How to Determine Which Town of Origin is the Right One?

From German Girls Genealogy (Teresa Steinkamp McMillin & Debra A. Hoffman):

 

As we noted in the last post, conducting research in Germany requires knowing the German town of origin. Unfortunately, sometimes when you find the name of the town, there are more than one town with the same name! How do we narrow the choices down to the correct one?

 

Researchers are lucky with this 1880 U.S. census enumeration for Baltimore City where the enumerator provided specific town names in Germany. For Catherine Benamon, aged 79, her birth place is listed as Wallein. Her father’s birthplace is given as Fishpach and her mother’s birthplace is given as Wallan. Wallein and Wallan may be the same place. All three spellings have the potential to be wrong. 

 

 

A search for “Wallein” and “Wallan” in Meyers Gazetteer, https://www.meyersgaz.org, returned no towns with either spelling. “Fishpach” also returned negative findings. The correct spelling of “Fishpach” is probably “Fischbach” in German. Meyers Gazetteer returned 41 hits for that spelling. That is a lot of choices to go through. A passenger list for Catherine and her first husband, Kaspar Weber, had provided another spelling … “Wahlen.” Searching with that spelling located five choices; two in Hessen and three in Rheinland.

 

A reasonable hypothesis would be that the two towns are located in close proximity to each other. By viewing the historical map on Meyers Gaz, the first entry, Wahlen, Kr. Alsfeld, OHessen, Hessen, as you can see below, Wahlen and Fischbach are located near each other.

 

Looking at the other entries, did not result in the same findings. This makes this Wahlen a priority for checking church records. 

 

Sources:

1.     1880 U.S. census, City of Baltimore, Maryland, population schedule, p. 6 (penned), enumeration district (ED) 160, dwelling 44, family 50, Catherine Benamon; digital images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 21 October 2021).

2.     “Baltimore, Passenger Lists, 1820–1964,” database and images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 August 2015), passenger list, Jupiter, 16 August 1834, penned page 1, line 34, Caspar Weber; citing NARA micropublication M255, roll 1.

Finding a German Town of Origin

From German Girls Genealogy (Teresa Steinkamp McMillin & Debra A. Hoffman):

Conducting research in Germany, requires knowing the German town of origin. Unfortunately, for many researchers that is the missing piece of information. Sometimes finding that critical piece of information can be easy. Other times, the search continues.

Debra found the town for her 4^th great grandmother, Sophia Philippina (Braun) Weaver, in Sophia’s obituary. It noted she was born in “Friedrichstahl, Germany.” However, sometimes the information is not entirely correct; spelling is always suspect. 

A search in MeyersGaz (https://www.meyersgaz.com) found no town of that spelling. You can use the wildcard feature in MeyersGaz to determine the correct spelling, which in this case is Friedrichstal; no h in the name. There are three findings for that name:

 

1.     Friedrichstal 1) Baden; D. (Village); Friedrichstal, Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe, Baden

2.     Friedrichstal 2); Wlr. (Farm or Small Village); Friedrichstal, Freudenstadt, Schwarzwaldkreis, Württemberg

3.     Friedrihstal 3); Ab. (Surface Mine); Friedrichstal, Marienwerder, Westpreussen, Preussen

That requires more work to determine which one is the right one. The third one, a surface mine, is probably not the right one, but one and two are both possible. 

 

In the next post, we will discuss what sources can help you identify the correct place when you have multiple choices.

IGHR Coming to a Close

From German Girls Genealogy (Teresa Steinkamp McMillin & Debra A. Hoffman):

 

Teresa and I finished our presentations this week in “Course One – Methods and Sources in Practice” coordinated by Rebecca Whitman Koford, CG^® and “Course Two – Intermediate Genealogy and Historical Studies” coordinated by Angela Packer McGhie, CG^®. These courses are hosted by the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR).

 

I am always amazed that while these courses can be intense, the benefits from attending them is inspiring. From the attendees and presenters that you meet to the wonderful information and sources that you learn about, it is a week well spent. I attended Amy Arner’s “Walking in Penn’s Woods: Pennsylvania Research” and had the joy of working on my Pennsylvania Germans for the whole week. I am excited to continue exploring new sources and learning more about my Biehl and Keefer lines. And yes, one thing I learned is that there are so many variant spellings, especially in early records!

