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How much proof to link family in Germany to family in US (after emmigration)?

Replies: 3

How much proof to link family in Germany to family in US (after emmigration)?

Posted: 8 Feb 2014 4:34PM GMT
Classification: Query
Hello,

I have a question, that concerns about when to make the jump from a family line I've been researching (my own) in the United States to a family in Germany.

I have reached what I think is the farthest I could go on a family line, and found my great-grandparents who came to the United States. I have thoroughly documented that I am a direct descendant to these people (through death certificates, birth certificates, newspaper articles and the usual suspects.) I know what area of Germany we came from, with some certainity. I have been looking in records of that area of Germany, and have found a family with the same name (though slight language variations-- Katherine is Katherina, Charles is Karl, etc). Marriage dates make sense time wise, and this family-- with a non-common surname-- had at least the same number of children as the US one I know to be mine, and the children have the same names, ages and in every instance the same birth date/month (with the exception of one son, who was born in the month I have for him, but a year earlier according to this birth record in Germany.

I think it is more than very likely that this family is my family. My question is this. It is possibly-- not very likely, but possible-- that a family in Germany that shows in records could have lived in the same area where my family came from, had all the same names, (uncommon surname), ages and birth dates-- and still not be my family. However, I believe that the case can be made that they are.

Does anyone have experience with similar siutations? How much proof would you need to connect the families? Would you ever?

Many thanks!
SubjectAuthorDate Posted
Bryan Glenn B... 8 Feb 2014 11:34PM GMT 
deeflint01 9 Feb 2014 1:19AM GMT 
Bryan Glenn B... 9 Feb 2014 1:41AM GMT 
gratop 19 Mar 2014 12:54AM GMT 
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