Please send any corrections or suggestions to goertz@cyberspace.org
faq.general.intro ======11111====================
faq.prusssia ==check http://www.mmhs.org/mmhsgen.htm
faq.poland
faq.russia
faq.nw.germany
faq.sw.germany
faq.netherlands
faq.switzerland
faq.france
faq.usa.east
faq.usa.west
faq.canada
faq.latin.america
faq.hutterites
faq.amish
We are in need of volunteers to
write faqs for any of the above faq titles.
If you can nominate someone who you think may be able to write,
have him/her contact
Adalbert Goertz, 4293 Deerfield Hills Rd, Colorado Springs CO 80916-3503
or preferably email to
adalbert.goertz@pikespeak.net
============================================================
CONTENTS:
Q#1: What is a faq?
Q#2: I am a complete newbie in this Mennonite genealogy field.
Where do I start?
Q#3: What kind of questions should I ask?
Q#4: Is there some reading for the newbie in Mennonite genealogy?
Q#5: I have asked all these questions, but I am hitting a wall.
Where can I get more information and confirm what I have
found so far?
Q#6: I am not Mormon. Why would I want to consult a LDS (Mormon) Library?
Q#7: Does the LDS Family History Library in Salt Lake City, UT or their
branches have a web site?
Q#8: Do Mennonite libraries and archives have websites or internet access?
Q#9: Why are there not more websites? I am looking for church
and other records which I can scan online.
Q#10: I like to scan the records of an archive in Berlin, or Warsaw,
or Kiev. How do I find their websites or gopher to their
library catalog for genealogy materials?
Q#11: Someone told me that I must be Mennonite since I have a
Mennonite name. Is there something like a Mennonite name?
They even claim they can tell where our family must have
come from.
Q#12: The Mennonite Encyclopedia and Mennonitisches Lexikon
are a little out of date. Is there something more current
I can consult?
Q#13: How do I find out, if someone else is looking for the same
Mennonite name?
Q#14: I cannot access the web and have email service only.
Are these http:// docs of any use to me in any other way?
Q#15: Is there a forum which discusses Mennonite roots?
Q#16: I have looked thru the LDS microfilm holdings and the IGI
index for Mennonites. Although I found many Mennonite listings
from Prussia, I found almost nothing on Mennonites in
South Germany, Switzerland or France. Does that mean that
there are no Mennonite sources outside Prussia?
Q#17: Are there links to dictionaries on the web?
Q#18: How can I find people with a certain family name?
Q#19: How can I find information on ships and immigrants?
============================================================ ===
Q#1: What is a faq?
A#1: faq stands for Frequently Asked Questions.
It is the commonly accepted way in cyberspace to provide guidance.
The topics are as varied as life itself.
Here, we want to be concerned with Mennonite roots.
faq does not only give questions, but hopefully some answers too.
Q#2: I am a complete newbie in this Mennonite genealogy field.
Where do I start?
A#2: Start with asking the living older members of your family: Parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts.
Q#3: What kind of questions should I ask?
A#3: Ask for names, dates and places of birth, marriage, death
regarding ancestors. Information on places are vital to any research
which all too often are neglected. Make people write this down
for you, especially spelling of place names. Ask for details
about the places, where exactly they are located, whether the place
names have changed over the years.
Have them show you old pictures and, most importantly, have the lable
old pictures: who, where, when.
(That should also make you lable your own pictures that you make)
Remember that 10 years from now this information may no longer be
available for followup questions.
Q#4: Is there some reading for the newbie in Mennonite genealogy?
A#4: Every newbie should consult the "Mennonite Encyclopedia", 5 vols. and read articles: genealogy (II,457f) and Names,Mennonite, of Persons and Places (III.809f), as well as the German "Mennonitisches Lexikon", 4 vols.,art.:Sippenkunde (IV,171f).
Consult also
Germanic Genealogy (by Edward R.Brandt et alii), 2nd edition.
1997, St.Paul MN, 517 pp.;1st edition, 1995, 370 pp..
Q#5: I have asked all these questions, but I am hitting a wall.
Where can I get more information and confirm what I have
found so far?
A#5: Go to the nearest LDS (Mormon) Family History Center and check their holdings, especially their Library Catalog and International Genealogy Index (IGI). Prussian Mennonites are well represented in the IGI (Germany).
