history/ships/staten island/heraldry-

[Julie]

The Church of the Latter Day Saints -- Mormon Church... Has the largest archival system in the world for ancestry searches. My family comes from Poland and I have found birth records through them and their libraries, dating back to the 1700's. Interestingly enough, it was the Churches which took care of the records of the Jews. While Hitler thought he was wiping out a people, the documents remained safe in the hands of the churches.

I was even able to find family who thought they had no family left after the Holocaust.

Originally Posted by NJFemmie

How neat.

I'm first generation in this country. My parents came here in 1952 from Bremerhaven Germany, after being liberated as deported forced laborers from Poland.

I wish I knew more about my family history and would love to trace back beyond my grandparents, but currently I'm researching information regarding my parents' "stay" in Germany during the war. I have to do this in baby steps since I've discovered that Poland's archival system is vastly fragmented by "districts".

So .... I guess my family are newbies in this country.

[Apocalipstic]

I am adopted, so I study the history of my city.

I do know a little bit about my birth and adopted families, but feel more connection to areas I live in and visit.

How cool to be able to trace your family so far back. I just rented the History of NYC from Netflix, now I can't wait to get started and learn about the area.

[NJFemmie]

Originally Posted by InfiniteFemme

The Church of the Latter Day Saints -- Mormon Church... Has the largest archival system in the world for ancestry searches. My family comes from Poland and I have found birth records through them and their libraries, dating back to the 1700's. Interestingly enough, it was the Churches which took care of the records of the Jews. While Hitler thought he was wiping out a people, the documents remained safe in the hands of the churches.

I was even able to find family who thought they had no family left after the Holocaust.

Thanks for the info .... I found the LDS site and realized I've checked them already. In fact, I think I've exhausted every resource known to the internet.

International Tracing Service (ITS), USHMM and the International Red Cross provides vast archival systems should anyone be interested in tracing European ancestry during WWII.

[Julie]

Forget the internet -- Go to one of their churches. Find out when their library is open -- You start that way. They will order you microfiche and one of their most helpful members will teach you how to do your search. The internet, while it is vast - they do not have everything, as they believe (Mormons) and their mission is to trace their ancestry to adam and eve.

Get books on translating Polish/Russian birth records.

I started backward... I went to NYC records and looks up ship manifests, and from there I found names. I wrote to every person on the internet who shared the same last name of my grandfather. Are you related to "Greengrass," if they said YES - I sent them a blank family tree and asked them to fill in the blanks. I started this 16 years ago when we did not have the technology we do. Get yourself a program that will allow you to enter in all the information. Really... It can be done, and I have traced back to the 1700's which is unthinkable and unheard in the Jewish Ghettos of our ancestors.

It really can be done!

Julie

Originally Posted by NJFemmie

Thanks for the info .... I found the LDS site and realized I've checked them already. In fact, I think I've exhausted every resource known to the internet.

International Tracing Service (ITS), USHMM and the International Red Cross provides vast archival systems should anyone be interested in tracing European ancestry during WWII.