Hanover Genealogy

08/07/2026

There’s a reason why I haven’t written a blog post in a while, and that reason is my PhD Thesis.

That doesn’t mean I’m doing nothing else; right now, I’m helping two clients from the United Kingdom and Mexico, with their genealogical research!

However, I haven’t been able to find the time to write my blog posts as well, since these are my calling cards and I therefore hold them to a high standard.

Quieter times will come again soon, and then there will be new blog posts. Stay tuned!

10/05/2026

I’ve just published a very personal new article on my blog about a recent genealogical research trip to Poland and the unexpected discoveries that came with it.

What began as archival research into my family’s roots in former West Prussia ultimately confronted me with difficult truths about the Second World War, forced displacement, and the experiences of Polish families under German occupation. It also led to an unexpected connection with descendants of the very family affected by my ancestors’ actions.

You can read it here:
https://hanover-genealogy.de/research-insight-3-my-genealogical-journey-to-poland/

14/04/2026

Many of you are familiar with Meyers Gazetteer – a free online database consisting of over 200,000 villages, towns and cities in pre-World War I Germany (so yes, if your ancestor’s town was in present-day Poland or France, it will be there!) But are you getting everything out of it that you can?...

29/03/2026

Perhaps the only thing even trickier than researching distant ancestors is tracking down more recent or even living German relatives. Strict data protection laws make it difficult to access records from past decades.

In my latest blog post, I explain the current regulations and suggest alternative ways to find information about your German relatives:

Learn how German privacy laws affect genealogy research, including civil record access limits, and discover ways to find ancestors and living relatives.

21/02/2026

- History Lesson #3: Decoding German Geography: Understanding States, Kingdoms, and Principalities Before 1871 -

If you've traced your German ancestry back to the 1800s, your ancestor's birthplace might be listed as "Grand Duchy of Baden," or "Kingdom of Hanover"; places that no longer exist on modern maps. Understanding Germany's pre-unification political landscape is essential to locating records and understanding your family's history.

Before 1871, "Germany" as we know it today didn't exist. Instead, Central Europe was divided into hundreds of independent states: at the height of the Holy Roman Empire in the 18th century, there were over 300 separate political entities within the German-speaking part of Europe!

The Holy Roman Empire, which lasted from 962 until its dissolution in 1806, was never a centralized nation-state like France or England. Instead, it functioned as a loose confederation of territories owing nominal allegiance to an elected emperor, while maintaining substantial independence. Princes, dukes, bishops, and even abbots ruled their own lands, created their own laws, and (crucially for genealogists) kept their own records.

After the Napoleonic Wars, the Congress of Vienna in 1815 reduced the number of states to 39, organizing them into the German Confederation (Deutscher Bund). These 39 states ranged from tiny principalities like Liechtenstein to the Kingdom of Prussia, which controlled vast territories across northern and eastern Germany and played a major role in the German unification in 1871.

-Why This Matters for Your Research-

Your ancestor might have lived in the same village their entire life, yet that village might have changed hands between states multiple times, creating records scattered across different archives.

Historical maps showing pre-1871 German states are essential genealogy tools. Many free resources exist online, including the map collection of David Rumsey and the excellent Meyers Gazetteer. These help you research where your ancestor's state was located and which modern archives might hold relevant records.

https://hanover-genealogy.de/history-lesson-3-decoding-german-geography-understanding-states-kingdoms-and-principalities-before-1871/

17/01/2026

Names and dates aren’t everything. In German baptism and marriage records, witnesses often point to relatives, origins, and solutions to long-standing research dead ends.

Discover why baptism and marriage witnesses in German church records are key to solving genealogy problems and finding new family connections

21/12/2025

For anyone exploring German genealogy, learning to read old German handwriting, especially Kurrent and Sütterlin, is an essential skill. But what Are Kurrent and Sütterlin?

Some may recall the term “Sütterlin” from their parents or grandparents. However, for several hundred years, Kurrent was the commonly used script.

Its letters are narrow, angular, and can look confusingly similar to one another. Kurrent was used in church records, legal documents, and everyday writing across all of German-speaking Europe.

In the early 1900s, graphic designer Ludwig Sütterlin developed a simplified version of Kurrent to make handwriting easier to teach in schools. This Sütterlin script, introduced in 1915, features rounder, more upright letters.

Both scripts are key to unlocking German historical documents and tracing your German ancestry. While personal letters and documents from the 1920s to 1930s often use Sütterlin, official church books and civil registers were typically written in Kurrent.

Learning to read old German handwriting may take time, but it’s one of the most rewarding skills for any family historian. Each word you decipher brings you closer to your ancestors’ lives and voices. So grab an alphabet chart, and with a bit of patience, those faded lines of ink will begin to tell your family’s story.

Beginner’s guide to read old German handwriting: Practical tips, alphabet charts, and genealogy resources to help you decode Kurrent and Sütterlin.

03/11/2025

Once a small village west of Hanover, Linden transformed dramatically during the 19th-century industrialization. With factories like Hanomag and other metal and machinery works, the area became a major industrial center.

This boom attracted thousands of workers from across Germany and beyond, turning Linden into a lively, diverse working-class district. At the same time, many families from Linden eventually left in search of new opportunities, including abroad in the United States, where descendants can still trace their roots back to this bustling Hanover district today.

Click the link to learn more about the history of Linden, and let us know in the comments if you also have ancestors from there!

Discover Linden’s transformation from village to industrial hub and what it means for Hanover genealogy research in the 19th century.

03/10/2025

Sometimes, the answers to the biggest genealogical mysteries hide in the smallest details. A friend of mine was certain he had checked every record, and yet his great-aunt’s birth was nowhere to be found.

It turned out she was an illegitimate child, born in Hanover two years before her parents’ marriage; apparently a family secret that was never spoken of.

Interestingly, the decisive clue to uncover this secret had been there all along, but sometimes even experienced researchers overlook the tiny notes that make all the difference.

Want to know the full story and what you can learn from it for your own genealogy? Read more on my blog:

Learn how a missing birth record and a marginal note in Hanover uncovered a family mistery and why revisiting sources matters in genealogy.

09/09/2025

In case you didn't notice, I have a new website!

You'll find information about my services as well as blog posts on historical backgrounds, insights into my research, and tips for your own research.

The posts are also much more detailed than here on my page. For example, I wrote a more comprehensive version of my first post on “What was Prussia” for my website. Feel free to take a look: