Genealogy

 At the end of the 90s my uncle was convinced that my mother’s maiden name would soon die out. At the same time, the big telephone book CD had just come out… My mother searched it for matching entries and wrote to everyone. Some actually replied – and so the first, rather one-sided family tree was born.

And then I came into play. I took over the research and gradually expanded the tree. Today it includes around 14,000 people – and there’s no end in sight. Genealogy takes an incredible amount of time, but you can wonderfully lose yourself in all the stories and in history itself. The fact that I studied History and Polish Studies helps me a lot – both academically and through the research skills I gained. Just as important: my grandmother taught me old German script – otherwise many church records would have remained a closed book for me.

A little tip from me for all those who are researching: don’t be ashamed of your family’s past. See it as your story, but not as your fault. In my family tree there’s everything: a great-great ancestor who was arrested as a murderer in the USA, Nazi pasts, but also many more beautiful and moving stories. It all belongs together – the light as well as the shadow.

So: if you’re also doing research, are curious, or want to exchange ideas – just write me an email. I’m looking forward to it! ✉️

 And if you just want to get started yourself: talk to the oldest family members first and enter all the information into an online family tree such as Ancestry.com or MyHeritage.com. The first is especially useful if you have relatives in the USA, the second tip is more for the German-speaking world. I actually use both. 😉