How to find German ancestors – even if they’re hiding

Sometimes searching for your German immigrant ancestors can be quite frustrating. You probably know their name, maybe their parents’ names too, their birthdate and the approximate area or even exact place of birth. How to find German ancestors?

A Game of Hide and Seek

When I was a kid we liked to play hide-and-seek. One day when it was my turn I found all but one girl. I was sure I’d find her quickly as well because I remembered her red sweater, easy to spot. So I thought…

I was wrong. Very wrong. I kept searching and searching – and found nothing, actually nobody. In the end I had to give up. Why?

When I shouted “I quit, come out”, she did, but – she wasn’t wearing her red sweater any longer. That girl just had taken off that bloomin’ red sweater! I had relied on that rather obvious detail so much that I was busted.

Turn that game of Hide’n’Seek into a game of Seek’n’Find to find German ancestors

Now what does that have to do with genealogy and “hiding” ancestors? Sometimes we concentrate on details that seem obvious to us while they aren’t, really… And that’s why you can’t seem to find German ancestors because they’re hiding somewhere. Now let’s have a look at the bunch of possibilities how your ancestor might still be hiding while you’re seeking all the same…

• name variations
• different languages
• missing sources
• wrong religion
• vulgo names
• wrong country

make finding our ancestors much more difficult than it’d need to be. There will be more to come, come time, come post… Hopefully I will be able to give you more than just straws to cling to.

Did evasive ancestors already drive you nuts? Share your stories with us, please.