Wendish Genealogical Research by Milan Pohontsch

Wends is the historical name for the Slavs who migrated to Germany around 500-1000 AD. It refers not to a homogeneous people, but to various peoples, tribes or groups depending on where and when it was used. In the modern day, communities identifying as Wendish exist in not just Germany but in such places as Texas and Australia.

Wendish genealogical research is a lot like German research, with just a few additional language-specific add-ons. This class will mainly concentrate on these add-ons. Listeners who already know the basics of German research will easily absorb the additional peculiarities of Wendish research. Wendish history, record sources, important genealogical publications, dealing with Wendish names and towns, and some grammar that will help to decipher a Wendish record correctly will be covered.