German records

I'm having a hard time finding any information about my German ancestors. I'm guessing this is due to the book burning during World War II. Does anybody know of any good websites or places I could write to for German records?

As strange as it might sound the best place to start looking might be in Utah. http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Library/FHL/frameset_Library.asp
The LDS library has microfilm of records from around the world. If you find what you need you can have the film sent to a Family History Center near you. At least you could 15 years ago.

Good luck.

It's probably also due to the fact that Germans in general aren't as interested in genealogy; at least that's my bet. A good site is http://gedbas.genealogy.net/ (and you'll find a good dictionary is here, in case you need one, but I'd be glad to help as well).

Try looking on www.cyndislist.com. She's got thousands of links from all over the world. I also have to agree with the LDS library. They have the most extensive in the world. Check your phone book for one near you and call to see when their family history center is open. Go in and ask. They are wonderful to guide and direct in the right direction. I've gone there many times and asked. Its wonderful!

You might try the German Gen Web Project for some references.

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~wggerman/

You might find some help here:

German Roots - German Genealogy Resources
http://www.germanroots.com/

Tips for Finding Your German Immigrant Ancestor's Hometown in Germany
http://genrootsblog.blogspot.com/2009/02/german-immigrant-ancestor-hometown.html

Years ago, since my husband and I knew the home town in Hesse, we went in person and found several centuries of church records (from before state records began in the 1800's). You still need the home town but now you have to contact a church archive and go in person or pay for research in the records. I believe the German records are generally in the archives of the Evangelical church or the Catholic church.