Format: Download Slides with Synchronized Audio - MP4 Video File $9

Presenter: Gerhard Buck, Roger Lustig

This literal translation leads to the idea that Jews needed a special protection, for which a tax was paid. However, in the 1600s and later, in the time in which most genealogists work, the term has lost its original meaning. It only defined the minor legal status of several Gentile and Jewish groups in a society based on inequality. Seeing the Jews as part of this society before the great changes for all Germans in the 19th century, the genealogist will discover the wide range of personal sources before the vital records. At the same time, The presentation will look beyond names, dates and places and see the ancestors in their historical context. Since most listeners cannot research in German archives, it is good for them to know the various choices when they engage a German researcher. This talk is based on my various archival studies of all social groups.