Von: carlah@earthlink.net (Carla)
  Datum: 09.02.99, 18:26:39
Betreff: Why You May Not Find an Emigrant in the Baden or Wuerttemberg Emigration Index

Dear Sally & Baden-Wuerttemberg List Friends,

Sally Schmidt has raised some important questions pertaining to
emigration research.  If you are researching the BOOK VERSIONS (as
opposed to those on LDS Library MICROFILMS) of either the Baden
Emigration Index (BEI) or the Wuerttemberg Emigration Index (WEI), AND
CANNOT FIND AN ENTRY IN THE BOOKS FOR THE EMIGRANTS YOU SEEK, please
keep the following two items in mind:

1. It IS possible that an emigrant left Baden or Wuerttemberg (or
Hohenzollern) WITHOUT going through the normally required process of
registering his intention to emigrate with the proper authorities.  Many
people left without obtaining official permission, especially those who
were trying to avoid such things as military conscription---one good
reason they would not want to publicize their plans to leave Germany.
Please understand that the EMIGRATION RECORDS referred to in both the
Baden Emigration Index and the separate Wuerttemberg Emigration Index
were created *at the time of this offical registration process,* BEFORE
the emigrant even departed his area of residence for a sea port to
undertake an ocean voyage.  If a person left Baden or Wuerttemberg
without having registered, there would BE NO RECORD of his intended
departure in either of these emigration indexes.

(Important: Please note the Baden Emigration Index and the separate
Wuerttemberg Emigration Index should not be confused with *PASSENGER
LISTS* created at the emigrant's sea port of choice at the time of
boarding a ship for an ocean voyage.  EMIGRATION RECORDS were created
*separately,* well *prior to* a departure from the area of residence.
Again, they are NOT the same thing).

2. If you are researching the BOOK VERSIONS (as opposed to the LDS
Family History Library MICROFILM versions) of either the Baden
Emigration Index or the separate Wuerttemberg Emigration Index (or
having someone look up an entry in one of the BOOK versions on your
behalf), PLEASE BE AWARE of the following important fact:

None of the BOOK VERSIONS of the Baden Emigration Index and Wuerttemberg
Emigration Index in general use ARE THE FULL, COMPLETE VERSIONS OF THESE
OFFICIAL, ORIGINAL EMIGRATION INDEXES.  They are EDITED versions of the
originals which contain only a PORTION of the original entries.  They do
indeed contain many thousands of entries, but NOT THE FULL NUMBER OF
EMIGRATION ENTRIES APPEARING IN THE ORIGINAL INDEXES.

The most commonly available and utilized BOOK VERSIONS of the Baden
Emigration Index and the Wuerttemberg Emigration Index are:

a) "The Wuerttemberg Emigration Index" by Trudy Schenk and Ruth Froelke;
this book set contains 7 separate volumes, the most extensive and
recently published of which is Volume 7; and

b) "The Baden Emigration Book" by Cornelia Schrader-Muggenthaler; this
book set is in 2 separate volumes.

These BOOK versions are a convenient, superbly helpful tool for many
researchers who wish to consult them, but it should be kept in mind that
they are NOT COMPREHENSIVE.  If you do not find a particular emigrant
listed in the BOOK VERSIONS of either the Baden Emigration Index or the
separate Wuerttemberg Emigration Index, it may be because that person
was NOT among those *included by the editors* of the particular volume
or volumes of the books you are researching.

There are separate ALTERNATIVES for researchers, depending on whether
you seek information on an emigrant from BADEN in the BEI, or an
emigrant from WUERTTEMBERG in the WEI.

Alternative 1, for seeking BADEN emigrants:

Since the BADEN Emigration Index on LDS microfilm *IS* IN ALPHABETICAL
ORDER and also organized by APPROXIMATE ERA of emigration, it can be
researched by anyone with access to a local branch of the LDS Family
History Library (which are available nationwide in the USA and abroad).

