Ernest Thode - A Genealogists Guide to Discovering Your Germanic Ancestors: How to Find and Record Your Unique Heritage

F rom the late seventeenth century, Germans braved the myriad hardships of migrating to America to become the most numerous immigrant group in America. Recent censuses report that German Americans are the largest ethnic group in the United States, which means vast numbers of Americans have German ancestors. The scope of this book goes beyond the borders of present-day Germany. We will also address the regions of Switzerland, Austria, Alsace-Lorraine (Elsass-Lothringen), and other Germanic areas.

You are about to embark on the adventure of a lifetimeactually of several lifetimesas you forge deeply into the search for your Germanic ancestors. Can you face adversity and overcome the difficulties? Can you diligently follow a trail, focusing on all the clues to make sure youre on the right track? Do you have what it takes to go the distance? You just might. Lets find out!

In these pages, we will offer you useful hints and illustrations and help you save time and money. Your purchase of this book constitutes a ticket to Germanic adventures of kaleidoscope variety. We cannot guarantee success in searching for your earliest ancestors, but we can offer hope and techniques to improve your chance for success.

Its now time for you to brave the hardships of crossing the Atlantic, just as your ancestors did long ago. It will take planning, preparation, and fortitude. Were delighted to have you join us for these exciting adventures. When you have compiled a reasonable amount of information on your ancestors, you will want to publish a few pages or more about them. Offer copies to everyone who helped, and dont feel bad about charging a moderate fee for your pages, book, or booklet. Share your work with libraries to be certain your efforts arent wasted and lost.