Trace your ancestors back to their village of origin!

March 2, 2026 - March 29, 2026

Join Stephen Wendt and learn how to trace your German ancestors from the United States back to their village of origin!

Are you new to researching German ancestors? We've got you covered! The course opens with a crash course in the basics of German political and religious history, the geography of German and German language. 

From there, you'll learn about the German migration to the American Colonies, best research practices, how to find your ancestors' village of origin and how to analyze German records! 

Course Workload:

• Approx. 8 hours to complete
• 100% online using our eLearning Platform
• 4 lessons complete with skill-building exercises and quizzes

What You’ll Learn:

• A background on German history, geography, language and names
• The patterns of German migration to the American colonies
• Strategies for identifying your ancestor’s village of origin in Germany
• How to conduct research using German records
• The basics of doing in-person research at the FamilySearch Library and in Germany itself
• Information on how to research German-speaking ancestors who came from outside of modern-day Germany

• Register for the course on this page
• On the start date, log into our eLearning Platform
• Access to the course instructor runs until the course end date
• After the course ends, you can read course materials for one year
• Instructor and discussion board access will also end when the course concludes, so make sure you reach out and ask questions!

Instructor Bio:

Ready to uncover your family's German history? Enroll today and begin charting your lineage!