Germanic Genealogy: A Guide to Worldwide Sources and Migration Patterns, by Edward R. Brandt, PhD, Mary Sutter Bellingham, Kent Cutkomp, et al. 3rd edition, St. Paul, MN: Germanic Genealogy Society, 2006, 658 pp., $49 plus shipping and handling.
Brandt and his team have produced a useful, comprehensive and convenient source for reference when searching for almost anything involving Germanic genealogy, including that of Jews. It is the only compilation of its type in English or German.
Germanic Genealogy includes a chapter devoted exclusively to German Jews, including comprehensive discussions of Jewish names, communal records, libraries and archives, cemetery records, family histories, genealogical societies and periodicals, computer genealogy, Holocaust research, yizkor books and research in Austria and Switzerland. Discussions of specific regions in other chapters often turn up ref-erences to Jews and books about them for that region as well. For example, four paragraphs are devoted just to German-speaking Jews in Australia. Despite the slip-up in saying of Australian Jews that “The largest number of Jews, including Jews with German-speaking ancestors, are in Sydney and Australia,” when a second city (probably Melbourne) instead of the country was clearly intended, the reference is still useful, providing two sources dealing with the immigration of Australian Jews. Similar analysis occurs for the United States. In addition, each province that is now a German state or was a province of the German Empire is separately treated with its own ample bibliography.
AVOTAYNU sources are extensively cited and analyzed, although AVOTAYNU is not mentioned in the index. Since many AVOTAYNU readers already are familiar with articles published first in this periodical, the value of Germanic Genealogy to regular readers of this journal is that it summarizes the various topics all in one place. More importantly, provides other practical sources, such as hints for writing to obtain information from an archive in Germany or elsewhere, tips on sending money to foreign countries, sample letters in German (some items, such as ancestor tables, called ahnentafeln, are reproduced in French and Polish, as well), a German Gothic script alphabet, a chapter devoted to an annotated bibliography and useful addresses, such as those of publishers.
Appendix A has a timeline of Germanic history with numerous references to Jews, while Appendix B is an extensive collection of maps for various time periods and locations relevant to German history. In addition to the chapter on Jews and the timeline, the book contains references to Jewish genealogical societies and Jewish migration, even including a brief treatment of Sephardic migration to the United States, along with a specific bibliographical reference to Jewish migration, useful for further research.
Jewish immigration patterns from the Old World to the New World did not differ greatly from those of the German Christians. Thus, a reading of general information in the book, intended to apply to non-Jews, would also generally apply to Jews. The main distinction in immigration was that, once in the United States, Jews were less likely to pursue such rural professions as farming or animal husbandry, although many did. Many Jews did the same things that they did in the old country, such as operating a hotel in a rural area. In short, an understanding of the German language was often as relevant in determining the settlement location in the United States or Australia, as was religion.
While few readers will want to study Germanic Genealogy cover to cover, a careful use of the index to find relevant topics will reward the reader with many ideas and resources. The great strength of the book is that it is so exhaustive in scope and offers so many bibliographical sources. It is an idea reference tool for those trying to understand migration patterns of one’s ancestors but also provides many sources specifically for German Jews.
Edward David Luft