 

If you have never had the opportunity to take an institute course, I hope that you will consider it for the future. It is time well spent!

 

 

German Phase 1 Update

From German Girls Genealogy (Teresa Steinkamp McMillin & Debra A. Hoffman):

 

This week we are putting the finishing touches on our syllabus materials for German Phase 1: Identify the German Hometown. This virtual course is set to run each Tuesday starting October 14 through November 11, 2025, and is offered through the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. 

 

We look forward to helping people who are trying to find their German-speaking ancestor’s town of origin. Without that information, their ancestry cannot be extended into Germany. While, we cannot guarantee that by the end of the course, a student will have that information; we anticipate our students will leave with new ideas and a solid research plan to find the town.

 

There are still some spots available. We hope you will join us!

https://academy.ugagenealogy.org/courses/german-phase-1-identify-the-german-hometown/

Columbus (OH) Metropolitan Library

From German Girls Genealogy (Teresa Steinkamp McMillin & Debra A. Hoffman):

 

Recently in Columbus, Ohio, we had the opportunity to visit the local history and genealogy area at the Columbus Metropolitan Library. They have a lot of interesting collections that we could have spent months—probably years—exploring.

 

In 2009, the large collection curated by the Palatines to America (PALAM) moved to this library. It contains many of the standard publications for German research, such as the Germans to America serics. They have many Ortsippenbücher(genealogy books for a German town) and Familienbücher (family books). One of the most unique items is a collection of farm histories from the Bersenbrück and Osnabrück areas of Lower Saxony. This collection has been digitized in its entirety and is available on their website:  https://digital-collections.columbuslibrary.org/digital/collection/p16802coll9. If you have farms from these areas, you won’t want to miss this collection.

 

Another great collection to explore is the Huguenot Collection, https://www.columbuslibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Collection-Guide.pdf. The library notes that it is one of the largest Anglo-American Huguenot collections in the country with nearly 400 titles. The library’s collection is primarily church and naturalization records going back to the 1500s. If you have Huguenot ancestors or are interested in this topic, this library is definitely a place to learn more!

To learn more about the genealogical resources available at this library, visit their website: https://www.columbuslibrary.org/history-genealogy/.

International German Genealogy Partnership (IGGP) Conference

 From German Girls Genealogy (Teresa Steinkamp McMillin & Debra A. Hoffman):

 

This past week we attended and presented at the IGGP Conference in Columbus, Ohio (https://iggp.org/2025-iggp-conference/). 

 

It was such a great conference. We were able to see many of our fellow German genealogists. It was wonderful being able to socialize and learn from each other. Some of our international colleagues were not able to be there in-person but some presented via Zoom. 

 

You never know what you will learn or who you will meet. Debra discovered that one of the attendees was her distant cousin. She also found someone else who is researching the Propheter family and was able to share details and exchange contact information. I ran into a past client whom I had never met in person. 

 

In addition to the many wonderful presentations, there were several Connection sessions based on different geographic regions in Germany. Those are always a terrific way to meet others doing similar research. 

 

The exhibit hall had many books and other items for sale. Stay tuned for our next post about one of our finds there!

International German Genealogy Partnership (IGGP) Conference This Weekend!

From German Girls Genealogy (Teresa Steinkamp McMillin & Debra A. Hoffman):

This week we are attending and speaking at the IGGP Conference in Columbus, Ohio (https://iggp.org/2025-iggp-conference/). This is a bi-annual conference for people researching German-speaking ancestors. It is a terrific way to connect with others who share our passion. We can all learn so much from each other, too!

 

Debra will be presenting:

§  Early German Settlements on the East Coast – Their Impact and Records

§  Early U.S. German Religious History – Learn About the Methodology and Sources

 

Teresa will be presenting:

§  German Village History: Your Key to Researching Beyond Church Records

§  Nineteenth-century German Migration to Midwest United States

 

Debra will also be moderating a connection session for Baden-Württemberg. Teresa will be moderating a similar session for Bavaria.

 

We hope to see some of you there!