Finding Prussian Ancestors in Online Archives

Nancy E. Loe, MA, MLS
Aug 10, 2023
1.7K views
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Content

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Welcome
1m 52s
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Speaker's Introduction
1m 03s
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Introduction
7m 15s
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Locating Prussian Records
3m 00s
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Meyers Gazeteer
7m 43s
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Finding Prussian Records Online
16m 19s
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Archives in Poland
11m 20s
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Prussian Research Toolkit
7m 12s
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Announcements / prizes
7m 31s
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Questions / answers
22m 44s

About this webinar

Discover online records for German-speaking ancestors from Brandenburg, East Prussia, Pomerania, Posen, Silesia, and West Prussia. Despite some record loss for these geographic areas, hundreds of years of church and civil records can be found in archives in Poland, Germany, and the US, using the search strategies in this presentation.

About the speaker

About the speaker

Archivist, librarian, and genealogist Nancy Loe has been helping researchers with their family trees since 1977. From her time interning at the Smithsonian archives as a grad student to her current work as a genealogist, working with primary sourc
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Comments (113)

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  1. JM
    Joy Metcalf
    1 year ago

    My great grandfather used to become angry when someone called him a German, He was a PRUSSIAN! from Gollub, Westpreussen, thank you very much! Still, on some census records, he’s recorded as German.

    His wife, though, she’s another story. She’s recorded born in German, in Austria, in Hungary, in Bohemia, and in Poland, Her native language is recorded as both German and Magyar. Her last name, Nemecek, means German in Czech. Three active genealogists in the family haven’t been able to find her, even having done DNA I’d love to see a webinar on how to track someone like this down.

    Reply
  2. LC
    Leanne Clark
    1 year ago

    could you please tell me.. what is the name of the statue shown at the start of your presentation? where is located at?

    Reply
    1 Reply
    • Marian Pierre-Louis
      1 year ago

      Leanne, the image above is the Neptune Statue in Gdansk, Poland.

  3. DW
    Donna Williams
    1 year ago

    Is the syllabus available for viewing the webinar after the live stream?

    Reply
    1 Reply
    • Marian Pierre-Louis
      1 year ago

      Donna, the syllabus is available both before and after the live broadcast. The syllabus is a member benefit so members should log in first and then click the syllabus button just below the video. Non-members can use the coupon code above to become members.

  4. BS
    Barbara Shapas
    1 year ago

    Thanks for offering so many alternatives to simply entering an ancestor’s name into the first box that pops up on some of these websites. Guilty as charged! I will definitely change my behavior!

    Reply
    1 Reply
    • NL
      Nancy Loe
      1 year ago

      So glad it helped you, Barbara. It is tempting to head straight to what librarians call a “blast search.” But targeted usually wins the day. Good luck in your research and thanks for attending.

  5. SC
    Susan Cate
    1 year ago

    Wonderful introduction to Prussian history and research! I know my Great Grandparents were born in Prussia and need to figure out where. They immigrated to America in the mid 1800s.

    Reply
    1 Reply
    • NL
      Nancy Loe
      1 year ago

      Perhaps it’s time for a Finding Your Prussian Immigrant Ancestor? Lots of ideas ahead of that one but let me or the nice folks at Legacy FamilyTree know you’re interested.

  6. ES
    Ellen Sears
    1 year ago

    Excellent list of resources on Prussia to follow up with. Can hardly wait to get started. Thx for explaining the complexities of a place is flux by government invasions, war, and maybe employment opportunities I would like to know more about Prussian armies in time periods.

    Reply
    1 Reply
    • NL
      Nancy Loe
      1 year ago

      Other than the Erfurt billeting Ancestry collection posted in the chat, you might start with https://www.bundesarchiv.de/EN/Navigation/Use/Using-specific-types/Military-Records/military-records-en.html. My guess is most Prussian military records are going to be in Germany, but it is a guess. Good luck!

  7. AA
    Amy Andre
    1 year ago

    missed the first half but loved the second half and will DEFINITELY be watching the first half as soon as the webinar is available again to view. Gave me ideas and the motivation to start next on my great-great-grandfather from Poland-Prussia-Lithuania ???

    Reply
    1 Reply
    • NL
      Nancy Loe
      1 year ago

      Lots of motivation from me, Amy, with the hope you will end up on an ancestral trip to Poland/Lithuania. My trip to Poland was one of wonder. Poles are so open and friendly to English-only speakers like me. Some of my trip reports are here: https://www.sassyjanegenealogy.com/category/prussian-genealogy/

  8. NT
    Norm Talbot
    1 year ago

    Nancy is an excellent presenter with topical handouts which should help anyone looking for Prussian ancestors.

    Reply

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