All I Know Is Great Grandpa Came From Germany
(How to research your German ancestor)
Elizabeth “Liz” Nitschke Hicks, Genealogy Editor, GTHS
e-mail: erootrot@usa.net
Pick an Ancestor – start with what you know and work back. Ask relatives for any information (family
Bible, recollections/family stories). Keep in mind the information may not be correct, but look for CLUES.
Ask yourself, WHERE, WHEN, WHY and WHO with? “No man is an island” applies to ethnic research.
Research the neighborhood as well as the cemetery and church records. Consider spelling variations of your
ancestor’s surname. How did the name sound to a non-speaking German when pronounced.
Records that will provide information on an ancestor:
Death Certificate: (Law creating vital records in Texas passed in 1903) Texas Dept. of Health, Bureau of
Vital Statistics, 1100 W. 49th St., PO Box 12040, Austin, TX 78711-2040, website: www.tdh.state.tx.us/bvs
Helpful websites: www.vitalrec.com (vital record information by state)
http://www.deathindexes.com (online searchable death indexes & records)
http://www.vitals.rootsweb.com/tx/death/search.cgi (after 1968)
http://www.ssdi.rootsweb.com (SSDI, birth date, death date and county)
http://www.familysearch.org (LDS site, click Search, FREE TX Death Certificates, digitized County,
State, and some foreign records). Order LDS FHL film by clicking catalog, then place search.
Obituary/Newspapers: (Houston Chronicle, Denominational, German Language) Look for obits for whole family.
May say something like, “Elizabeth came to Texas in 1871 with her Mother, Ernestine Richter, two sisters and a brother”.
Newspapers published arrival of ships, passenger lists, ads (immigrant aid societies, churches, letters remaining at
Post office. If slow news day, news items from other parts of state. Write up of death in previous county of residence.
www.epodunk.com/search/newspapers.html (to find a newspaper), www.worldcat.org, Portal to Texas Historyhttp://texashistoryunt.edu/search/
Funeral Home Records: Ask how far back their records go, if not early enough for you ask who might have the records.
Request the ledger sheets for the deceased’s funeral. To find a funeral home: “Yellow Book of Funeral Directors”-any
present day funeral home. www.funeralhomes.com (find a funeral home) and www.funeralnet.com (some obits).
Cemetery Records: Does cemetery have an affiliation with a church, religious denomination, organization?
Check for everyone with same name buried in that cemetery. Who is buried around your ancestor? Look for
Organization (Masonic, Odd Fellows, Woodmen of the World, other) and religious symbols on tombstone for clues.
www.Deathsearch.org/Cemetery.html (search by state, death & cemetery records)
www.Internment.net (find a cemetery-includes Germany, U.K., National Cemeteries)
www.findagrave.com (very helpful, can add your burial records and photos)
www.Cyndislist.com/cemetery.htm#Monuments (many links)
www.genealogy.about.com/cs/symbolism (helpful links-cemetery iconography, symbolism, fraternal
and grave marker acronyms)
http://www.angelfire.com/ky2/cemetery/reid.html (tombstone art, meaning of symbols)
www.usgenweb.com (click on State than county, cemetery, census, and more for county of interest)
Census: The year of immigration question was asked on the 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930 & 1940 Federal Censuses.
Cluster approach-neighbors and other people in county from same place in Germany, relatives.
AL on census means “Alien” has not filed declaration and is not naturalized
PA on census means “Papers” (declaration of intent) has been filed
NA on census means “Naturalized” (declaration and/or naturalization could be filed in any court of record)
“WPA Index to Texas Naturalizations, Texas State District & County Courts 1846-1939” (microfilm-Clayton Library)
Use date of immigration to search for passenger list. Where your ancestor was and when can determine Port of Entry. Push
ancestor back using census, County tax rolls, and city directories (if applicable).
Page 2
Passports: National Archives, or “US Passport Applications 1795-1925” under US Immigration Collection on
www.Ancestry.com (not free site, available at many libraries for patron use).
