Disclaimer for External Links

These links have been selected by staff members of the Max Kade Institute for German American Studies to provide additional information and resources that may be of interest to our visitors. Please note that the MKI is not responsible for the maintenance of these sites and has no control over their content. Any questions about external sites should be referred to the Web administrators of those sites.

Broken Links or URL Changes

Please report any broken links or URL changes to Kevin Kurdylo.

divider image

General: Resources, Old German Script, Links, Statistics, Archives

Resources

GEOserv
A german town locator
The German-Americans an Ethnic Experience by Willi Paul Adams
Full-text online publication
Heritage maps : Where German Americans live: Map 1; Map 2:
Percentage of state population and distribution per state
Historical Maps of Germany
Provided by Thomas Hoeckmann
International bibliography of German-Americana
Searchable bibliography
Max Kade Institute Searchable Database on German-Americana
Library resources of the Max Kade Institute, UW-Madison: Including 18th- early 20th-century imprints in the German language printed in the US; monographs, articles, papers, pamphlets and book chapters relating to the experiences or contributions of German-speaking immigrants and their descendants in America and dealing significantly with political, cultural, and religious aspects of the German-American experience. The database currently contains more than 8000 records, many of them with abstracts
Spurensuche Midwest
Spurensuche presents 20 topics that are important to the German-speaking communities in Chicago and the Midwest. The website is meant to be an interactive guide to further explorations of these topics, establish a dialogue between these communities, to illustrate the significant contributions of a 'sleeping giant.' Topics include: media, radio, tv, etc.; organizations and clubs; language schools; research topics; and teaching resources.

Old German Script

Old German Script/Alte deutsche Handschriften
Includes samples of scripts, downloadable fonts, and bibliography of recommended reading.
Learn Suetterlin
Good explanations in English and lots of samples; includes tips and tricks for deciphering old scripts.
Handwriting Guide: German Gothic Resource Guide
An LDS Family History web site. This guide introduces common Gothic letters, type, and handwriting used in German records. Also list of recommended reading
German Script Alphabet Chart
Includes samples of scripts, downloadable fonts, and bibliography of recommended reading
Download Suetterlin Font
Helpful in learning to read old German scripts
Suetterlinstube
Offers free transcription of texts written in old German handwriting into modern Latin writing. Contributions based on value of service provided greatly appreciated.
 
Links
German-Americana
A very comprehensive list of links from Robert J. Shea (St. Louis, Missouri)
German-American Studies Links
A list of links from the University of Cincinnati
German-Americana History & Heritage
Links to resources in German-American history and heritage
German Pittsburgh
Tracing cultural history through GIS technology
Germans in Washington, DC
Bibliography, links, and information on the German Orphan Asylum
Hiwwe-wie-Driwwe
Private Archive of Pennsylvania German Literature
Virtual Tour of German-American Sites in Washington, DC
Sponsored by the Goethe Institut
Virtual Tour of German-American Sites in San Francisco
Sponsored by the Goethe Institut

Statistics

German ancestry. Statistics compared to total US population
1994 Statistics in reference to German ancestry groups and speakers in the US, based on the 1994 Statistical Abstract of the United States Census Statistics: Analyzed by the German Corner
German ancestry by order number (States) | in relation to state population
People speaking German at home | related to foreign speaking | to state population

Archives

German Heritage Collections (Missouri)
Personal papers, organizational records, and other materials related to German immigration, and social life and customs, religious practices, family experiences, and other aspects of life in German-American communities in Missouri
IUPUI University Library German-Americana Manuscript Collections
Various records and papers of American Turners, Indianapolis Maennerchor, etc.
Indiana Historical Society Library: Guide to Ethnic History Collections: Germans
Manuscript collections of German settlers
Archives of the Mennonite Church
Home page of Mennonite Church and list of manuscripts
State Historical Society of Wisconsin: Archive Division
The Library Division contains approx. 3.4 million items relating to the history of North America; resources and archives on various ethnic groups in Wisconsin
German-American Collections in the Milwaukee Urban Archives
To research history of Milwaukee area, ethnic groups, families, German American archives
The German-Americana Collection at the University of Cincinnati
One of the nation’s largest collections of books, pamphlets, documents, journals, newspapers, and manuscripts pertaining to German-American history, literature and culture, located in the Blegen Library in the Archives and Rare Books Department of the University of Cincinnati