Q#6: I am not Mormon. Why would I want to consult a LDS (Mormon) Library?
A#6: The LDS have been collecting and filming genealogical records of all denominations worldwide. Their library system is well organized and accessible to everyone interested in genealogy. Their Mennonite genealogical holdings are often stronger than in some Mennonite libraries.
Q#7: Does the LDS Family History Library in Salt Lake City, UT or their
branches have a web site?
A#7: Try these websites:
http://www.lds.org/Index/index.html#F*
http://www.lds.org/Family_History/How_Do_I_Begin.html
http://www.lds.org/Family_History/Where_is.html
http://www.CyndisList.com/lds.htm
ftp://hipp.etsu.edu/pub/genealogy
http://www.kindredkonnections.com
http://www.CyndisList.com/menno.htm
Some local LDS libraries maintain a website which are strong in their local fields of interest.
Q#8: Do Mennonite libraries and archives have websites or internet access?
A#8: The Mennonite institutions have started to build up websites and
online library catalogs. Here are a few known addresses:
(If you know of others, HOLLER)
Directory of Mennonite Archives
http://www.goshen.edu/mcarchives/directory1998.htm
http://www.bethelks.edu/services/mla/guide/guide.html
Mennonite Genealogy Cross-Index
http://feefhs.org/men/indexmen.html
Mennonite Library and Archives (North Newton, Kansas)
+ Strong in "Russian" Mennonitica,
especially from 19th century immigration
http://www.bethelks.edu/services/mla/
http://www.bethelks.edu/services/mla/manuscript-1.html
http://www.feefhs.org/men/frg-ma&l.html
Manitoba Mennonite Historical Society, Winnipeg MB:
+ Strong in Prussian-Russian Mennonitica
http://www.mmhs.org/mmhsgen.htm
Center for Mennonite Brethren Studies (Fresno, CA):
California Mennonite Historical Society:
+ "Russian" Mennonitica, Grandma Project
http://www.fresno.edu/cmhs/gpc/
http://www.fresno.edu/affiliation/cmbs
http://www.feefhs.org/men/frg-cmbs.html
http://www.fresno.edu/affiliation/hc
http://www.fresno.edu/affiliation/cmhs/bulletin/jan98/grandma.htm
E-mail: kennsrem@fresno.edu
Mennonite-Polish Friendship Association:
http://www.fresno.edu/affiliation/mpfa
Menno Simons Historical Library (Harrisonburg, Virginia)
+ "Swiss" Mennonitica, particularly with connections in Virginia
http://www.emu.edu/units/library/histlib.htm
Mennonite Heritage Center, Winnipeg MB:
+ Prussian-Russian Mennonitica
http://www.mbnet.mb.ca/~lklippen/menhist.htm
http://www.mbnet.mb.ca/~lklippen/biblio.htm
http://www.feefhs.org/men/frg-mhc.html
Centre for Mennonite Brethren Studies, 169 Riverton Ave.,
Winnipeg, Manitoba R2L 2E5 (204) 669-6575.
http://www.cdnmbconf.ca/mb/cmbs.htm
E-mail: cmbsarchives@cdnmbconf.ca
Mennonite Historical Library (Bluffton, Ohio)
+ Particular strength in Amish and "Swiss" Mennonitica
+ See Bluffton College website (currently no link to library)
http://www.bluffton.edu/
OH MI IN IL Mennonite Genealogy Project (Kidron, Ohio)
+ Particular strength in Amish and "Swiss" Mennonitica
http://www.bright.net/~swisstea/
http://www.wgbc.org/guidance.htm
Mennonite Historical Library (Goshen, Indiana)
+ Primarily "Swiss"; some "Russian" Mennonitica
http://www.goshen.edu/mhl/
http://www.feefhs.org/men/frg-mhl.html
E-mail: mhl@goshen.edu
Archives of the Mennonite Church (Goshen, Indiana)
http://www.goshen.edu/mcarchives/index.html
E-mail: dennises@goshen.edu
Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society
+ Eastern Mennonitica
http://lanclio.org/lmhs.htm
http://lanclio.org/gene.htm
Mennonite Historical Society of Canada
http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/MHSC/mhsc.html
Mennonite Heritage Center (Mennonite Historians of Eastern Penna)
565 Yoder Road, Box 82, Harleysville PA 19438
http://mhep.org
http://www.pond.com/~mennhist/
E-mail: mennhist@pond.com
Family Research Center, Mountain Lake, Minnesota
http://expage.com/page/roots
Galician Mennonites:
http://www.dcn.davis.ca.us/go/feefhs/fij/galiciam.html
http://www.feefhs.org/gal/agg/frg-agg.html
Galician Grapevines E-mail: glgrapev@mctcnet.net
