My German Family

30/12/2025

I’m proud to announce that I’ll once again be part of the Legacy Family Tree Webinar family next year 🎉

On 3 June 2026, I’ll be presenting
“Cracking the Case with German Records You’ve Never Used Before.”

In this webinar, I won’t just introduce you to lesser-known German record types — I’ll also show you how to use them effectively and strategically to move your research forward when you feel stuck.
And the best part? It’s completely free.

👉 You can register here: https://familytreewebinars.com/webinar/cracking-the-case-with-german-records-youve-never-used-before/

I’d love to see you there!

Learn about unknown German records by following the life of the German dairy farmer Friedrich Stange who came to America in 1855. Ursula will tell his story,...

29/12/2025

In Germany, the period between Christmas and the New Year is referred to as "zwischen den Jahren" (between the years), a term stemming from a time when the end of the year was celebrated on December 24th, while the new year began on January 6th. It wasn't until 1691 that the final day of the year was officially established as December 31st by Pope Innocent XII. Some of you might know this time as "the twelve days of Christmas".

#1691

24/12/2025

Happy Holidays from My German Family.

As the season unfolds, we wish you moments of peace, reflection, and meaningful connections with family and friends. May this time also offer a chance to pause, appreciate the past, and look forward to the months ahead with clarity and purpose.

17/12/2025

How many times in a row can one listen to “Jauchzet, frohlocket, auf, preiset die Tage” from Johann Sebastian Bach’s Christmas Oratorio? Asking for a friend (who just found a client's birth mother and a heir who will receive news of a great Christmas present waiting for him in 2026?)

Festliche Musik zu Ehren von Christi Geburt. Hier mit dem Eröffnungschor aus dem Weihnachtsoratorium BWV 248 von Johann Sebastian Bach. Es jauchzen und frohl...

27/11/2025

Happy Thanksgiving!

24/11/2025

Only four more weeks until Christmas Eve! Time to give the church a thorough clean for Advent and to set up the Christmas market. 🎄✨

14/11/2025

Doing 20th-century research also means looking into the lives of your parents. This is the street where my parents lived in the early 1960s. It's in Rome, Italy, where my parents were expatriates at the time.

12/11/2025

Today I’m attending the online conference “Analyzing Digitized Newspapers Using AI: Projects, Problems, Perspectives.”
Especially when researching the 20th century, newspapers are such an important and often underrated source! Looking forward to some new insights and ideas.

10/11/2025

After having done a lot of research for Finding Your Roots, I even had the chance to meet Henry Louis Gates Jr. in person at RootsTech!

07/11/2025

Last chance to register!

If your ancestors came from Prussian provinces now in Poland, I have a brand new lecture ready for you! I'll show you search paths for each of the six Prussian provinces to navigate the Polish archives and indexing sites to find civil records.
I'm excited about this talk, if I may say so myself!
Registration info for Saturday's symposium in the comments.
Image: Elbing (now Elblag) in Prussian times.

04/11/2025

A few impressions from Güttersbach in the Odenwald district of Hesse — a charming village surrounded by forest and history.