Today at look at Chicago Genealogy: German-American Archives with links to resources for German-American ancestors in Chicago.
For links to other Chicago German-American resources, click here.
For links to all other Chicago resources, click here.
Organizations
Germanic Genealogy – The Newberry Library
Leading genealogical library with extensive German Chicago resources. The Newberry also provides a list of contract researchers who can pursue detailed requests in Chicago resources.
DANK Haus German American Cultural Center
The DANK Chicago Library contains numerous German and German-American volumes, including works no longer available Germany. This unparalleled collection is an asset to the German-American Community as a whole. DANK Chicago is working to catalog these valuable books, creating a welcoming environment for scholars and students to benefit from our Library.
The DANK Chicago Museum features German-American history, traditions, artifacts and profiles of prominent German-Americans. Currently used as an educational tool for schools, DANK Chicago plans to improve and expand the Museum, developing instructive, culturally relevant exhibits and educational, hands-on activities. Current exhibitions include:
- A focus on German-American History in Chicago
- Artifacts and photos from several German-American organizations, including DANK Chicago, the Germania Club, Rheinischer Verein and German-American choirs.
- Showcase of German-language newspapers, restaurants and personalities here in Chicago
German Genealogy Society – Illinois Chapter
The Illinois Chapter of Palatines to America exists to provide help researching German-speaking and Illinois ancestors. They publish the Illinois German-Americana newsletters six times a year. Included in the newsletters is information on sites for research throughout Illinois, information published by other organizations about Illinois data and research, information about Germany, and current updates on Web sites. Member inquiries may be included in the Illinois Chapter newsletter.
Request research by Pal Am members here and visit message/inquiry board here.
The national group, Palatines to America German Genealogy Society (PALAM), covers Germany, Austria, Alsace, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Lichtenstein, Poland, Russia, Denmark, and The Netherlands.
List of all German Genealogical Societies
Books
BooksLohne, Raymond, German Chicago Revisited (Images of America). Arcadia Publishing, 2001.
Heinen, Joseph C. Lost German Chicago (Images of America). Arcadia Publishing, 2009.
Cutler, Irving. Chicago: Metropolis of the Mid-Continent. Carbondale: Southern Illinois Univ. Press, 2006.
German Workers in Chicago: A Documentary History of Working-Class Culture from 1850 to World War I (Working Class in American History series Hartmut Keil and John Jentz, eds.
Archives
University of Illinois at Chicago Special Collections Department
The German Aid Society Records
Established in 1854 to render assistance to immigrants. Collection contains names of immigrants in daily logs and on applications for assistance. Collection also includes membership rosters and financial contributions
Note: Appointment required for on-site research. If you are unable to visit in person, hire a professional genealogist to go for you. The library is not staffed to handle individual research.
That’s it for Chicago Genealogy: German-American Archives. For a list of other posts on Chicago genealogy resources, click here.
Thanks for sharing, off to check a couple of them out.