Hutterite Genealogy:
http://www.feefhs.org/~feefhs/hut/h-sob.html
Doopsgezinde Archieven, Gemeentearchief Amsterdam, Amsteldijk 67,
1074 HZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Doopsgezinde Bibliotheek, Universiteitsbibliotheek van Amsterdam,
Singel 425, Postbus 19185, 1000 GD Amsterdam
http://www.uba.uva.nl/en/libraries/church.html
http://www.uba.uva.nl/en/collecties/kerkelijk/
E-mail: menno@uba.uva.nl
Some individual sites:
http://az.fh.org/smh/more_gen.htm
http://www.cadvision.com/rempelj/
http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/7431/menno.htm
http://www.feefhs.org/men/frg-mv.html
http://www.genealogy.org/~jrd/j__menn.htm
http://www.wengersundial.com/wengerfamily/
The best websearch engine for genealogy is
http://google.stanford.edu
and I strongly urge you to pose your questions there.
Q#9: Why are there not more websites? I am looking for church
and other records which I can scan online.
A#9: You obviously have not tried to read and decipher old records and
manuscripts. Not only does this require expert manpower, but many hours of
love to transcribe and post on the web. If records are online, they never
are guaranteed to be accurate. You may as well blame your ancestors for
failing to put their records online.
In addition, there is also the copyright law which discourages posting.
This is more a perceived barrier than real, but nevertheless
discourages posting.
Q#10: I like to scan the records of an archive in Berlin, or Warsaw,
or Kiev. How do I find their websites or gopher to their
library catalog for genealogy materials?
A#10: The internet originated in the USA, and although its scope is
international, you cannot expect universal availability. Computer science
departments are universally present on the net, followed by the major
North American,Australian, and HongKong libraries with their title holdings.
Genealogy titles are not the priority of these libraries. As you go to
Europe and further East, libraries often have a token presence only on the
internet with presently no practical value to the outside user.
Since online service is not heavily subsidized in foreign countries,
libraries often restrict service to local paying residents or students
through ID or password.
The best hope to locate genealogy titles online is to telnet to larger
libraries:
Harvard University telnet://hollis.harvard.edu/
University of California (UC) telnet://melvyl.ucop.edu/
US Library of Congress (LOC) telnet://locis.loc.gov/
Q#11: Someone told me that I must be Mennonite since I have a
Mennonite name. Is there something like a Mennonite name?
They even claim they can tell where our family must have
come from.
A#11: Mennonites have been more isolated in the past, and this preserved certain Mennonite names in certain areas over the centuries. Basicly, there are three Mennonite name groups:
1) Dutch-Prussian names
2) Swiss-South German names
3) Hutterite names
Q#12: The Mennonite Encyclopedia and Mennonitisches Lexikon
are a little out of date. Is there something more current
I can consult?
A#12: Mennonite Family History has been published quarterly since 1982 and tries to be as broad as practical, but has emphasised the Swiss-South German Mennonite families. It is published at
Morgantown PA 19543-9701.
A Ten-Year Index 1982-1991 is available.
email: mast@masthof.org
http://www.masthof.org
http://www.feefhs.org/men/frg-mfh.html
The Mennonite Historian is published in Winnipeg MB with an
emphasis on Prussian-Russian Mennonite families.
Contact the
Mennonite Heritage Center
600 Shaftesbury Blvd
Winnipeg MB Canada R3P OM4
E-mail: lklippen@mbnet.mb.ca
*(Lawrence Klippenstein) http://www.mbnet.mb.ca/~lklippen/menhist.htm
aredek@mbnet.mb.ca
Alf_Redekopp@CMBibleColl.mb.ca
*(Alf Redekopp)
Q#13: How do I find out, if someone else is looking for the same
Mennonite name?
A#13: There is a directory called
"Mennonite Family History Surname Index"
published by Mennonite Family History in Morgantown PA 19543-9701.
