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As surprising as it sounds, you can learn the basic steps in German genealogy in just a few moments. That's all it takes to read Genealogy at a Glance, which is designed to cover the basic elements of German genealogical research in just four pages, giving you as much useful information in the space allotted as you’ll probably ever need. Written by German genealogy expert Ernest Thode, it can be read at a glance and used with total confidence.

It is said that more Americans are of German origin than any other nationality, yet Germany wasn’t created as a sovereign state until 1871. Germanic origins are therefore quite diffuse, covering most of the German-speaking regions of central Europe, including Austria, Switzerland, portions of Belgium, Denmark, Poland, and parts of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Genealogical research into German origins is thus understandably complex, and the wonder of Mr. Thode's work is that it covers so much ground so quickly. Thode's German Genealogy Research guides the researcher through German records with maximum efficiency, then brings him to the American side of the story with an outline of German emigration patterns and a pinpoint guide to the massive body of German-American records most in use today.

Starting with the first German settlers in 1683, then working through the various emigration waves all the way up to the farmers and small tradesmen from southwestern and central Germany who came to America in chain migrations in the mid-nineteenth century, and German speakers who came from outside Germany in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Thode's German Genealogy Research provides all the basic instruction you need, focusing on key record sources and materials for further reference and finishing with a listing of major online sources.

With information on ships' passenger lists, surnames and given names, places of origin, and vital records, as well as citations to the best books and online sources, you’ll have the key elements of a research strategy right at your fingertips.

See also the other publications in our "At a Glance" series:
Genealogy at a Glance: Scottish Genealogy Research, by David Dobson
Genealogy at a Glance: French-Canadian Genealogy Research, by Denise R. Larson
Genealogy at a Glance: African American Genealogy Research, by Michael Hait
Genealogy at a Glance: Irish Genealogy Research, by Brian Mitchell
Genealogy at a Glance: Ellis Island Research, by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack
Genealogy at a Glance: Revolutionary War Genealogy Research, by Craig R. Scott
Genealogy at a Glance: Michigan Genealogy Research, by Carol McGinnis
Genealogy at a Glance: Immigration Research, by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack
Genealogy at a Glance: English Genealogy Research, by Paul Milner
Genealogy at a Glance: Virginia Genealogy Research, by Carol McGinnis
Genealogy at a Glance: Italian Genealogy Research, by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack
Genealogy at a Glance: French Genealogy Research, by Claire Bettag
Genealogy at a Glance: American Cemetery Research, by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack