Help in Germany?

Question

Does anyone know where I should start looking for family in Germany, my great grandparents were from Germany with the last name of Detrich (not sure on the spelling sounds like Deet-rick)

Well here's my problem all I know is that my grandmothers name was Gertrude, and thats one of my issues, don't know if I could look up her history there, not sure on the privacy laws?

Answer 1

Are they living? I'll assume they are not. Check with your relatives first to see what they can tell you about them. Write everything down. Do you know their birth dates or approximate dates of birth/age? If not, do you know where they died and were laid to rest? You could check with the cemetary..and yes, the church records are an excellent source and the city hall of the town they live/d in. People generally have to register with the city or town. You definately have to know at least one town of residence of either your grandparents or another closely related person (aunt, uncle etc...) Does your family have any pictures or other documents? Letters? Postcards? Check the back of pictures for the name of towns and see if you can make out any landmarks in the background....or a name of a hotel or restaurant or something like that. Check the letters for addresses or date stamp - it'll give you the name of the town too f there's still an envelope. If there is no return address and no envelope also look in the line where the date of the letter would be...people a lot of times write not only the date of the letter, but also the town they are writing the letter in. Gertrud Dietrich would be a very common name. You'll need a lot of background info to put this puzzle together. The name alone won't get you anywhere. Good luck on your search.

Answer 2

Dietrich is not an unusual name in Germany. Without knowing any further details your chances finding anything out in Germany are quite small.

My advice: start your search in the town(s) your grandmother lived and not already in Germany.
Try to find out what first names your great grandparents had.
When did they arrive, and where? Probably by ship? Which part of Germany (or much better: which town/city) did they come from? Maybe contact the shipowning company/companies - they might have a waybill telling something about their passengers' former residence.

If you succeed finding your great grandparents' former residence you might get further information from the local church register.

Good luck!

Answer 3

You should find out when your family immigrated to the US and where they came from, and their names, and of course how to spell them correctly. If you just show up in Germany and say that you are looking for the Dietrich family, but I don't know how to spell it, I don't know where they are from, I don't know when they left, and I don't speak German, you won't have much luck.

The Mormons keep very particular genealogical records, so that may be someplace to start, along with the genealogy websites on the web. Good luck to you.

Answer 4

You have some detective work ahead of you...You might also consider U.S. immigration records. I tracked down my great,great grandparents back to Prussia and Bern, Switzerland...in 1832 but it took years and to go back past 1870 is very difficult for obvious reasons...there was no Germany....

Answer 5

The phonebook from the town in Germany.

Answer 6

The best place to find information of that sort is in the church books. If you know what town they were from, then it is best to get in contact with the local church. Good luck!

Answer 7

I think the correct spelling is "Dietrich" which sounds like "Deetrish".

Answer 8

Hi! are you related to Marlena ... ?