Back to the top

divider image

History, Arts, Customs: Resources, History, Art, Customs

Resources

Books

The German-Americans an Ethnic Experience by Willi Paul Adams
This book explores the meaning of German immigration and shows how completely Americans of German descent have been integrated into the American mainstream
First Germans in Jamestown by Gary C. Grassl
The first Germans to land in Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in Virginia, were glassmakers and carpenters
German Achievements in America by Rudolf Cronau (1916)
Reprinted and edited by Don H. Tolzmann. [The book] "provides a concise overview of German-American history to the time of the First World War."

Exhibits

Shaping the Circle: German-Americans in Indianapolis, 1840-1918
This Exhibit from the IUPUI University Library begins with a look at why people left Germany and settled in Indianapolis. It then discusses the influence of German-Americans on three areas of Indianapolis culture: music, architecture, and athletics. Finally, it explores the cultural conflict that German-Americans experienced and the steps they took to become acculturated
Germans in America
Exhibit of the Library of Congress; provides information about immigration from the German-speaking world to the United States, and about the activities of German immigrants in the United States from the 17th to the 20th centuries. Chronology with links to many photos
Celebrating German Heritage in America Today
From the German Embassy in Washington, DC, this InFocus takes a look at the colorful history of German immigration through the centuries, the contributions of some influential German immigrants, the vibrant US communities that continue to nurture their German-American heritage, and the stories of some Germans and German-Americans in Hollywood.

History

1848 Revolution

The German Forty-eighters in America: 150th anniversary assessment
Essay by Don Heinrich Tolzmann: The German-American Forty-Eighters: 1848-1998
The German 1848 revolution
Online article from German Life [scroll down to article by Robert A. Selig]
The German 1848 revolution
Historical background to the German 1848 revolution in Germany. Good overview for schools
Revolution of 1848: Introduction | Index | Refugees in the Civil War
Historical background in German, hosted by the Forschungsstelle Deutsche Auswanderer in den USA
Biographies of Forty-eighters
Biographies in German, hosted by the Forschungsstelle Deutsche Auswanderer in den USA
The German 1848 Revolution
Various links to further information. From 1998 SGAS Symposium

Education

German-American Schoolbooks
Schoolbooks for German immigrants for use in school and at home in North America. Compiled by Allen Viehmeyer
Kindergarten
Essay on the Kindergarten movement

German Americans in Specific Cities and States

Indiana's and Kentucky's German-Americans in the Civil War
Based on a presentation made at a joint meeting of the Indiana Germanic Heritage Society, Kentuckiana Germanic Heritage Society, and the Indiana Chapter of the Palatines to America
The Germans of Iowa and Their Achievements
Information derived from Die Deutschen von Iowa und deren Errungenschaften, by Joseph Eiboeck (Des Moines, Iowa: Iowa Staats-Anzeiger, 1900). Includes brief biographical data for individuals mentioned in the volume, including places of birth in Germany; a listing of the oldest Germans in Iowa (aged 90 or older, from the 1895 census); and a listing of German officers in the Union Army (U.S. Civil War, 1861-1865).
From Far Away Russia: Russian-Germans in Kansas New
Virtual exhibit of the Kansas State Historical Society
Small Town Germans: The Germans of Lawrence, Kansas from 1854 to 1918 New
Examines the lives and institutions of German immigrants to Lawrence, Kansas, from 1854 to World War I. Includes chapters on the German-language newspaper, Die Lawrence Germania, the activities of the local Turnverein, and aspects of ethnic identity and German racism in Lawrence
Primary Documents Related to Ethnic Groups in Lawrence, Kansas New
Images with descriptive text include an invitation to the 1881 Bal Masque of the Sociale Verein, the interior of a German-owned hardware store, a photo of the members of the Frauenverein, and many more
Student Transcription Project New
Documents relating to the history of Lawrence and Douglas County, Kansas
Kentucky's German-Americans in the Civil War
By Joseph R. Reinhart, author of A History of the 6th Kentucky Volunteer Infantry U.S.: The Boys Who Feared No Noise
Germans in Louisiana Pathfinder
A guide to diverse materials available at the Williams Research Center of The Historic New Orleans Collection that concern the Germans of New Orleans. Sections include: Settlers, Organizations, German Views, Music and Socializing, Businesses, J. Hanno Deiler (New Orleans's preeminent German scholar), and Rural German Enclaves. Also includes links to other Internet sites containing information on the German community in New Orleans and Louisiana.
Peopling St. Louis: The Immigration Experience
History of St. Louis by the City of St. Louis; includes section on German migration