Surname Index V (1997) 54 pp. is currently available for $6.50.
Contact: masthof@masthof.net
For an online Directory of Mennonite Family Researchers
access the website
http://www.prairienet.org/mennonite/MennoLink/MFRI.txt
(which is temporarily - I hope - unavailable)
This directory is updated 3-4 times per year.
If you want to be included for the next update, send the
following info on yourself to
adalbert.goertz@pikespeak.net
1.Your name (and address - optional)
2.Your email address (and website - optional)
3.Brief outline of your interests: Family names, regions.
Q#14: I cannot access the web and have email service only.
Are these http:// docs of any use to me in any other way?
A#14: Yes, you may want to send a message to
getweb@usa.healthnet.org
OR
www4mail@unganisha.idrc.ca
with SUBJECT (anything - it will be ignored) and message:
get http://www......................
You can expect to receive the www-document in your email box.
(That will NOT work with websites which have "frames")
You also may simply send message HELP
to above addresses, if your request fails. This way you will find out
whether or not you made a mistake in sending your request.
Q#15: Is there a forum which discusses Mennonite roots?
A#15: Send INFO message (with SUBJECT ignored) to
admin@mennolink.org
which will return the specifics of how to subscribe to
menno.rec.roots
and other mailing lists.
A usenet newsgroup called
soc.genealogy.german
discusses Germanic topics. There is also a corresponding mailing list which mirrors this newsgroup in the event that you have email service only.
German genealogy:
http://www.CyndisList.com/germany.htm
http://www.cyndislist.com/easteuro.htm
http://www.genealogy.net/gene/reg/rindex.htm
http://www.adnc.com/web3/lynnd/gfaq.html
http://www.adnc.com/web3/lynnd/vudeu.html
For searching German locations and postal codes:
http://plz.postconsult.de/Suche/DPLZzuO.HTM
Swiss genealogy:
http://www.eye.ch/swissgen/
Russian archives:
http://www.iisg.nl/~abb/
General genealogy:
http://www.rootsweb.com/rootsweb/
Q#16: I have looked thru the LDS microfilm holdings and the IGI
index for Mennonites. Although I found many Mennonite listings
from Prussia, I found almost nothing on Mennonites in
South Germany, Switzerland or France. Does that mean that
there are no Mennonite sources outside Prussia?
A#16: Since the Mennonites in Prussia have been expelled from their
homeland they have apparently been more aware of the vulnerablity to
record loss due to war and fire and floods.
Irrespective of their disagreement with the LDS concerning faith matters
they apparently have had less objection of them making film copies of
family records in the interest of preservation.
The South German, Swiss and French Mennonites apparently are still
strongly opposed to the LDS making film copies of their family records.
This is to be regretted in the interest of preservation and accessability.
If you know of any way to reverse this attitude or know of Mennonite
records which would be available to LDS filming crews (in Europe and
America) let us all know.
The LDS filming crews offer free filming with a free film copy to the permissio
invite LDS filming crews to discuss potential filming projects.
Basicly, records younger than 100 years are excluded from filming due to
privacy considerations to protect the rights of the living.
Q#17: Are there links to dictionaries on the web?
A#17: Links to Dictionaries of Estonian, German, Hungarian, Latin, Slovak,
Slovene, Russian, Plattdeutsch and others are found at:
http://www.public.iastate.edu/~pedro/dictionaries.html
http://www.dcs.napier.ac.uk/~st5004/dictionaries.html
http://www.MennoLink.org/doc/lg/index.html
http://babelfish.altavista.digital.com/
Q#18: How can I find people with a certain family name?
A#18: Try
Internet E-Mail address locators
http://www.four11.com
http://www.bigfoot.com/
http://www.accumail.com/info/index.htm
http://www.iaf.net
http://www.whowhere.com
Online telephone white and yellow pages
http://www.switchboard.com/bin/cgiqa.dll?MG=
http://www.yahoo.com/search/people/
http://www.databaseamerica.com/html/gpfind.htm
http://www.contractjobs.com/tel
http://www.infobel.be/infobel/infobelworld.html
Q#19: How can I find information on ships and immigraants?