Church Records: Baptism/Christening, Marriage, Confirmation, Death, Membership lists. Determine where your
ancestor lived from deeds. Use map(s) and look for church within wagon, buggy, horse, or walking distance.
Check with County Historical Society, present day church of that denomination, State and National organizations,
and Archives (Church and University).
Church records continued :
Denominational Newspapers (Southern Christian Advocate, Alabama Baptist, Texas Baptist)
www.Cyndislist.com
Catholic Archives of Texas, 8900 Shoal Creek Blvd, Austin, TX (512) 476-6296, Archives@txcatholic.org.
Guide to locations of records, general history and gen. links to maps and aids (Catholic Church)
http://home.att.net%7Elocal_Catholic (Book-Clayton Library Houston)
“The Genealogist’s Address Book”, 5th Edition, by Elizabeth Petty Bentley
Texas Lutheran University http://www.tlu.edu/library reference or archivist, 1100 W. Court St., Seguin, TX 78155
City Directories: Lists residents of a city (ex: Austin, TX), churches, county officials, names of newspapers, cemeteries
railroads, occupations, organizations, much more. Center for American History (UT Austin) has many city directories.
Organizational Records: Fraternal (Masons, Sons of Hermann, Knights of Pythias, Odd Fellows, etc.)
Grand Lodge of Texas AF&AM www.grandlodgeoftexas.org/index.php
Insurance (Woodmen of the World)
Occupation (Grange-Agricultural society, Railroad)
“The Directory of North American Railroads, Assn., societies, Archives, Libraries, Museums and
Their Collections” by Holly T. Hansen
The Railroad Retirement Board, 844 Rush Street, Chicago, IL 60611
Look for enrollment/membership application, and ancestor may have been mentioned in organization’s publication
of his anniversary of membership, or member’s death.
Military Records: Many records generated by military service
Pension – (any war) be sure to get wife’s pension as had to say when and where she married.
Other - Prisoner of War Correspondence, Government documents for artificial limbs, Amnesty Oaths, Adjutant
General Office (service records for TX), Camp Mabry, Austin, TX.
The Southern Claims Commission Claims (claims pertaining to Civil War) “Southern Loyalists” by Gary B. Mills
World War I Draft Registration cards (date of birth, place of birth, next of kin, occupation, physical description).
County Histories: even if your ancestor is not listed, look for information on his neighbors. Where did they come from?
Your ancestor may have been on same ship, or friends or relatives from back home in Germany.
Family Heirlooms: Look on back of photos, name and location of photographer. Some regions in Germany had certain
customs which may help you determine region in Germany from where your ancestor came. Did your Grandparents
celebrate in a certain way, or have any special foods at Easter or Christmas (example: Berliner Brot-Christmas cookie).
How to find Records of all types, books, microfilm, periodicals, newspapers, family papers, Attorney Papers, Church
Records, Passengers Lists, everything and just about anything: www.worldcat.org (old OCLC search at National Union
Catalog of Manuscript Collections site “NUCMC”, www.loc.gov/coll/nucmc).
Worldcat.org – use search terms such as Sexton Records and Texas, Schneider family, Schneider genealogy,
Passenger Lists, Funeral Homes, Church Records, Tax Lists, Cemeteries and Texas, German Texans.
Other helpful websites:
www.rootsweb.com (county mailing lists, queries, find others researching the same surname)
www.google.com (do a search for your ancestor, use quotation marks, example: “Isham Sims”, also “Trinity Lutheran Church”~ Texas)
www.usgenweb.com (click on state, then on county, postings vary, but may find census,cemetery, links to sites)
www.GermanTexans.org (e-mail: Info@GermanTexans.org), GTHS, 507 E. 10th St., P.O. Box 684171, Austin, TX 78768
www.houstonlibrary.org/clayton The Clayton Library, 5300 Caroline, Houston, TX 77004, (832) 393-2600
www.familysearch.org research help/guides, IGI, Place search (example: Lunzenau, [Saxony] Germany) for parish records.
www.Teleauskunft.de (click on “Das Telefonbuch”/the telephone book) German phone book.