In Search of Your German Roots

A Complete Guide to Tracing Your Ancestors in the Germanic Areas of Europe

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The new, third edition of In Search of Your German Roots is designed to help you trace your German ancestry in all the German-speaking areas of Europe, from the Baltic to the Crimea, from Czechoslovakia to Belgium. The unification of Germany in 1990 resulted in the absorption of the area formerly known as East Germany, or the D.D.R., into the political structure of West Germany, its states, provinces, districts, towns, even churches, now conforming to a national system of organization. Of immediate concern to the genealogist is that changes in local government in "East" Germany have resulted in various innovations in record-keeping practices, in changes in the actual location of some records and record offices, and in the restructuring of old institutions. In addition, in July 1993, every postal address in Germany was changed with the introduction of the new 5-digit postal code system. For research purposes it is essential that the genealogist be current with all of these changes, and therefore Angus Baxter has updated his classic text In Search of Your German Roots, presenting for the first time a manual for genealogical research in a united Germany! And not only does this updated edition reflect changes brought about by unification and changes in the postal codes; the entire work has been revised and updated, and it is now the most current and comprehensive guide to German roots available!