How do I jump the ocean back to Germany?

Question

I've found US census records in the 1800s that list an ancestor as having been born in Baden. No city is listed. Yet when I do a search of German records I get too many hits with no way to narrow the search. Frequently, the marriage and children came once the person was in the US. The US census record does not list parents.

What steps might I take to narrow the search?

A couple examples are John Augustus Engert, born 31 Aug 1816 and Michael Klein, born 1799.

Answer 1

Hi Paul:

It might not help, but the Hamburg Passenger Lists survived the bombing.  If you have an approximate date for arrival in the US, you might find him/her in the Lists.  There would be the actual city of departure, and maybe other information.  Check any LDS church to order in a copy.

Also,you might try checking Ellis Island, or the earlier one for incoming passengers which might match.  You at least have an approximate year of birth.

Bev

Comments

Bev, thanks for the information above. I'm curious about your reasons for singling out the Hamburg passenger lists, would you please tell us? Proximity, I suppose.

Ellis Island was very helpful. If memory serves, I got them by phone.

---

Roberta, Geography is my Achilles' heel, so I don't know about proximity, but I suspect Bev's reason for suggesting Hamburg passenger lists is (a) it was a port very commonly used for passenger ship departures, but more importantly, (b) it is a port where lists of departing passengers are available, unlike most other ports.

Answer 2

This gives an overview of emigration from Baden: https://www.auswanderer-bw.de/sixcms/detail.php?template=a_artikel&id=6615&sprache=en

This site gives access to the index (free with registration): https://www.germanroots.com/baden.html

Comments

Awesome tip thankyou

Answer 3

I suggest you look carefully at death certificates for anyone you are trying to research.  Many German families settled in largely German communities in America, and usually there are church records of subsequent marriages, births and deaths.  In many cases they are written in German in longhand, so you need to either read them with great care, or get someone to translate them.  Often they will mention the name of the home town or village as it was passed along through family members.  Once you have the exact place of origin you may be able to find microfilm records from Salt Lake City.  You may have to look for another town nearby if the village did not have a church.  Search for the town with the church in the LDS publication base.  Again the records may be in German, and almost certainly in longhand, so it takes some practice to read them well enough to understand what they say.  This is how I was able to successfully research my own family origins, from the mention of the village in the death certificate for my Great Great Grandfather who had emigrated.  Also check to see if there are notes in any family bible which may be available following immigration.