German Resources and German Special Interest Group

Germans form the largest group of immigrants to the America. Germans were among the settlers of Jamestown in 1608; and the first permanent German settlement was established in Germantown, Pennsylvania in 1683. Since then, some eight million German immigrants have entered the United States.

The German Research Team and German Interest Group at SCGS can help you navigate the unique challenges of researching your German ancestors. Drawing from the SCGS Library’s main collection and online databases, as well as one of the most extensive collections of Germanic research materials in the United States, our experienced researchers will assist in locating your ancestors.

The specialized German Collection of the Southern California Genealogical Society and Family Research Library includes over 3,000 books, CDs, maps, manuscripts, and databases. The cornerstone of SCGS’s Germanic section is the 30-year personal collection of F. Walter Hilbig, formerly with Heritage Quest magazine and the Salt Lake City Family History Library. Many of our volumes are very rare and have never seen the light of a scanner or digital camera. If you have been working solely online, we may have some surprises for you. We can help you prove your findings.

	DATE	PROGRAM	DESCRIPTION
	16 January	Finding Your German Village	Introduction to the sources (based on the publication produced by William J. Toeppe, 2001)
	20 February	Identifying Your Immigrant Ancestor	Was he/she from Ireland, Switzerland, England, Canada, Austria?
	20 March	Name Studies	Is your family name common or rare?
	17 April	General Indexes	FamilySearch Pilot Site, Find-A-Grave & more
	15 May	Organizations & Their Contributions	FEEFHS, US GenWeb, Germans to Russia, WSHS, SCGS, IGS (periodicals, research material, databases)
	19 June	Passenger Arrival Lists	Germans to America, Filby’s Passenger Indexes
	17 July	Leslie Albrecht Huber	The Journey Takers
	21 August	Researching the German Community	a continuation of the study of Bill Toeppe's paper "Finding Your German Village"
	18 September	Gazetteers and Atlases	more from Bill Toeppe's paper, "Finding Your German Village"
	19 October	Gazetteers and Atlases	U.S.A. & Europe
	20 November	Potluck & Traditions	11:45 - 2:00
	18 December	NO PROGRAM SCHEDULED	We look forward to the SCGS ANNUAL MEETING

*Programs are subject to change without notice

10:00 Library open to the public
12:00 Lunch
1:00 German Interest Group Program
2:00 Assistance with research
4:00 Library closes promptly

Members of the German Interest Group are busy compiling Research Guides for the various German states and regions. These research guides will be invaluable resources for the genealogist who is trying to locate ancestors in The Old Country.

With over 3,000 volumes of the collection of the German Genealogical Society of America held within the SCGS Library, this group has an abundance of resources at its disposal. The knowledgeable, experienced members of the German Interest Group are always willing to help navigate the challenges of researching in Germany.