Unlock the secrets of your German heritage with expertly-crafted courses designed to help you descipher the old German handwriting and understand German genealogy language.

40+ Worksheets

From the experts

12+ Hours

Video Lessons

70+ Interactive Tools

Covering every topic you need

➔ You’ve discovered old family documents, but you find the script impossible to read and have no clue where to start to decipher the complex handwriting.

➔ You've found precious family documents, but they are in a different language.

➔ You want to connect with your heritage, but lack the specialized tools, skills, and strategies to do so.

➔ The challenge of deciphering old German handwriting leaves you feeling stuck.

➔ You know that online translation tools miss so much, giving you inaccurate findings and an incomplete picture of your record, which is not what you want.

➔ You want guidance, but can't find anyone to help you.

➔ You're eager to learn independently, but struggle to find reliable educational resources.

having a way to uncover your German heritage and effortlessly read historical documents, gaining the skills to...

Accurately translate and understand old German records

Connect with your German ancestry and preserve your family stories

Confidently fill in your family tree and solve generational mysteries

Explore your family history and feeling confident while doing so

• Essential Vocabulary and Grammar: Learn the German language skills you need for genealogy research.
• Church and Vital Records: Work with church and vital records with ease.
• Google in German: Master techniques for effective Google searches in German, which gives you more results to aid in your research.
• Interactive Content: Enjoy flashcards, games, quizzes, and worksheets to reinforce your learning.

• Understand the History: Learn why our ancestors used the old German script.
• Sight-Read Individual Letters and Words : Master the intricately-written vowels and consonants with videos, flashcards, and games.
• Essential Vocabulary: Discover must-know vocabulary in German genealogy records.
• Practical Exercises: Practice with real-life records - church records, vital records, and more - until you can read them with ease.

• Welcome to the Course: Introduce yourself to your fellow students and get familiar with the course structure.
• The Must-Knows of (Genealogical) German: Essential German grammar and vocabulary for genealogy.
• German Handwriting Key and Fraktur Key: Tools to help you recognize and understand old German script.

• Meet the Family: Learn key family-related vocabulary to build your family tree.
• Amazing Articles ("the" and "a"): Master definite and indefinite articles in German.
• Occupations: Understand common occupations in historical records.
• Popping Pronouns: Get comfortable with German pronouns and their usage.
• Days of the Week: Learn the days of the week and related vocabulary.
• Verb Conjugation: Conjugate common verbs, including "haben" and "sein", and modal verbs.
• Review: Comprehensive review of all Freshman Year topics with flashcards, matching games, and a final exam to reinforce your learning.

• Numbers and Months: Learn numbers and months in German, as well as how to understand dates in records.
• Telling Time: Understand how to recognize time words on German records.
• Accusative Case: Master the accusative case and its pronouns.
• Milestone Words and Abbreviations: Learn key milestone words and common abbreviations found in genealogical documents.
• Possessive Pronouns: Understand and use possessive pronouns correctly.
• Review: Comprehensive review of all Sophomore Year topics with flashcards, matching games, and a final exam to reinforce your learning.

• Past Tense: Learn how to form and recognize the past tense in German, including the passive voice - very important for genealogical documents.
• Causes of Death: Familiarize yourself with common causes of death and their terminology.
• Dative Case: Master the dative case and its applications on genealogical records.
• Spelling Variations: Understand common spelling variations in historical records.
• Genitive Case: Learn the genitive case and its uses, as well as how it appears on genealogical records.
• Review: Comprehensive review of all Junior Year topics with flashcards, matching games, and a final exam to reinforce your learning.

• Working with Church Records: Learn how to read and interpret baptismal, marriage, and death records.
• Working with Vital Records: Understand the phrasing and structure of birth, marriage, and death vital records.
• Important Phrases to Know: Learn essential phrases for genealogical research - you will not want to miss this section!
• Tests to Graduate!: Final review and exams to give you the tools you need to work with your records on your own - you can do it!

• Certificate of Mastery: Celebrate your achievement with a special graduation video. Receive a certificate upon completion, showcasing your expertise in German genealogical research - congratulations, you did it!