Other Topics

 
German-American Biographies
Biographies of famous German Americans
German-language Literature in America, 1830-1930
MKI project to preserve and make accessible German-language literature written in the United States
Haymarket Photos
The Haymarket photo site has been put up by the Chicago Historical Information
Race and Ethnicity: Slavery and the German Radical Tradition
Talk given by Hartmut Keil in Madison, Wisconsin
Other links on German Americans and Slavery
From Robert Shea's German-Americana page
Bibliography of the Cultural History of the Germans in Alberta
Includes searchable bibliography with keyword list, and map of Alberta with list of place names occurring in the bibliography
TRACES
TRACES is a non-profit educational organization created to gather, preserve and present stories of people from the Midwest and Germany or Austria who encountered each other during World War II. Many of these stories have lain beneath the dust left in the wake of a World War most never thought touched the American Heartland. Includes information on traveling exhibits such as "Vanished: German-American Civilian Internment, 1941-1948."

Articles from German Life
The Historic Athenaeum: 100 Years of German Americans in Indianapolis
By Susan McKee
Cincinnati, Ohio: Celebrating the Queen City
By Angela T. Koenig [scroll down to find article by Koenig]
Favorite German-American Travel Destinations
New Braunfels, Texas; Schifferstadt Architectural Museum, Frederick, Maryland; Frankenmuth, Michigan; Missouri's Wine Country; Leavenworth, Washington; Covington, Kentucky; New Harmony, Indiana; New Ulm, Minnesota; Roberts Cove, Acadia Parish, Louisiana; and Humboldt, Saskatchewan, Canada
German-American Yesteryears: German-American topics from German Life magazine
Feb/March 99 issue What Price Freedom?; 18th-Century War Brides; An Austrian in America: Franz Hölzlhuber; Remembering the Massacre at Gnadenhütten; Chicago's Columbia Club Women.
April/May 99 issue by Robert A. Selig: Easter Bunny; Mennonites and Amish; 19th-Century African-Americans and Germany ; Robert F. Wagner (1877–1953)
June/July 99 issue by Robert A. Selig: Johannes Kelpius: "The Maddest of Good Men" ; Then Came the Brunswickers; Bernhard Stroh’s Brewery, etc.
Aug/Sept 99 issue by Robert A. Selig: Germanna: First German Settlement in Virginia; The Real Maytag Man ; Karl Theodor Christian Follen: A German-American Educator ; In the Name of Johann Friedrich Oberlin

Art

German Immigrant painters
Biographies of painters. Edited version of the book "America through the eyes of German Immigrant Painters" written by Anneliese Harding
German Émigré Artists in America
By Angela Koenig; article from German Life: Emanuel Leutze (1816–1868); Albert Bierstadt (1830–1902); Charles Weimar (1828–1898); sidebar on Peter Merrill and his resource: German Artists in America. A Biographical Dictionary [scroll down for article by Koenig]
Adolf Cluss: An International Exhibition Project
Adolf Cluss, born 1825 in Heilbronn, emigrated to the United States in 1848 during the time of the failed revolution in the German states. Until 1858 he was a member of the Communist League with Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. In the years after the American Civil War, he became the most influential architect in Washington, D.C., especially known for his model schools and other public buildings.
Customs

