Finding the Village: Identifying German Places of Origin for U.S. Midwest Settlers

For many researchers of German ancestry, the biggest challenge is identifying the ancestral village in Europe. This session will guide you through key U.S. record types that can help pinpoint German places of origin, with a special focus on immigrants who settled in the Midwest. We’ll explore strategies using passenger lists, naturalization papers, religious records, local histories, and more—plus tips for navigating name changes and shifting boundaries in the vast regions covered in European German-speaking lands. This session will help you move your research across the Atlantic.