may they lay the paper on which they are writing, on a book, newspaper or map.

Under no circumstances may a book of any description be taken out of the reading room. To take a book out of the British Museum is a penal offense. No book or other object belonging to the Trustees can be removed from the British Museum except under a subpoena from a properly constituted court of law, in which case it is taken to the court, exhibited and brought back by a member of the staff. Other extensive libraries in London are the Guildhall and Lambeth Libraries. The Guildhall is more nearly like an American Library in arrangement of books and the intelligent help given by attendants. Among those in the provinces are the Bodleian, at Oxford. Here will be found the transcripts of that county. Queen's College, Oxford University, and Cambridge, contain printed books chiefly. There is also Caius College, Cambridge. These all contain printed works on genealogy and manuscripts of more or less local and general interest.

All of these rules and regulations are duplicated, with various modifications, in all governmental and endowed libraries both in Europe and America. Books are stolen and carried away, pages are cut out of rare volumes even with all the restrictions used by the library officials. Church registers are also mutilated by reckless and dishonest persons. Hence the stringent rules. It will be seen that careful training, patience in following obscure clues, accuracy and above all an intelligent love for this work are necessary to equip any one, in or out of this Church, for research work. No one need despair of learning, if he be determined, diligent and prayerful. At least, the convert in Europe should follow the paths herein marked out for him, that he may secure all genealogical data available while he still lives in his home town. What is true of conditions in Great Britain is largely true of every other European country. These suggestions and descriptions of records and their depositaries apply to every European country on general lines.

CHAPTER 12

SCANDINAVIAN AND GERMAN RESEARCH

Scandinavian Pedigree Searching.

The searcher for genealogy who lives in Scandinavia or who visits that country for research purposes will find his sources of information in practically the same condition and places he would find were he in Great Britain.

Many think the confusing surname customs of Scandinavia prevent research work in that country, but this is only partly true. Trained genealogists assert that it is easier to carry back pedigreed lines, especially in the professional and gentry classes, in Scandinavia, than in most other European countries.

It should be understood that it is always more difficult to carry on ancestral work in any European country for the peasantry, or lower classes, than it is for the professional and gentry classes.

In Denmark, Sweden and Norway there is a government keeper of archives, or commissioner of records. There is in Denmark an Institute of Genealogy more. than twenty-five years old.

There is also found in all three of these countries good clerical service. The government has been very friendly to the preservation of records, and trained experts are at the service of all who seek information or assistance.

Another unusual feature of research in these countries is that no charges are made in any of the government registry offices. Certainly this is very different to German and English methods.

The researcher would begin his labors:

1. In the government library and government Record Offices.

2. In the parish where he or his parents lived.

3. He would seek assistance from old friends, rela

tives and elderly people in the parish.

4. Church records will yield returns.

However, it must be remembered that all Danish records were gathered in Viborg and in Odense in 1814.

The Danish government passed a law in 1645 requiring state registration of births, deaths and marriages; yet it is not easy to find material needed as early as that because the people were not converted to the prevailing church and would not register for a couple of centuries after that. Old church records are confused in sequence, as one finds marriages, births and deaths run together on closely written script pages, no doubt to save paper and expense. These entries are often written in Latin.

In 1814 the government passed a law requiring duplicates of all vital statistics. Since that time it is easy to secure information.

The Scandinavians were a stay-at-home people, consequently it is easy to follow their lines if one knows the parish to begin with. The name of the farm or dwelling place was usually added to the name of the man who owned or tilled it. This answered, in a measure, for a surname, and makes a good clue to follow, as even the peasantry did not move about.

It is more difficult to secure information about women than men, as the early records rarely give the wife's name. She was called "wife" or "widow" of so

and so.

If one can connect up with a professional man with a fighting ancestry, or with any of the gentry, pedigrees are easy to obtain.

For three hundred and fifty years Scandinavian manuscripts, biographical encyclopedias and collections have been issued, and in later years these have been printed in books, of all nobles, patricians, pastors, physicians, lawyers, clerks, etc., etc. In Norway there is a biographical directory from 1537 to the present time. These can be found in government libraries.

In Norway and Sweden records since 1800 have been left in the hands of pastors and are sometimes difficult

to secure.

Therefore, the resident, or visitor, who desires to

carry back ancestral lines in Scandinavian countries needs a practical knowledge of genealogical methods and procedure, sufficient means, and plenty of time to carry back as far as he may his individual lines.

General Rule.

The rule for all research workers in the Church, at home or abroad, is to write to the Genealogical Society, first, to report genealogical work already done or in contemplation, and second, to secure the help and cooperation of the Society and all interested persons.

COMPILING OF GERMAN PEDIGREES

Parish Records and Other Archives.

The foundation and main source for compiling pedigrees in Germany, Switzerland and Austria are found in the church records of the different parishes. Many of these registers go back to the sixteenth century, a few to the fifteenth, a very few to the fourteenth, but all not destroyed by fire, etc., go back to the seventeenth century.

The remark is sometimes made: "Church records were destroyed in the thirty years' war," but that is only true in rare cases. The truth, however, is that parts of church records, through carelessness or otherwise, have been burned or lost.

In most parishes, particularly in southern Germany and Switzerland, entries are made in detail, containing enough information to follow up clues, thus adding link by link to the ancestral chain. Quite a few records in the northern part of Germany contain hardly enough information to make sure of a connection. In such cases other records may be used to furnish that data.

October 1st, 1874, the "Standesamt," where all vital statistics are filed, was called into existence by act of the government. It is here you should begin your search. In looking over vital statistics or parish records, one generally starts with the birth or christening registers, marriages next, to be followed by death and burial en

tries. One drawback, however, is that the researcher is dependent on the clergyman in whose keeping the records are found, and who is required by government enactment not to let any records out of his hands, nor to let anybody search them in his absence.

There is a movement under way to deposit such records in central archives, where one can search at his leisure without taxing the patience and courtesy of a pastor who is often much harrassed by eager genealogists. His duties keep him away most of the time from the repository of the records. Many unnecessary trips are often made and one is only permitted to work for an hour or two. Little can be accomplished in such short periods, looking over badly written entries and faded unindexed pages. No wonder some pedigrees cost their purchasers almost a fortune.

The parishes in each province of Prussia are supervised by a "Konsistorium" located generally in the capital city. If for some reason or other, search in certain parishes is denied, the searcher may apply to the superintendent called "Konsistorialrat", who will see that some provisions are made for his research.

In some provinces a beginning has been made to combine the earlier registers in a central archive building, as for instance in Hamburg, Hanover, Marburg in Hessen, Schwerin in Mecklenburg, in Brunswick and probably other cities. In such places small fees are charged and strict rules must be obeyed. No books are loaned out to anyone except the clergy.

A German genealogist should be well posted on Latin terms and should know the Latin names for all Sundays and church days, as very often such terms are used instead of the day and month. Another important fact that one must consider is, that Catholic registers until 1583, and Protestant records until 1700, used the old time or the Julian calendar.

Church records which may be consulted are the old church account books, confirmation, sacrament and burial place registers.