Product Review

In Search of Your German Roots is designed to help you trace your German ancestry not only in Germany but in all the German-speaking areas of Europe. First, it explores the resources of the LDS Church, in particular the great International Genealogical Index which contains hundreds of thousands of entries from German parish registers. Then back to the old country, where sources and archives are discussed in detail, especially Evangelical and Catholic church records, and records of state and city archives--wills, censuses, civil records of birth, marriage, and death, passenger lists, military records, etc. Finally, it presents a list of family archives, a list of genealogical associations in Germany, a list of German genealogical associations in the U.S., and a bibliography.

This new Fourth Edition details the emergence of new tools helpful to the German ancestor-hunter, including the considerable LDS resources now available online, the newly created Center for Jewish History, and the proliferation of Internet sites and CD-ROMs containing databases with information relevant to German genealogy. In addition, the entire work has been revised and updated to reflect the many changes in the location of both national and local archives, church headquarters, and areas of operation of genealogical societies that resulted from the unification of East and West Germany. For the first time, it also includes telephone and fax numbers, e-mail addresses, and web sites, when available, making In Search of Your German Roots the most current and comprehensive guide to German roots available.