Amish Studies
An academic Web site developed by the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College (Pa.) to provide reliable information on Amish life and culture for scholars, students, and the general public.
The Amish in Northern Indiana
Essay by Samuel Yoder; also photos of Amish farms and of antique Amish quilts
Background dynamics of the Amish movement
Article by Leonard Gross
The Old Order Amish
Article by Thomas Meyers
German Life's North American Oktoberfest Picks
Article from German Life [scroll down to find article]
Kumm Esse (Come Eat) Christmas in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
By Annette Lockwood; article from German Life
German-American Travel Favorites: Explore your heritage and uncover history at unique sites across North America
Article from German Life

Back to the top

divider image

Organizations

German-American Studies at the University of Cincinnati
Information on Cincinnati's German Heritage, certificate in German-American Studies, other links
German-Canadian Studies at the University of Winnipeg
Online newsletter and back issues, German-Canadian research and study links, multimedia exhibits describing German-Canadian life, conferences, activities, bibliography of German-Canadian books at the U-Win. library, research
HGAGCS: German-American and German-Canadian Studies
A moderated multi-disciplinary forum for discussion of topics relevant to German-speaking immigrants in North America from the 17th century to the present. Disciplines involved include history, geography, ethnic and immigration studies, linguistics, literary and cultural studies. Topics may include the invention/transformation of ethnicity and national identities among German Americans and German Canadians, patterns of settlement, patterns of maintenance and change in language and culture, civic participation, methods of conceptualizing German identity in North America, etc. The list addresses an audience of primarily academics and graduate students. Contributions are welcome in German or English.
IUPUI Max Kade German-American Center
Index page linking to information about the Center, the Society, the International bibliography, the yearbook, teaching resources, other links
Max Kade Center for German-American Studies at the University of Kansas
Homepage, and also newsletter online
Max Kade Institute for German-American Studies, UW-Madison
Research institution in the field: index page linking to various resources: papers, publication list, library online resources, newsletter, various research projects, exhibits
Society for German-American Studies
Information on how to become a member
Waterloo [Canada] Center for German Studies (WCGS)
Built by German settlers and immigrants, Kitchener-Waterloo is a significant German heritage centre in Canada and is home to the greatest density of German-Canadians in the country. WCGS provides an academic focus to the long tradition of German immigration to Waterloo County.

 

Back to the top

divider image

Immigration: Resources & Links, Immigrant Experience

Resources & Links

Amerikanetz: Netzwerk westfälische Amerika-Auswanderung seit dem 19. Jahrhundert
German-language network for tracing 19th-century emigrants from Westphalia to America.
"Auswanderung aus Europa - Einwanderung in die USA"
High school project
Auswandererbriefe aus Nordamerika
The free University of Berlin in co-operation with the research library Gotha has collected more than 7,000 letters written by German emigrants from North America. Finding aids provide the names of the letter writers, their place of origin in Germany and place of residence in the U.S., dates, number of pages, and information on whether the letters are transliterated.
Auswanderung nach Amerika
Web site in German and English about German immigration to the United States
BallinStadt Hamburg
Dedicated to the 5 million European emigrants who left their homeland between 1850 and 1939 via Hamburg's port in search of a better life across the Atlantic, this unique historical center will feature a combination of genealogical research, historical displays, and interactive, hands-on activities.
Ellis Island
Search immigrant records, view exhibits on the immigration experience
Emigration & Immigration Records & Links, including Passenger Links and Naturalization Records
Handy reference to resources
Emigration Port Hamburg
Exhibit with background history on how Hamburg became an immigration port, who were the immigrants conditions on board of the ships, what the immigrants expected to find in America. Pictures and text
Find Your Roots in Germany: Links for Researchers and Travellers
Site provides access to numerous research tools, resources, and databases, as well as to tourist information on Germany. Links to passenger manifests, online databases, genealogy sites, and a variety of German regional databases.
Forschungsstelle Deutsche Auswanderer in den USA
Research Center German Emigrants in the USA: Information related to the center; passenger lists; letters; U.S. Census 1880, articles on the 48ers
Germans in America
Library of Congress exhibit provides information about immigration from the German-speaking world to the United States, and about the activities of German immigrants in the United States from the 17th to the 20th centuries. Chronology with links to many photos
Good Bye Bayern, Grüß Gott Amerika: Emigration from Bavaria to America since 1683
Web site based on an exhibition held at the Haus der Bayerischen Geschichte, June to November, 2004. The site, in German and English, includes information on motives behind emigration, the journey, arrrival in America, biographical sketches, images, and audiosamples.
Immigration History Research Center
Archival and library collections of the University of Minnesota on various ethnic groups
Swiss Roots
Organized by the Consulate General of Switzerland in New York and official Swiss representatives in the U.S., in cooperation with numerous local Swiss associations, this Web site serves as a gateway to allow the 1 million Americans of Swiss descent seeking to trace their ancestral roots and those with Swiss affinity to discover and communicate with people in Switzerland. The site also showcases the best in Swiss innovation, culture, history, education, and business.

