln" is in german doing a spezial prick at sewing - in the link at Etappe 9 to see:
http://www.brico-line.com/de/index.php?option=com_idees&task=view&id=298
http://dawandaimages.s3-external-3.amazonaws.com/Product/9372/9372066/big/1270304806-726.jpg
http://www.cathysdreamparadies.com/Gloeckchen-Dateien/Glocke9.jpg
also used at knit: http://maschenart.de/content/media/img/vorfuehrmodell/sockenparade/ueberwendlingsstichlire.jpg
for me "windeln" shows more an occupation in connection with
winden,umwinden = wind,round
not meant nappy ;D
much sense makes this - possible meant that occupation:
Windener = Hersteller von Winden und Spindeln
producer of winches and spindels
http://www.muehle-com.de/HP-Tools/Berufe__W_.pdf
http://www.muehle-com.de/HP-Tools/html/berufe__deutsch_.html
http://img.directindustry.de/images_di/photo-g/manuelle-winde-323007.jpg
http://www.alfera.fi/index.html
http://www.adele-und-fenja-sausewind.de/Webseite%20Fotos/Wolle/spindel%202%20hp.jpg
http://lahottee.chez-alice.fr/D_SpindleReviews.php
http://img.directindustry.de/images_di/photo-g/spindel-fur-riemenantrieb-214483.jpg
http://www.trinitas-trading.de/trinitas/cms/wewi_modul_produktlisting/pic_kleinteile/0603080-Spindel-Spannvorr..jpg
http://www.leitern-fahrgerueste.de/images/zubehoer/4001_060spindel60.jpg
http://www.ornithopter.de/grafik/antrieb/spindel.jpg
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I have just found this site by accident and perhaps it was just luck but I have been able to trace my grandfather's ancestors back to the 17c. I have also been able to find my grandmother's family, something which my mother knew very little about. Hope someone finds it as helpful as what I have - I have been hitting a brick wall a lot of the time but now this has opened doors for me to go further.
www.peine-ahnen.de
ziggie
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There is a german site: http://gedbas.genealogy.net/index.jsp where german researchers upload their family trees.
Try entering your name(s) here and go through the results. Sometimes a name will jog memories
Thanks for the tip Bob, I put a name in, a tree popped up and i emailed the contributor & it turns out we are 3rd cousins living on opposite ends of the globe...Amazing hey!!
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Hi all, in looking for my husband's family from Bremen I found this page very helpful ;
http://www.passengerlists.de/
Look under 'Register of Passports'...and search by surname...try different spellings too..
Hope it helps, Gillian
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http://gedbas.genealogy.net/index.jsp
FYI this website seems to be out of service
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Hmmmm ... the forum is OK (http://forum.genealogy.net/index.php)
but GEDBAS, which is on the same server isn't.
Just keep trying, it will probably be back soon :)
Bob
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I found the site worked if you take off the index.php :)
I have found some helpful links through these
http://www.awesomegenealogy.com/german.shtml
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I found the site worked if you take off the index.php :)
Right ! The programmer has changed the site language, so .php doesn't work anymore.
As Linda says, just use: http://gedbas.genealogy.net/
I have found some helpful links through these
http://www.awesomegenealogy.com/german.shtml
Nice link :) This site is a collection of links for german geneaolgy. There are some general information pages, but most of the links are for german immigrants in USA. Some of the links are to other web pages, some are to PDF files (hover with the mouse over the link, and you can see .pdf at the end of the address).
At the bottom othe page are links to ships lists. These are not working.
The links are all to a genealogical society in Bremen, Germany called "Die Maus"
http://db.genealogy.net/maus/gate/passagen.php?schiff=Ansgir&lang=en
(one of their "specialities" is collecting lists of passengers emigrating from from Bremen)
"Die Maus" is still on the genealogy.net server, but with a different address:
http://db.genealogy.net/vereine/index.php?verein=maus
and the ships lists are here:
http://www.genealogy.net/vereine/maus/auswanderung/index_en.html
Bob
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German BMD Records:
The only BMD records I know of are on the German BDM exchange:
e.g. Germany: http://iigs.rootsweb.com/bdm/germany/index.html
Otherwise, if you are lucky enough to have ancestors from these particular places,
there are Ortsfamilienbücher (Local Heritage Books) which give personal info.