For researchers who want to be more certain that the emigration entries
they are seeking in the BADEN Emigration Index have not been omitted
from the BOOK VERSION, it is recommended that you seek the MICROFILMED
copies of these emigration indexes created by the LDS Family History
Library, which are far more all-inclusive.  For detailed information on
how to access the LDS microfilmed version of the BADEN Emigration Index,
please see my Web page on the subject at the following address;

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Park/9485/
----------------------------------------------------

Alternative 2, for seeking WUERTTEMBERG emigrants:

While the ORIGINAL, comprehensive version of the WUERTTEMBERG Emigration
Index is available on LDS microfilm also, it is unfortunately NOT in
general alphabetical order, and therefore is not recommended to the
novice researcher.  The listings in the microfilm and original versions
of the WEI are organized instead *by the name of the office [Oberamt]*
within Wuerttemberg where the emigrant registered to leave.  If you do
not know which Oberamt the Wuerttemberg emigrant used, you would need to
go through the microfilm in its entirety (multiple rolls, which are not
indexed or alphabetical).  If you DO know (or care to make a guess
about) the particular Oberamt in question, you can order the specific
rolls of microfilm of the WEI which pertain to that office, and search
for your emigrant ancestors accordingly.

For all:

For information on finding a local branch of the LDS Family History
Library, see either my Web page above or visit the official Web page for
this subject offered by the LDS at:

http://www.lds.org/en/2_How_Do_I_Begin/4_Where_is.html

Hope this information is of help to you!

Warmest regards,
Carla HELLER
Los Angeles
==============================================

Sjoschmidt@aol.com wrote:
>
> I am fairly new to the group, and someone not long ago kindly checked the
> Baden Emigration Book for my ancestors, Raphael (my great-grandfather) and his
> brother, Anton GLOECKLER / GLUCKLER (with an umlaut) and reported they were
> not listed in the book.
>
> I know for certain they came to the USA from Baden in July 1853 (through La
> Harve Port) and I am seeking the village they are from.  My questions are:
> Were people able to leave Baden without going through proper channels?
> Are the emigration books reliable? Is it possible that some names might not be in the > book but listed elsewhere?
>
> I have paid for research in New York City for almost a year and uncovered a
> lot of information, but unfortunately no mention of WHERE in Baden they came
> from.  Any suggestions from a more experienced person on what I should do next
> would be greatly appreciated.
>
> Thank you very much,
>
> Sally Schmidt
> San Luis Obispo, California


    Von: carlah@earthlink.net (Carla)
  Datum: 10.02.99, 18:21:44
Betreff: Re: Why You May Not Find an Emigrant in the Baden or Wuerttemberg Emigration Index

Hrumm@aol.com wrote:

> ---SNIP---It is evident from my experience that the dates on the Intention to Emigrate
> document may not furnish an accurate record of the actual date of departure.
>
> Henry Rumm

Dear Henry and Baden-Wuerttemberg List Friends,

Henry's statement above is correct.  The date on which the ancestor's
"intent to emigrate" documentation may have been filed can often bear
little close relationship to the date of the *literal departure* of the
emigrant from Germany.  It will not necessarily provide a significant
clue as to when an ancestor may have left the country.

Incidentally, one other kind of detail that is NOT NORMALLY INCLUDED in
emigration records such as the Baden and the Wuerttemberg Emigration
Indexes is any information about the ancestor's chosen PORT OF DEPARTURE
from Europe, and any IDENTIFICATION of the SHIP upon which they made
their trans-Atlantic passage.

These do NOT usually appear in the BEI and WEI because, at the time the
ancestor was *applying for permission to emigrate,* he was still within
his *local area* of residence, and may not yet have had any awareness of
what port of departure he would use or which particular vessel would
transport him.

What you WILL usually find (along with the emigrant's name, birthdate,
and usually his place of origin/birthplace and date he registered to
emigrate) is the name of the emigrant's intended COUNTRY of destination;
and *some* entries in the BEI and WEI will also provide a more specific
locality of destination, such as "Ohio."  (Only rarely do the indexes
name specific *towns or cities* of destination.)

Researchers who hope to find details about an ancestor's *port of
departure* from Europe, *exact date of emigration* from Germany, or
information about the *identity of the ocean-going vessel* on which he
traveled should try to consult PASSENGER LISTS in lieu of EMIGRATION
INDEXES.  I mention the issue here only to give a better idea of what
one might expect to find in the Baden and the Wuerttemberg Emigration
Indexes.  For basic information on how to research PASSENGER LISTS, see
the following Web site:

http://w3g.med.uni-giessen.de/gene/faqs/sgg.html#passengers

Best regards,

Carla HELLER
Los Angeles