A#19: THESHIPSLIST-L -- is a mailing list for anyone
interested in the ships our ancestors migrated on. Subjects include
emigration/immigration, ports of entry, ports of departure, ship
descriptions and history, passenger lists and other related
information. To help with your questions, there are many regular
members of the list, with a wide range of expertise and resources, who
are ready and willing to assist and guide you on your search.
theshipslist-l
For a free subscription, send message
subscribe
to
theshipslist-l-request@rootsweb.com
Websites:
http://www.fortunecity.com/littleitaly/amalfi/13/ships.html http://www.cimorelli.com/pie/emigrate/emigmenu.htm http://www.oz.net/~cyndihow/ships.htm
See also
TITLE(s): Germans to America : lists of passengers arriving at U.S.
ports / edited by Ira A. Glazier and P. William Filby.
Wilmington, Del. : Scholarly Resources, c1988-
v. : ill. ; 24 cm.
Vols. 1-9 include dates "1850-1855" in subtitle.
Includes bibliographies and indexes.
ISBN: 0842023151 (vol. 1)
The series contains abstracts from passenger arrival lists for the five major U.S. ports of arrival: Baltimore, Boston, New Orleans, New York, and Philadelphia. It does not include arrival records for any Canadian ports, although it may contain the names of some Germans who entered through one of the U.S. ports covered, and who later settled in Canada.
Partial cont.:
v. 1. January 1850-May 1851 --
v. 2. May 1851-June 1852 --
v. 3. June 1852-September 1852 --
v. 4. September 1852-May 1853 --
v. 5. May 1853-October 1853 --
v. 6. October 1853-May 1854 --
v. 7. May 1854-August 1854 --
v. 8. August 1854-December 1854 --
v. 9. December 1854-December 1855 --
v. 10. January 1856-April 1857 - -
v. 11. April 1857-November 1857 --
v. 12. November 1857-July 1859 --
v. 13. August 1859-December 1860 --
v. 14. January 1861- May 1863 --
v. 15. June 1863-October 1864 --
v. 16. November 1864-November 1865 --
v. 17. Nov. 1865-June 1866 --
v. 18. June 1866-Dec. 1866 --
v. 19. Jan. 1867-Aug 1867 --
v. 20. Aug. 1867-May 1868 --
v. 21. May 1868-Sept. 1868 --
v. 22. Oct. 1868-May 1869 --
v. 23. June 1869- December 1869 --
v. 24. January 1870-December 1870 --
v. 25. January 1871-September 1871 --
v. 26. October 1871-April 1872 --
v. 27. May 1872-July 1872 --
v. 28. August 1872-December 1872 --
v. 29. January 1873-May 1873 --
v. 30. June 1873-November 1873 --
v. 31. December 1873- December 1874 --
v. 32. January 1875-Septe er 1876 --
v. 33. October 1876-September 1878 --
v. 34. October 1878-December 1879 --
v. 35. January 1880-June 1880 --
v. 36. July 1880-November 1880 --
v. 37. December 1880-April 1881 --
v. 38. April 1881-May 1881 --
v. 39. June 1881-Aug. 1881 --
v. 40. Aug. 1881-Oct. 1881 - -
v. 41. November 1881-March 1882 --
v. 42. March 1882-May 1882.
v. 43. May 1882-August 1882 --
v. 44. August 1882-November 1882 --
v. 45. November 1882-April 1883 --
v. 46. April 1883-June 1883 --
v. 47. July 1883-October 1883 --
v. 48. November 1883-April 1884 --
v. 49. April 1884-June 1884 --
v. 50. July 1884-November 1884 --
v. 51. December 1884-June 1885 --
v. 52. July 1885-April 1886 --
v. 53. May 1886-January 1887 --
v. 54. January 1887-June 1887 --
v. 55. July 1887-April 1888 --
v. 56. May 1888-November 1888 --
v. 57. December 1888-June 1889 --
v. 58. July 1889-April 1890.
v. 59 May 1890 - November 1890.(ISBN 0-8420-2667-3).
v. 60 Dec 1890- May 1891
(to be continued)
SUBJECT(s): German Americans Genealogy.
Ships United States Passenger lists.
Immigrants United States Registers.
United States Emigration and immigration.
Germany Emigration and immigration.
OTHER ENTRIES: Glazier, Ira A.
Filby, P. William, 1911-
Call #: 929.273 G3735
For US list of holding libraries of the "Germans to America " series see
http://www.genealogy.net/gene/www/emig/gta-holdings.html