While there are many websites devoted to researching European countries, sometimes you need a good old-fashioned reference book.
Guides to researching in Europe have been around for years, and many continue to be upgraded. Just about every country will have some official website to guide you to records.
Angus Baxter, known for his many European research guides, has passed away, but his family recently published a fifth edition of his “In Search of Your German Roots: A Complete Guide to Tracing Your Ancestors in the Germanic Areas of Europe.” Note that the title refers to Germanic areas, not just what today is called Germany, which was not a unified country until the late 1800s.
This 125-page soft-cover volume is packed with information and shows how far genealogical research in Europe has come since the first edition in 1987. Included are the latest updates on who to contact and how — so much easier today via email.
There are chapters on German genealogical associations in North America and Germany, and various government archives in Germany, including city and religious archives. This is a quick look at where to research, not so much how to research.
The guide is available for $19.95 plus $5.50 postage from the Genealogical Publishing Co., 3600 Clipper Mill Road, Suite 260, Baltimore, MD 21211 or at genealogical.com. See their guides covering other countries, such as Poland and Wales.
U.S. school catalogs
Anyone tracing ancestors or researching historical figures should be interested in "U.S. School Catalogs, 1765-1935," found at ancestry.com. This recently posted record group covers colleges and universities all over the nation and lists early student attendees — including many from women's schools — as well as alumni. They almost always give the hometown of the students. You can search by a person's name or a certain hometown.
Newspapers online
Check guides.library.upenn.edu/historicalnewspapersonline to find the latest list of newspapers online. Or search for "historical newspapers online" and look for the one created by the University of Pennsylvania. While searching, you will no doubt turn up other sites with newspaper holdings. Many are free; others charge.
