Genealogy involving a "dead" country?

Question

Does anyone know of a good way to trace a surname as it existed in a nation which no longer exist? I've found many references, like familysearch.com, that specialize in doing this sort of research for modern nation; but none for historical ones. My maternal ancestory goes back to a Duke in Prussia, but I'm try to find out the in-between details - like the time/location of immigration to the US. Unfortunately the last of that bloodline (Spees, aka Spiece) related to me pasted away 10 years ago so I can't get more info directly.

Although I'm looking for general help in this nature, anyone with specific knowledge Prussian genealogy is welcomed. I should clarify as many governments of the region have used the name Prussia in different contexts.

The information I have is from the Kingdom of Prussia, specifically a duke named William Spees who lived (or was born, anyway) under the reign of King Frederick II. At that point there were political links to the Holy Roman Empire, but Prussia had been granted autonomy a half century in exchange for Prussian military support in Leopold's was with France.

Anywho, I'm hoping there exist databases with some sort of census data or birth records for these kinds of nations/time-periods? I know the documentation was there, for the urban and upper class, but I can't find how its stored (if it is; on or off line).

oops typo and i forgot to give the dates. i meant "a half century before" and anyway the relevant time we are looking at is 1740's. That's when the documents I have are from and of course I'm trying to work forward from there (towards the 18+1900s) or backwards from the present - if I can find a good demographic history of the name.

Answer 1

Prussia was never a "country" in the sense you mean. It was a German principality that merged with the other states of Germany during the unification. Most of West Prussia is now part of Poland, but the records from the Prussian period still very much exist in Berlin. It's probable that your ancestors emigrated sometime between 1870 and 1900, which was the height of the Prussian emigration.

The records you may want to check first are the "Germans to America" series. Most major genealogy research libraries carry the whole collection. You can also check the passenger records to the Port of New York pre-Ellis Island at the Battery Conservancy site: www.castlegarden.org

If they came pre-1900, their naturalization papers won't help you as much. But you may want to check with the Polish-American Genealogy Society and Museum in Chicago once you have more info on the first two generations. They have several books and records in their collection that may be of help to you. Their website is www.pgsa.org

If you want a good background on the region and the emigration, I'd suggest you contact Dr. William Galush at Loyola University of Chicago. He's extremely well-versed on the area and can be a wonderful asset to you.

Answer 2

Send me some more info and I'll check more .
here are some
View Record Adulbat Spees 8 Apr 1878 abt 1828 Male Liverpool, England and Queenstown, Ireland Germany;Preußen Helvetia
View Record Catha Spees 13 Nov 1872 abt 1829 Female Hamburg, Germany Germany Thuringia
View Record Catha Spees 13 Nov 1872 abt 1863 Female Hamburg, Germany Germany Thuringia
View Record Emanuel Spees 13 Nov 1872 abt 1819 Male Hamburg, Germany Germany Thuringia
View Record Friedr Spees 13 Nov 1872 abt 1863 Male Hamburg, Germany Germany Thuringia
View Record George Spees 28 Nov 1868 abt 1844 Male Hamburg, Germany Elsoff Deutschland
View Record Guesav Spees 27 May 1887 abt 1886 Male Hamburg, Germany Preußen Harmonia
View Record Jacob Spees 13 Nov 1872 abt 1855 Male Hamburg, Germany Germany Thuringia
View Record Jno Geo Spees 19 Aug 1867 abt 1840 Male Liverpool, England and Queenstown, Ireland Germany Nebraska
View Record Jose Spees 2 Apr 1852 abt 1832 Male Bremen, Germany Preußen Amaranth
View Record Marie Spees 27 May 1887 abt 1887 Female Hamburg, Germany Preußen Harmonia
View Record Peter Spees 13 Nov 1872 abt 1864 Male Hamburg, Germany Germany Thuringia
View Record Th Spees 13 Nov 1872 abt 1865 Male Hamburg, Germany Germany Thuringia

Answer 3

The ountry no longer exist, but the nation that means the people descendants exist, so look for them. Have you tried the searcher in google or yahoo, this is a good way, also put an ad