Research Resources

ARCHION is a subscription-based portal providing online access to digitized historical church records from Protestant churches and partner archives throughout Germany. Researchers can search for available church books free of charge and, with the purchase of an access pass, view and download digitized baptism, marriage, burial, confirmation, and other parish records. The collection continues to grow as additional archives and church books are added.

DigiArchiv is the digital archives website of the State Regional Archives Třeboň, providing online access to digitized records from the State Regional Archives in Třeboň and the State District Archives of South Bohemia. Researchers will find parish registers, census records, land registers, maps, chronicles, photographs, books, and other digitized archival materials. Free registration provides access to additional features.

GenWiki (CompGen) is a free genealogy reference maintained by the Association for Computer Genealogy (CompGen), one of Germany's largest genealogical organizations. It provides access to extensive resources for German genealogy, including surname and place-name databases, historical and modern place information, gazetteers, local heritage books (Ortsfamilienbücher), church affiliations, city directories, cemetery records, obituaries, military records, and other research tools. The site is especially valuable for identifying the historical jurisdictions, religious affiliations, and available records for German towns and villages.

Kartenmeister is a free gazetteer for historical German place names east of the Oder and Neisse Rivers. The database covers East Prussia, West Prussia, Brandenburg, Posen, Pomerania, and Silesia, helping researchers identify historical German place names and their modern Polish, Lithuanian, or Russian equivalents. It also provides administrative jurisdictions, parish and civil registration information, nearby localities, and surname references when available.

Matricula is a free online portal providing access to digitized historical church registers from archives and dioceses across Europe. The collection includes baptism, marriage, burial, and other parish records from Austria, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Serbia, Slovenia, and other participating regions. Researchers can browse available parish registers online, with new records and archives added regularly.

Meyers Gazetteer is a free, searchable online edition of Meyers Orts- und Verkehrs-Lexikon des Deutschen Reichs, the most comprehensive gazetteer of the German Empire (1871–1918). It helps researchers identify towns and villages, determine the civil registry office and Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish parish jurisdictions, view historical maps, and locate nearby communities. The site also includes English translations of key information from the original German entries.

The Ostfriesen Genealogical Society of America (OGSA) promotes research into the families, history, and culture of Ostfriesland (East Friesland) in northwestern Germany and the descendants who emigrated to America. The society provides educational programs, webcasts, publications, research guides, translated resources, and information about Ostfriesland communities, church records, and emigration. Members also have access to additional research resources, including a research library and specialized databases. Address: P.O. Box 50919, Mendota, MN 55150. Email: Info@ogsa.us.

Places in Germany is a searchable directory of Germany's cities, towns, and villages. Users can search by place name or postal code or browse by federal state and district. Each entry provides current administrative relationships, population, postal codes, telephone area codes, automobile license plate codes, geographic coordinates, and links to related locations and external resources. It is especially useful for identifying present-day German places and their current administrative structure.

Polish Genealogy Databases Online, written by Kimberly Powell, is a guide to free online resources for researching Polish ancestry. The article highlights genealogy databases and record collections from Poland, the United States, and other countries, including vital records, church records, state archives, Jewish genealogy resources, marriage indexes, cemetery records, city directories, and historical documents. It serves as an excellent starting point for locating online records and databases for Polish family history research.