CAVEAT RESEARCHOR: OK, so you’ve heard it a hundred times, but I must reveal it as a German genealogy research pre-requisite: Exhaust all home & family sources prior to doing online or onsite genealogical research.
Usually in German-American research–even if you are aware of the precise name of the parish of origin in the Old World–it is generally wise to exhaust the various interesting & informative USA county, state & federal records & immigration resources.
Also, there’s usually not much sense in “jumping across the pond” to Germany to do your German genealogy research in any country of Europe that had Germans–until you’ve ascertained the name of the parish of origin! Yes, that is much easier said than done, of course.
Two decades ago, I wrote an article for the Genealogy Helper Magazine. Thesis: by doing comprehensive USA, immigration and German ancestral & genealogical research, aka Deutsche Ahnenforschung, you’ll be so much more pleased with what you have for the data, documentation & image presentation of the family’s history! You’ll also more than likely be much more prepared to get into the thick of Germanic research in the Old Country.
We refer to not only the resources of which you are aware, but also those about which a professional German researcher or global Germanic genealogist. Our having inspected the foundations of numerous clients’ allegedly firm foundations, we found cracks & crevasses (OK, crevices, too{;>).
COST, EFFORT & TIME-SAVING RESULTS: Prevented our clients from having dug at the wrong roots (or no roots at all!)
John Erbstoesser, Manager, The Generations Network, Ancestry.com’s International Team September 16, 2008 “Karl is a valued employee who specializes in superior customer service and sales. His ability to adapt positively to changes while continuing to improve his personal performance sets him apart from other employees. As a team player, Karl tirelessly works to help others achieve their goals as well as always looking after the best interest of the business. As our primary consultant for our German customer base, Karl conducted training initiatives for many of our new clients while exhibiting superior performance in his German-speaking responsibilities.”