Immigrant Experience

"Ferner thue ich euch zu wissen..." Die Briefe des Bauern Johann Heinrich zur Oeveste aus Amerika
Letters of a farmer to his family; in German
German Settlement in Colonial Pennsylvania: A Lesson Plan
Developed by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania for middle to high school students
Herewith I am giving you to know ...". The letters of the farmer John Henry zur Oeveste from Amerika 1834 - 1876
Another site with information on this 1834 immigrant from Osnabrück to America
Letters from an Immigrant—America to Germany und zuruck . . .
Bertha Starke Geerdts was born in Neu Schönfeld, Bunzlau, Schlesien, Germany, on 11 January 1871. Sometime before1885 and 1890, while still a teenager, she left her family and immigrated to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This site has letters from Bertha to her mother as well as letters from Bertha's friends and siblings in and near her hometown and in Alt Oels, Silesia, Germany; Medford, Taylor County, Wisconsin; and Rockton, Wisconsin.
Memoirs of the Nohl Family. Trip Diary of Friedrich Nohl
Diary of the six weeks' crossing and the prosperous new beginning
Report by the German Immigrant
Narration by a German immigrant; from "Der Deutsche Pionier"
Old manuscripts, verses
From the Forschungsstelle Deutsche Auswanderer in den USA
Archivaria: Buffalo, New York
Susan Kriegbaum-Hanks has created a page that combines her study of the history of Buffalo, New York, with her interest in German language and literature. Includes a translation of the history of Buffalo from a German perspective, a history of Germans in Buffalo and Erie County, and scans and translations of many German-language newspapers and journals. Also includes an index of names.

 

Back to the top

divider image

German Dialects in North America

American Languages: German Dialects
Features a number of short essays on various aspects of German-American linguistics, as well as sound clips from the following categories: Wisconsin German Dialects, Pennsylvania Dutch, and Texas German.
Linguistic Atlas of Kansas German Dialects
Seeks to collect, preserve and analyze German-American dialects spoken in the state of Kansas and the Midwestern United States. The project makes recordings of these dialects available via the World Wide Web and continues to acquire new dialect samples.
Texas German Dialect Project
Seeks to preserve a unique German dialect that has been spoken across central Texas for more than 150 years. Dialect database allows users to listen to portions of digitized audio interviews. Includes transcripts and translations.

