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German-American Names contains approximately 15,000 entries
of names, meanings, and variations. Information is also given
to explain the significance and origin of given names, origin
of surnames, Christian names, and a brief overview of the Americanization
of German names. For example:
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Benroth; Benrath 122 [a city; stream clearing] 126
Bensch; see Benesch
Bense; Bensen 122; Benser; Bensing; Bensinger [place where
bullrushes grow] 81
Bensel; Benseler [dweller among the reeds] 81
Benshoff [reed farm] 92
Benshoff [Bernhard's farm] 53; 92
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In Search of Your German Roots: A Complete Guide to Tracing
Your Ancestors in the Germanic Areas of Europe (Third Edition)
was written by the well-known and respected author Angus Baxter,
and is one of the books that I consider a must-have for German
researchers. The book guides readers through the difficulties
of researching German ancestors in the US, and in German-speaking
countries. Chapters feature backgrounds about Germans and Germany,
Jewish records, archives, the Lutheran Church, Germans in Canada,
and working with records in Germany. The book was updated in 1994,
and includes information for the re-unified Germany.
Address Book For Germanic Genealogy (Fifth Edition) identifies
the libraries, archives, newspapers, genealogy socities, record
repositories, religious resources, genealogists, and many other
resources in the German-speaking countries of Europe and the U.S.
The book also contains useful form letters to request information
(already translated into German), and some helpful research tips.
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This CD contains text from the books rather than the actual
pages; users can search for any word (Family Tree Maker
4.0 or higher users can search for up to four words at once,
while Family Tree Maker 3.4 and earlier users can search
for two words at once), or go to a specific section (book),
chapter, or page. Text can be copied and pasted into another
document such as a word processor.
Because many series of books are out of the reach of researchers
due to price or availability, I am always delighted to see
books being made easily available. Although the four books
found on this CD are not particularly difficult to find,
having the books in searchable form — and for a fraction
of the price for the books in print format — makes
it an economical and useful addition to a researcher's library.
Genealogists working on German-speaking countries can't
go wrong with these four excellent research guides!
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