[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] several miscelaneous questions

[Günther Böhm]

F&RM Haddad schrieb:
> First a question about "Stamm-buch". How accurate should they be considered?
> Can someone give information on how and why they were compiled? I have 6 or
> so generations (incomplete) from my grandfather back, by consulting the info
> in the Stammbuch of a sibling of his.
>   
Hello Abraham,
this is related to the disastrous importance of genealogy in Nazi 
Germany. The "Stammbuch" was an officially boosted and very influencial 
instrument for the development of the racist pride to be of "Aryan" 
descendance. So if a family had indeed just German ancestors (a very 
rare event), the "Stammbuch" entries may have been widely correct. But 
if somebody found Jewish, Czech, Slovakian, Polish or Ukrainian 
ancestors, their identity or existence was oftentimes withheld or even 
defrauded. The "Stammbuch" was not a duty for everybody (just members of 
the Nazi party, the SS and high ranking state officials were bound to 
keep it) but if the neighbour had one and showed pride of his 
descendance, most people started their own and maybe not completely 
scientific research.
> And then there is the famous "dictum" of genealogy, roughly "information
> without authentication is speculation" or something like that. What
> constitutes authentication? Is it necessary to have hard copy of every b/m/d
> "certificate", even copies of the church register entry? I realize there are
> no "genealogy police", but for the sake of those who may take an interest in
> my genealogy after me – how much do I need?
Everything is relative and even a certificate might be written by 
mistake or even be forged. Quite frequently you find persons with 
surnames, given names and time frame in a parish register which seem to 
fit into your pedigree but in reality are not even distant relatives. 
And if someone has to choose, many researchers would select the branch 
which seems to be more affluent, is just better documented or leads to 
ancient nobility.

But on the other hand our common experience is that the extent, truth, 
order and accessibility of documents is increasing and will presumedly 
be much better in future. So our main work must be to find and ask the 
still living who are full of remembrance, know family lore and the 
atmosphere of their lost native land and who still hold unknown private 
documents.

Günther