Back to the top

divider image

Wisconsin: Resources, Organizations, Related Fields

Resources

Full-text articles

Defining Tensions. A Fresh Look at Germans in Wisconsin
Proceedings of a conference held in Madison in October 1998. Full-text papers online
Some German Contributions to Wisconsin Life
Online article by Lester W. J. Seifert published in 1983 in the Yearbook of German-American Studies
Germans in Wisconsin
Excerpts and photographic documentation from the booklet by Richard H. Zeitlin, published by the State Historical Society of Wisconsin Madison in 1977
Milwaukee: "America's Most German-American City"
Article by John Gurda published in December 1996/Januar 1997 issue of German Life [Scroll down to locate Gurda article]
Milwaukee's Legendary German Restaurants
Article by Carla Waldemar published in December 1996/Januar 1997 issue of German Life [Scroll down to locate Waldemar article]
Milwaukee Women Yesterday
Biography of Mathilde Anneke, 1817-1884, feminist, suffragette, journalist.
Letters from Veronica Frank, German immigrant to Milwaukee in 1849 and Anna Senn, Swiss immigrant to Milwaukee in 1887. Memoirs of Louise Wolfgram: a German family's life in Milwaukee
Aspects of German Influences in Wisconsin Politics
Talk given by Frank P. Zeidler in Madison, Wisconsin
The Wisconsin Mosaic (1848-1905)
Exploration and photographic documentation of the historical, cultural and social context within which the Frautschi letters were written in 19th century Wisconsin; includes important historical events and other items of interest related to Madison's and Wisconsin's history and culture. A wealth of information under five main headings: Chronology, historical background, activists, peoples' voices, information universe, information infrastructure

Searchable Databases

Directory of Wisconsin Ethnic Organizations
This directory is a searchable database, created to encourage collaboration, cooperation and communication among ethnic groups and organizations, furthering an awareness of the State's diversity. It gives information on mission, activities, publications, etc., geographic location and ethnic affiliation of each organization
German-Americana Collection of the Max Kade Institute
Library resources of the MKI, UW-Madison: Including early imprints in the German language printed in the US and materials relating to the experiences or contributions of German-speaking immigrants and their descendants in America

Exhibits

Gettelman Brewing Company, Milwaukee
Online exhibit
Wisconsin's Immigrant children
Photo exhibit designed to capture the multinational character of children who have come to Wisconsin in successive waves of immigration throughout the state's history. It was especially created for the Sesquicentennial through the cooperative efforts of the Max Kade Institute for German-American Studies and the Madison Public Library
The Wisconsin Mosaic (1848-1905)
Exploration and photographic documentation of the historical, cultural and social context within which the Frautschi letters were written in 19th century Wisconsin; includes important historical events and other items of interest related to Madison's and Wisconsin's history and culture. A wealth of information under five main headings: Chronology, historical background, activists, peoples' voices, information universe, information infrastructure

Organizations

Max Kade Institute for German-American Studies, UW-Madison
Research institution in the field: index page linking to various resources: papers, publication list, library online resources, newsletter, various research projects, exhibits
State Historical Society of Wisconsin
The Library Division contains approx. 3.4 million items relating to the history of North America; resources and archives on various ethnic groups in Wisconsin
Searchable Directory of Wisconsin Historical Societies
Search engine at the Wisconsin Historical Society
Wisconsin Historical and Genealogical Societies
List of societies with Web sites
German-American Collections in the Milwaukee Urban Archives
To research history of Milwaukee area, ethnic groups, families, German American archives
Watertown Historical Society
History of Watertown and photos of historical buildings
History of New Glarus, WI, America's Little Switzerland
New Glarus is a Swiss historical village
West Bend Art Museum
Extensive collection of German-American art, especially of Carl Marr
Goethe House, Milwaukee
Purpose and services of the Goethe House in Milwaukee
Centreville Settlement, Inc.
Organization dedicated to the preservation of the rural farming heritage in in the Centerville Township area of Manitowoc County, Wisconsin. In the 1840's, many people from the Saxon state of Germany and others from surrounding European areas settled in this area.

Related Fields

Wisconsin French Connections
This webpage "is a virtual monument to honor the memory and continued presence of French speaking people from many nations who, over the last 350 years, have helped make Wisconsin and the midwest United States what they are today."

