Thank you for registering for the online conference, Researching German Ancestors!
Germans have been emigrating to America since the seventeenth century and today are the largest self-reported ancestry group living in the country. No matter when your ancestors arrived in the U.S., this online seminar will teach you how to trace your German ancestry. You will discover key records, resources, and repositories, while gaining important skills and strategies for finding your ancestors. Topics include: migration patterns, finding German origins, deciphering records and German script, using and accessing records, and leveraging online resources.
This course includes five 90-minute classes and exclusive access to handouts and recordings of each presentation. These recordings and all course materials will be available for the foreseeable future.
JOIN THE LIVE BROADCAST
Click here to join the live broadcasts: https://zoom.us/j/92705753086
Wednesdays, July 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30, 6:00-7:30 PM ET
If you are unable to attend the live sessions, you will be able to view a recording on this course page.
CLASS TOPICS
July 2 - Class 1: Getting Started
In this first session, Senior Genealogist Rhonda R. McClure will walk you through the beginning steps of German research: understanding waves of immigration to America, getting back to the immigrant generation, finding where in Germany your ancestors came from, and understanding the many German border changes pre- and post-unification.
July 9 - Class 2: Basics of German Language and Script
This second class will provide the basics on key terms you’re likely to encounter and how to decipher old German script—Kurrent/Sütterlin or "deutsche Schrift"—and German Gothic (Fraktur) font.
July 16 - Class 3: German Civil and Religious Records
As with any type of family history research, civil and religious records are your first, go-to resource in German genealogy. For many locations in Germany, civil registration began as early as the late 18th century and some church records (Kirchenbücher) date back to the 16th century. Beyond baptisms, marriages, and burials, many churches also kept family registers (Familienregister or Familienbücher). This session will discuss what records exist, what information they contain, and how to access these important resources.
July 23 - Class 4: More German Records
Beyond civil and church records, there are many resources that can assist you in your family history research. This session will review town Lineage/family books (Ortssippenbuch/Ortsfamilienbuch), census records (Volkszählungen), emigration records, occupational records, and military records. We will also discuss how to work with German archives and researchers remotely.
July 30 - Class 5: Research Strategies and Case Studies
Using several examples and case studies, this final class will demonstrate some key strategies for breaking down genealogical brick walls in German research, including finding your ancestor’s origins and hometown, maiden names of female ancestors, parent’s names, and connecting generations.
COURSE HANDOUTS
Class 1 Handout
Class 1 Slides (Large)
Class 1 Slides (Worksheet)
Class 2 Handout
Class 2 Slides (Large)
Class 2 Slides (Worksheet)
Class 3 Handout
Class 3 Slides (Large)
Class 3 Slides (Worksheet)
Class 4 Handout
Class 4 Slides (Large)
Class 4 Slides (Worksheet)
Class 5 Handout
Class 5 Slides (Large)
Class 5 Slides (Worksheet)
RECORDED PRESENTATIONS
Original broadcast: July 2, 2025
Presented by Rhonda R. McClure
Running time: 1:46:57
Class 2: Basics of German Language and Script
Original broadcast: July 9, 2025
Presented by Rhonda R. McClure
Running time: 1:40:54
Class 3: German Civil and Religious Records
Original broadcast: July 16, 2025
Presented by Rhonda R. McClure
Running time: 2:02:20
Original broadcast: July 23, 2025
Presented by Rhonda R. McClure
Running time: 1:49:56
Video Demonstration: Using Württemberg Emigration Index and Records*
*This video demonstration appears in the full class recording as well. We've included a separate video just of the demonstration for easy reference.
Class 5: Research Strategies and Case Studies
Original broadcast: August 30, 2025
Presented by Rhonda R. McClure
Running time: 1:59:45
*This video demonstration appears in the full class recording as well. We've included a separate video just of the demonstration for easy reference.
INSTRUCTOR BIO
Rhonda R. McClure, Senior Genealogist is a nationally recognized professional genealogist and lecturer specializing in New England and celebrity research as well as computerized genealogy; is compiler of more than 120 celebrity family trees; has been a contributing editor for Heritage Quest Magazine, Biography magazine and was a contributor to The History Channel Magazine and American History Magazine. In addition to numerous articles, she is the author of ten books, including the award-winning The Complete Idiot's Guide to Online Genealogy, now in its second edition, Finding Your Famous and Infamous Ancestors, and Digitizing Your Family History. Her areas of expertise include: Immigration and naturalization, Late 19th and early 20th Century urban research, Missionaries (primarily in association with the American Board of Commissioners of Foreign Missions), State Department Federal Records, New England, Mid-West, Southern, German, Italian, Scottish, Irish, French Canadian, and New Brunswick research as well as Internet research, genealogical software (FTM, RootsMagic, TMG, Reunion), digital peripherals, and uses both Mac and Windows machines.
SUGGESTED RESOURCES
Subject Guide: German Genealogy
Subject Guide: Pennsylvania German Genealogy
Webinar: Best Published Resources for German Research in America