Other than place names on census and church records, I had no clue where to begin! I was not sure if I was reading the name of a village, duchy, province or state.
This weekend, I discovered a fantastic resource for getting past this stumbling block. It is a website called Meyers Gazetteer, and can be found by clicking the highlighted link.
I played around with the site using various place names I have for my German ancestors. However, to give you a brief tutorial, I will focus on one area in particular.
In census records, I discovered that my paternal 2x great-grandfather came from Wachendorf. I also know that the majority of the original congregation of Adams Lutheran Church of Ripley County, Indiana came from a Lutheran Church in Heiligenfelde, Germany.
So, I will start from there...
I start with typing Wachendorf in the search box on the home page.
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| Type in place name in the search box |
My results show several places named Wachendorf in Germany. You can tell by my pushpin icon, I have chosen the first result as my most promising lead. Past research shows census records also listing Hannover and Prussia as his birthplace. Also, a past Google Maps search has shown me a Wachendorf near Syke and Heiligenfelde.
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| Use your past research to help narrow down best result, if possible. |
When I click on the top result, I am given quite a bit of information that should help me in my research. You will first note several key words in old-style writing that should have key words you might recognize.
Next, will be a current map showing the location of your village, etc. I will go into detail about the map in just a minute, but first I would like to point out the cornucopia of helpful information underneath the map.
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| Details on the village you have entered should help you in your research. |
The details also tell you where the civil registration office is, in addition to which government district, province, etc., in which the village belongs.
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| Add in extra "markers" to aid your research. |
Now, back to the maps...I love the feature that allows you to toggle back and forth between a present-day Google map and a historical map.
You can also add features that you would like to locate within your map. My ancestors went to a Lutheran church in Heiligenfelde, so I added Protestant churches.
It was wonderful seeing how close these were on the historical map! It really put it into perspective!
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| The same Google map in its historical context |
If you are not sure of the exact church your ancestors attended, or even the denomination, click on the "Ecclesiastical" tab. The website will bring up a list of the churches or synagogues nearby, listed with the closest first.
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| Click on Ecclesiastical tab to discover nearby places of worship |
As you can see for my family, the church in Heiligenfelde was only 2 miles away. This goes along with the information I already have regarding the church.
With so many German ancestors in my family tree, I am sure to be using this website often. It is getting bookmarked in my favorites right now!!
What do you think? For those of you with a German background, try it and tell me what you think!