Back to the top

divider image

Genealogy & Related Fields: German Studies, Ethnic Studies, European Immigration, Genealogy, Heritage Societies

German Studies

German Language School Conference
Association of schools dedicated to the teaching of German language and culture on all proficiency levels and for all age groups
Robert J. Shea's German Resources
Robert Shea's page. St. Louis, Mo
The German Way
Daily life and customs in German-speaking Europe
Web Links for the German-speaking World
An online supplement to the German Way
Best of the Web: Germany: Society and Culture
Links to information about Germany and German-related research, including genealogy
Internet Resources for Germanists
UW-Madison German Dept
American Association of Teachers of German
Index page, with links to additional resources
Saterfrisian on-line course
Saterland is a unique area in North-West Germany near the Dutch border. Of all living continental languages, Saterfrisian is perhaps the nearest relative to Old English.
This on-line course is the work of Pyt Kramer.

Ethnic Studies

Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies
Museum, library and archive dedicated to collecting and interpreting materials drawn from America's ethnic, racial, and immigrant experiences. Museum provides exhibitions; library provides extensive Resources in American Ethnic Life and Immigration History; education programs available; many excellent resources at this site; see also the guide to the German manuscript collection
Australian National University Centre for Immigration and Multicultural Studies
Information on the work of CIMS; provides links to information facilities of value and/or significance to researchers in related fields; newsletter: Polyphony
Voice of the Shuttle. Minority Studies Page
Provides links on following topics: General resources; African-American; Asian-American; Chicano, Latino, Hispanic; Immigrant/Refugee; Jewish; Native-American; Pacific; Other (minority cultures in Europe, etc.)
Ethnic organizations and ethnic studies in Wisconsin
Provides links to the various ethnic groups and ethnic studies in Wisconsin and also some general links
Directory of Wisconsin Ethnic Organizations
This directory was created to encourage collaboration, cooperation and communication among ethnic groups and organizations, furthering an awareness of the State's diversity
This database is not complete

European Immigration

German-Language Newspapers and Journals Published in London Since 1810
From The British Library Newspaper Library

Genealogy

General Genealogy Resources

Genealogy resources
Extensive list of links and resources: Site index, general, miscellaneous, associations and societies, searchable databases, libraries and archives, online directories and search engines, geographical information, on-line periodicals, bulletin boards, mailing lists, and news groups
Genealogy.com
Leading resource for family history. You can search for family name, learn about genealogy. Helpful websites and message boards
Lingo24
Provides a free online English-German translation tool and German language paraphrasing tool. Also offers fee-based translation services.
Local referral list for genealogical research, translation and transcription (Madison, Wisconsin)

German Genealogy

German Genealogy Home Page
Genealogy.net. This website provides information about German genealogical societies, and LDS centers; sample letters in English and German for writing to church and state archives; and a section "FAQ", Frequently Asked Questions, with tips about avenues of research, writing to archives in Germany and volunteer translation service
Cyndi's list of genealogical sites on the Internet: Germany
Extensive list of links
Hanacek's listing of genealogical resources
Available in both English and German, links to Internet resources and databases for German genealogy; gives addresses for German military, church and state archives
FEEFHS Home Page
This home page provides a "Genealogy ToolKit of WebTools" including search engines, newsgroups, telephone and e-mail directories; a surname database with immigrant information; a "Map Room" with over 50 maps of Central and Eastern Europe.
Geogen—Distribution of German Surnames
Geogen stands for "geographical genealogy" which means location based ancestor research. On this website you can create maps which show the distribution of surnames in Germany. Significant concentrations can point to a local root of the family or the family name.
German Names for Polish Towns and Cities
A fairly comprehensive list of past German names for what are now Polish villages, towns and cities. Many of these villages, towns and cities were once in the German provinces of Western Pomerania (Pommern), Brandenburg, Neumark, Posen, or Silesia, which were part of Prussia, Germany before becoming Polish after the Second World War.
German Nobility
Links to German Royal and Nobility Genealogy Data; index to royal and noble family lines
German Roots: Resources for German Genealogy on the Internet
This site includes online German emigration databases, passenger lists from 1820 to the 1940s and searchable death indexes, as well as a directory to German genealogy on the web
Hamburg: Link to Your Roots
Genealogical resources for the port of Hamburg, including emigration lists spanning 1850-1934. Available in English or German
Posen
The official Web site for the Posen-L mailing list
Harburg Project (near Nördlingen in Bavaria)
Jewish genealogical research based on tax records, burial lists, personal files, and other vital records portrays the lives of Jewish families that once had lived in the historic County of Öttingen [Oettingen], Bavaria from 1674 until 1936. Site includes family sheets, ancestral charts, Lebensbilder, and cemetary maps and documentation of grave monuments in Harburg, Mönchsdeggingen, Öttingen, Schopfloch, and Wallerstein. Also includes research of 19th-century Jewish immigration from Southern Germany to North America, especially to New York and New Orleans.
Swiss Roots
Organized by the Consulate General of Switzerland in New York and official Swiss representatives in the U.S., in cooperation with numerous local Swiss associations, this Web site serves as a gateway to allow the 1 million Americans of Swiss descent seeking to trace their ancestral roots and those with Swiss affinity to discover and communicate with people in Switzerland. The site also showcases the best in Swiss innovation, culture, history, education, and business.

