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DANUBE-SWABIANS: Bibliography and Literature

Historical Literature Genealogical Literature Ortsfamilienbücher
Ortsfamilienbücher, Ortssippenbücher and Dorfsippenbücher are books collating data from various parish registers by family relationships. This is an improvement on the chronological arrangement by category (separate registers usually exist for Baptisms, Marriages, and Deaths).

Heimatbücher are German local history books, similar in style and content to American town and county history books, but written in German about German villages. Typical topics usually include a list of the original settlers (frequently including house numbers), an "Ortsplan" with house numbers, a list of more recent residents sometime in the period 1938-1944 (usually 1944), a list of those killed in the two world wars, a discussion of the circumstances of the founding of the village, special features, photos of village scenes, personalities, a short history of the village, industry, agriculture, business, and lists of elected and appointed officials. Heimatbücher are often written by the local teacher, or another educated local citizen. Their usefulness in genealogy is to provide local "flavor" and corroborating evidence.

The Guide to Ortsfamilienbücher includes all these different types of books.

Other Works of Interest
Donauschwaben coat of arms in 4 colours. 8 1/2 x 11 3/4 from Heimat Publishers
Please see the list of Publishers for Eastern Europe to find sources for these and other works.

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Last update: 08-dec-99 (rmh)
Contributors to this page include Monika (Kleer) Ferrier, Robert Helfer, Harold J. Miller, and Henry Trapp.
Created by: Rick Heli
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