Check out your luck here: http://www.online-ofb.de/index.html
Unfortunately Bob these links come back with a 'nicht gefunden'.
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Try this link for the 2nd one-
http://www.online-ofb.de/
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Try this link for the 2nd one-
http://www.online-ofb.de/
Many thanks. Hopefully my wife Ilse who is from Berlin but was evacuated to an Oma in Schlesien during the war, will strike lucky.
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A good start for research in Germany is the English language version of the "GenWiki"; you find it here: http://wiki-en.genealogy.net/Main_Page
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German genealogists mostly communicate through mailing lists, which are organised by regions. Many of these mailing lists are multilingual. You find the list of mailing lists here: http://list.genealogy.net/mm/listinfo/, look out for "bilingual" in the list description.
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Hi There Berlin-Bob,
Loved the 'Jones' name change, maybe he married someone from the 'valley's! My grandfather it seems was maybe quite courageous. He never altered his surname which I am now glad about, although at times when I was growing up it caused some memorable moments!
I have discovered two more 'Uebel's' living in England who until the acquisition of a computer I knew nothing about. I contacted one and it turns out his ancestors were 'sugar bakers' but he is now a University professor. There are, I discovered via Google and the Family History website of the Mormons many Uebel's now living in the United States although non that I could find in Chicago where my grandfather allegedly spent some time.
I hope that I eventually can find out much more about him as I am the last Uebel in Hull and would not wish to die not knowing my family history otherwise all that came before me would be in vain!
Nickuebel
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This is possible - if a german speaks Tau and an english person write the word down he may come to Thaw about the pronouncing.
as example i have seen by the name Riedl which became americanized Reatl as both sound similar - the one spoken in german and the other in english.
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Thank you for all the good tips on name changes.
:)
Judy2015
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Searching in German:
Try googling for your ancestors in English, and then in German.
I'll start a german vocabulary list here, and add to it as needed.
Ahnenforschung = ancestor research
Familiengeschichte = family history
Familienforschung = family research
Genealogie = genealogy
Kirchenbuch = parish register
kirchenbücher = parish registers
Thank you for this info - could come in very handy
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This is possible - if a german speaks Tau and an english person write the word down he may come to Thaw about the pronouncing.
as example i have seen by the name Riedl which became americanized Reatl as both sound similar - the one spoken in german and the other in english.
Case we have been working on for some weeks now had mother on death certificate - 1899 - as Sarah (formely Dryden) and father John Lonsdale, Mason. Only other clue born Blackburn. Time in Australia and his age totally up the creek when we found him. Mother was Sarah Entwistle nee Lonsdale - not DRYDEN. Now looks like she had left Entwistle and for a while perhaps gone off with a John DUARDEN who was a Stone Mason.
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Hello!
Can anyone help? I'm trying to locate late 1700's / early 1800's parish records for the Auetal area but i've drawn a blank :( i've gone through all the websites and tips you have all mentioned but im still stuck :'(
I mainly want Antendorf & Hattendorf and any surrounding villages.
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Hi
You have to look at the archives in Niedersachsen:
https://www.arcinsys.niedersachsen.de/arcinsys/start.action
Hattendorf belongs to the "Evangelisch-lutherische Landeskirche Hannover".
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_der_Kirchen_in_der_Evangelisch-lutherischen_Landeskirche_Hannovers
So you should look at the "Landeskirchliches Archiv Hannover".
https://www.arcinsys.niedersachsen.de/arcinsys/detailAction.action?detailid=a43
https://www.landeskirchlichesarchiv-hannover.de/
But I couldn't find the Parish records online on the arcinsys website.
Regards
Svenja
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Hello!
The church records of Antendorf and Hattendorf can be found at Archion.de under Niedersachsen: Landeskirchliches Archiv / Kirchenkreis Grafschaft Schaumburg. You can search the holdings without having a ticket for the paid portal. This is only needed if you want to look into the books. So one can determine beforehand whether a paid account is worthwhile.
Antendorf:
<https://www.archion.de/de/browse/?no_cache=1&path=41206-752190-752196&cHash=c85848b10ef4e8d251b62f5f555b2989>
Hattendorf:
<https://www.archion.de/de/browse/?no_cache=1&path=41206-752190-752380&cHash=553a5db8b0c113c40289baafd676a7cf>
Regards
Fritz AKA Afaldrabecus