Wisconsin Genealogy

USGenWeb Page
Includes Wisconsin county pages in map or table form; Wisconsin surname page; archives; Wisconsin links
Wisconsin Genealogy Resources at the State Historical Society of Wisconsin
Includes cemetery records, census information, family histories, immigration information (Passenger Lists/Naturalization), newspapers, vital records (birth, marriage, death), local histories, land records (maps/atlases, deeds), military information, church records, court records (civil, criminal, divorce, probate, state/county/local), and manuscripts (family, business, association papers)
Roster of Wisconsin Volunteers, War of the Rebellion, 1861-1865
Online digital book from the State Historical Library compiled in 1886 from original archival records

Heritage Societies

American Historical Society of Germans from Russia
This website provides an on-line newsletter, publications, village census information and research help for people interested in the history of Germans from Russia
Odessa-- A German Russian Genealogical Library
The library gives access to documents about Russian Germans both in Russia and in the U.S.; and links to other sites related to German-Russian research.
Germans from Russia Heritage Society, GRHS
Information about the Society
German-Texan Heritage Society
Information about the Society
Indiana German Heritage Society
Information about the Society
Bukovina Society of the Americas
Bukovina: From 1775 to 1918, the easternmost crown land of the Austrian Empire; now divided between Romania and Ukraine. Information about history, emigration, links
Palatines to America
This organization has an online Ancestor Register with immigration information, an ever-growing library catalog; and a query index.
Danube-Swabians
Page with links to historical information, associations and societies, genealogical and historical records, gazetteers and maps, bibliographies, archives and libraries
German-Bohemian Heritage Society
Information about the Society, newsletter, database, information and resources, links to other resources
Sudetenland
Page intended to assist in the research of ancestors from the former Sudetenland (German settlement area in Bohemia/Moravia/Austrian Silesia/Czechoslovakia/Czech Republik)
Heinrich Family History Front Page
Includes many German Moravian, Moravian, German Bohemian, Bohemian, German Russian, German, & Czech Families
Czech Republic Bohemia and Moravia Genealogical Research
Various links and family histories
Pomerania
Links page to resources on Pomerania from German Genealogy Home Page
Pomerania: (Pommern)
Page from MKI by Alan Furchtenicht
Pommersche Leute in aller Welt
Page by Heinz Dieter Donicht
Die Pommerschen Leute
German Pomeranian Newsletter
Prussia online
Archive, FAQs, history, societies
German Genealogy: Regional Research
Resources from German Genealogy Home Page: Genealogy.net. Comprehensive site

Wisconsin Heritage Societies, Local Groups, etc.

AHSGR: SE Wisconsin Chapter
Home page of the American Historical Society of Germans From Russia, Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter
Hessischer Verein
Home page of the Hessischer Verein in Germantown, WI
Pommerscher Verein Freistadt
Home page of the Pommeranian Society of Freistadt
The Swiss Connection
Newsletter focusing on Swiss genealogical research
German Fest
The official Web site of the annual German Fest in Milwaukee, WI

Back to the top

Return to MKI Home page