Genealogy

Genealogy Group

Welcome to the Dayton Liederkranz-Turner German Genealogy Group!

The purpose of this group is to assist Liederkranz members and non-members in gathering information about their German ancestry through meetings, guest speakers, library research field trips, sharing resources and assistance from others in the group. 

When: The group meets from 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m., usually on the fourth Saturday of the month.

Where: at the Dayton Liederkranz-Turner (1400 E Fifth St, Dayton OH 45402) across from Stivers High School for the Arts.

Cost: GGG Dues are $10 per calendar year for DLT Members; $15 for non-members.

Membership Required? No

Contact Info: GermanGenealogyGroup@DaytonGermanClub.org

A German Genealogy Library is maintained in the Augsburg Stube, located off the Rathskeller of the Dayton Liederkranz-Turner. Members are welcome to use and check out books for personal use. Instructions for Library loan are on the table next to the books. It can be open by appointment. Contact GermanGenealogyGroup@DaytonGermanClub.org

The Library in the Augsburg Stube also contains novels in German and information books on Germany, as well as children’s books in German especially suited for the tiny ones, and for Opas, and Omas, who want to give their grand kids an opportunity to experience German.

Please click on this link to access the list of books available for loan.

Website Links – Revised 3/14/2022

The following is a list of websites that might help you in your Genealogy Research:

►Family Search – Where Generations Meet https://www.familysearch.org

This is a website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons). It is considered by many to be the “#1” genealogical website on the internet. There is a vast amount of information, and it has excellent resources for learning by “genealogy beginners”. If you haven’t been on this website it’s well worth the time to check it out. An account is required for usage of much of the content, but the account is free.
►A List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet https://cyndislist.com/
►One Step Webpages by Stephen P. Morse https://stevemorse.org/
►Castle Garden – America’s First Immigration Center http://www.castlegarden.org
Ship passenger records from Castle Garden, which was the entry point to the US in New York City before Ellis Island.
►History of Ellis Island https://www.bbcleaningservice.com/history-of-ellis-island.html
This site has a selection of links dealing with the history of Ellis Island and the people who entered the US through its gates. The links to pictures of immigrants are particularly interesting.
►Surname Maps for German Genealogy http://germannames.com/
This website does not appear to provide any capability to do actual online searches, however it has a nice discussion about surname search strategies that’s worth a read. See link “Notes on surname search strategies”. The info about using the online German telephone book was written in 1998, and may not all be accurate at present.
►Surname Distribution in Germany per the German Telephone Book – Christoph Stoepel’s Homepage

Homepage (in German): https://christoph.stoepl.net/ The following link takes you directly to a search page in English: https://legacy.stoepel.net/en/
►Connecting the World One GEDCOM at a Time https://www.ancestrypaths.com/get-started/worldconnect/
►History at Home: A Guide to Genealogy – Tips and materials for starting your search. https://www.homeadvisor.com/r/guide-to-genealogy/
Lots of links, about “half” work, “half” don’t. Lots of different topics covered by the links. If you don’t go nuts trying to find the links that work, there’s probably something of interest for just about everybody. Updated April, 2019.
►Online German Emigration Records, Lists and Indexes https://www.germanroots.com/emigration.html
►University of Cincinnati German-Americana Collection https://libraries.uc.edu/libraries/arb/collections/german-americana.html
The German-Americana Collection is one of the nation’s largest collections of books, pamphlets, documents, journals, newspapers and manuscripts pertaining to German-American history, literature and culture, and is located in the Blegen Library in the Archives and Rare Books Library of the University of Cincinnati. The collection is especially of value to students, scholars and the general public interested in the history, literature and culture of the German-American element. It contains a wealth of information on the German heritage of the Ohio Valley in particular.
►Hamilton County Genealogical Society https://www.hcgsohio.org/cpage.php?pt=38
There are many databases available through the website of the Hamilton County Genealogical Society. Much, but not all database information is available to non-members. The link listed above will take you to a page where you can see what data is available to the public, and what is contained in the Members Only area.
►Finding Your Family from Ships Passenger Lists https://www.cruisedirect.com/finding-your-family-from-ship-passenger-listsFinding Your Family from Ships Passenger Lists has a varied list of links which may be helpful in locating various passenger lists.
►DNA testing kits: What are the privacy risks? https://comparite.ch/dna-privacy
Commercial DNA tests are surging in popularity as many of us seek to learn more about our heritage, but people are often overlooking the potential privacy implications. Here are some points to consider.
►Exploring your roots through family recipes, and more. https://www.kitchenworksinc.com/a-guide-to-home-genealogy-by-kitchen-wor…
►Alphabetical and Reverse German Place Name Indexes by Roger P. Minert (book series) https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jwj0Hzt9vCGanDROv0-P52FzUYviV9K_/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=113189204899046732722&rtpof=true&sd=true
►Researching Your Family’s History from Ships Passenger Lists – www.hmy.com/researching-your-familys-history-from-ships-passenger-lists/ Includes lots of additional information and tips beyond Passenger Lists.
This family history kit from UNDERDOG GAMES has more than 10 pages of hands-on worksheets and activities for you and your kids to complete. This PDF printable is available print right at home.