If one has decided on this, all information existing so far must be transferred in a family tree. One can buy this in specialist shops or create one independently for the beginning.

Very quickly one finds out on the bases of the family tree where gaps exist. How should be proceeded?

On the 1st of October, 1874 registry offices were introduced in Prussia which led independent of denomination population registers. Today these are to be seen in the corresponding municipal archives or state archives. For the time before 1874 it is important to state to which denomination the ancestors belonged.

For Protestant persons a look into the inventory register (Bestandsverzeichnis) of the Evangelischen Zentralarchivs Berlin (Protestant Central Archive) is necessary. The Central Archive is a church archive which keeps written sources on the history of Protestant churches in Germany.

The Deutsche Zentralstelle für Genealogie (German Central Office for Genealogy) in Leipzig turns out true treasure trove for the period before 1874. Their one finds the so-called ancestor trunk card index of the German people (Ahnenstammkartei des deutschen Volkes), collected church register documents, a union catalog of the personnel writings as well as a special library and special collections.

The Central Office has as well as the Central Archive published inventory registers which are available in every good university library or about inter-library loan.

If one does not get further in both named places, only the search for the remaining parish registers remains. These are found at different places, partly completely collected in diocese archives, but also in municipal archives. Here only a corresponding telephone call helps.

Particularly for the case that the ancestors come from the former German settlement areas, it is advisable to visit the genealogy-research centres of the Latter day Saints (Mormons). The address of the close-convenient place is available from the telephone directory.