General Ancestor info

Do you like to investigate the history of your family?

How can
I research?

Family:
Then you start with yourself, your parents and grandparents. Ask your parents after their ancestors, brothers and sisters, parents, etc. Have a view into their albums, sometimes still ancestor passports or Lists are available, which can give you further information.

Register Office/Churches:
From the register office you can get certificates of birth/descending, marriage and death, on each of these documents you will find further information, maybe the place of the birth, the names of grandparents or whatever you need, in order to find documents of the next generation.
However at some place, you have to look for further information like the research to the appropriate churches, because the entries in German register offices in most areas start from 1875/76 (in the Rhine Area e.g. the documents start from 1796, in Silesia however they start from 1874). Inquiries must always be written and/or being sent via fax (the signature is important).
In addition you can research in archives themselves. There the data however are approved for your own investigations only up to the year 1875. For further inquiries of the period after, only for your direct ancestors, you have to write to them directly.

Relatives:
Apart from requesting documents, as well you should ask all your relatives about brothers, sisters, uncles and aunts, and note all their names, data and places, as well as apparently unimportant details can give you the crucial reference sometime, and do not forget to note your sources. Ask for old photographs and for the persons shown on that document, for old school reports and for everything that occurs to you.

Data Entry:
After some time you will have a base of material, which you should sort meaningfully and perhaps enter into a genealogy program.

Assistance of Other Researchers:
Introduce yourself in mailing lists for your search areas, get member in a genealogical association, possibly it could be helpful to join a course in about family research, or a course about the old writings, if you cannot read those.

Background Information:
By reading books concerning the landscapes, from which your family members originate, you can make yourself a picture of the life circumstances at that time.

Internet:
Search the Internet, on genealogical homepages, in data bases, write your questions in search forums, and don't forget thereby to leave your email address. Do exchange yourself with other researchers, and - very important - be and remain always friendly while contacting to register offices, churches and other researchers, formulate your desires politely and, if you've got help, you should refund postage and copying costs for their help, if they won't do so expressly without it.

Further Links:
You also find further links in my ancestor links in which I offer links to genealogy pages of all kinds.

But since you called my site now, you surely already knew that, and if not, perhaps today you start with the search for the origin of your family?

I wish you success!