Searching & Researching Family
Searching For Relatives
in Germany & The USA
“Know from where you have come in order to know what your legacy will be.”- Pirkei Avot
Searching for Relatives in Germany
In order to be of assistance to you, the following information is needed:
1) The name of the person you are looking for, along with the name of the village, town, or city where the person lived at the time the child was born. This information is a “MUST HAVE” in order to conduct a search that may garner positive results. If you have such information, please contact: Sunco Family & Public Records Research
2) If you DO NOT have that information, it is highly suggested that someone in your family take a DNA test for genealogy. The following links are recognized testing sites:
(Please note: The DNA Testing Company links are provided for the information and convenience of the public, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the Black German Cultural Society.)
After researching the sites and determining which one best serves your personal needs, you or a family member can take the test. Upon receiving the results, you may be able to connect with the person you are searching for, if someone in their family has taken a DNA test as well.
3) Another option is to request to have your search information placed on my search sites:
Blog: Black Germans Searching for Family
Facebook: Sunco Family & Public Records Research
4) If you have access to Facebook, you can request to join the following private search groups to submit your known information:
German Children Search For Their Father In The Us
GI & Family International Search
US Army Germany Searching For Lost Relatives And Friends
Bullentin Boards
Locating Lost Family Bulletin Board
Searching for Relatives in the USA
In order to be of assistance to you, the following information is needed:
1) The name of the person you’re looking for. Date/ Year/ Place of birth of person being sought. All known information on the person being sought. All the search information that has been done thus far (to avoid duplication of efforts). If you have such information, please contact: Sunco Family & Public Records Research
If you DO NOT have that information, please follow instructions 2 through 4 listed above.
GERMAN GENEALOGY
Online German Genealogy Records and Databases
– Lists a number of websites including, emigration lists, grave records, Casualty lists, Hamburg Passenger lists, Historical Address books. Also lists some sites that are specific to different German States.
Online Family Tree
Register in German or English… provides some useful search tools:
http://www.verwandt.de/Start.action
http://www.dynastree.com/Start.action
German Immigrants and Immigration
-German Genealogy Resources including Archives and Atlases… Also includes specific immigration information for Australia
Germany Births and Christenings
-The site also has tips to help you in your search
Early Immigration Records
-Castle Garden has records of had an immigrants who came to New York after 1820 and before 1892
German Script Experts
-Ute Brandenburg worked as a German research specialist for a nationally recognized company. Today she focuses on transcription and translation, as well as research projects in German church records.
Using German Church Records
-Good tips for making sense of the Old German Alphabet and many of the symbols used in old Church Records.
Facebook Groups that Help with Genealogy Research
German Genealogy Records Transcription
Genealogy Translations
The Germanna Foundation
The German American Heritage Museum
Genealogy East and West Prussia
Stasi Records
This site is in English and German. Not all records are available to everyone.
Maps of Germany / Find Places in Germany: The borders of Germany have changed over the years… these older maps may have the cities you are looking for. Be aware, that some of the names of the towns were changed with the borders. links to find those are included as well.
Detailed Maps of Germany
Germany in 1914
Germany in 1938
Map of Surname Distribution: Where does your surname appear currently in Germany?
German Place Names That Were Changed After WWII
Germany/Poland
Germany/Czechoslovakia
Records From Bordering Countries: Records from 19th century marriage records from the historic Greater Poland (then Prussian Province of Poznan)
A lot of Catholic Germans and traders would cross border to The Netherlands. Example: One brother would be off to The Netherlands and then on to the States. This might give you a clue in your searches. (This site is in Dutch, but you can translate it if you are using Chrome… tap the two squares at the right end of the URL bar) https://www.wiewaswie.nl/
Information About Specific Cities
Street names in Breslau that changed from German to Polish (site is in German)
http://www.polish-online.com/polen/staedte/breslau-alte-strassennamen.php
Lüben – Pictures, History and Documents (site is in German)
Information About the Original 13 German Families that Settled Germantown, Philadelphia PA
Finding People in Germany TODAY
US Embassy Website- How do I find my Relatives and Friends in Germany
-Lists current information, as well as some historical information
Genealogy list courtesy of German Girl in America.
