The importance of New York City as a home to German immigrants in the nineteenth century is frequently underestimated. In fact, in the late nineteenth century only Vienna and Berlin had larger German populations among cities worldwide.
Those researching their German ancestors who lived in New York City during this time period often face the daunting task of locating the birthplace of their German immigrant ancestors. Civil vital records are not only difficult to find, but they also often do not contain the required level of detail to make the jump back across the Atlantic.
This research guide by Richard Haberstroth, CG, The German Churches of Metropolitan New York: A Research Guide, is a fantastic tool that researchers can use to uncover more detailed information on their German ancestors. The primary purpose of this book is to help researchers locate and better understand German church records of the metropolitan New York area, including the five boroughs and parts of Hudson County, New Jersey.
This volume is text searchable – searches entered will query this volume. The images can also be browsed by clicking the links below, which will take you to the beginning of the section you are interested in reading.
Part I provides an overview of the denominations, the churches, and the nature of the records in general.
Part II is the compendium of the churches, which provides:
- Details of their location and dates (including indexes and maps)
- Current location of records (as far as is known)
Digital Index of German Churches
Often researchers know the name of a church of interest but not its location and history. Other times, reviewing a list of churches can help narrow a search.
This table provides quick links to mentions of every church covered in the collection.
Here is the full table of contents:
- Part I: Aspects of German-American Religions and Communities
- Part II: Compendium of German Churches in Metropolitan New York
- Bibliography
- Index to Churches
- Index to Protestant Pastors
This work was authored in 2000 by Richard Haberstroh, C.G., and published by The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society.
Suggested citation for this collection:
New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, "German Churches of Metropolitan New York” digital images, New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, (www.newyorkfamilyhistory.org), 2019.