• Welcome to the Course: A warm welcome to our community and important information on how to use the course.
• Why Did Our Ancestors Use the Old German Script?: Explore the historical context and reasons for the use of old German script.
  

• Lesson 1: Valiant Vowels: Learn to recognize and read the vowels in old German handwriting.
• Lesson 2: Lovely Lowercase (Consonants): Master the lowercase consonants, essential for deciphering old German documents.
• Lesson 3: Uppity Uppercase (Consonants): Understand and identify uppercase consonants used in historical records.
• Lesson 4: Common Combos (Common Letter Combinations in German Handwriting): Familiarize yourself with common German letter combinations to improve reading speed.
• Lesson 5: Give it a Go!: Deciphering Short Words Yourself: Practice reading and understanding short words from actual German records to build confidence and skill.

• Lesson 1: My Name's Franz, What's Yours? (Names in German Genealogy): Learn to read the common names found in German genealogy - is your ancestor's name on the list?
• Lesson 2: The Months of the Year: Learn to read the German terms for months to accurately read dates in records.
• Lesson 3: Common Abbreviations in German Genealogy: Identify and interpret common abbreviations used in genealogical documents.
• Lesson 4: Milestone Words for Finding Your German Ancestor: Learn to recognize key milestone words that frequently appear in historical records.
• Lesson 5: What Did You Do For a Living, Ancestor? (Occupations in German Genealogy): Learn to read common occupation words found in your German records. What did your ancestor do?
• Lesson 6: The Deadly Diseases of Your Ancestor (Causes of Death): Learn to read terms related to causes of death, which are very common on church and military records.
• Give it a Go!: Deciphering Vocabulary Words Yourself: Practice with actual genealogy vocabulary words to enhance your reading skills and confirm what you can now do.
  

• Tips and Tricks of Deciphering the Old German Handwriting: Learn expert strategies and techniques for reading old German handwriting.
• Reading Vital Birth Records: Techniques for understanding and translating vital birth records.
• Reading Vital Marriage Records: Insights and tips for interpreting vital marriage records.
• Reading Vital Death Records: Methods for accurately reading and translating vital death records.
• Give it a Go: Practice Vital Records: Test your newfound skills by deciphering these real-life vital record certificates.
• German Church Record Vocabulary List: Essential vocabulary for reading German church records.
• Reading Baptismal Records: How to read and understand baptismal church records.
• Reading Church Marriage Records: Techniques for deciphering marriage records in church books.
• Reading Church Death Records: Methods for interpreting death records from church books.
• Give it a Go: Practice Church Records: Test your newfound skills by deciphering real-life church records.
• Tips for Deciphering Letters: Practical tips for transcribing old letters.
• Give it a Go: Practice Letters: Test your newfound skills by deciphering letters written by people hundreds of years ago.
• Kurrentschrift Key: A guide to understanding the Kurrentschrift script.
• Twenty Tips for Deciphering German Handwriting: Comprehensive tips for accurate transcription.
• Common Spelling Variations in German Documents: Recognize and understand common spelling variations in historical documents.

• Certificate of Mastery: Celebrate your achievement with a special graduation video! Receive a certificate upon completion, showcasing your expertise in reading the old German handwriting. You did it!
  

Payment Plan

Get Started Today for Just $135!

Then make 5 monthly payments of only $135 each.

What's Included:

✓ Lifetime Access: Reading the Old German Handwriting Online Course and...

✓ Lifetime Access: German for Genealogists Online Course

➔ 12+ Hours of Video Lessons: Comprehensive lessons from both courses.

➔ 30+ Expert-Designed Worksheets: Practice key concepts and skills until you're a PRO!

➔ Interactive Flashcards: Designed to enhance your learning experience.

➔ Matching Games: Fun and educational games to reinforce learning.

➔ Quizzes and Tests: Assess your understanding and track your progress and mastery.

➔ Practice Exercises: Real-life records for hands-on practice, giving you practical experience with actual historical documents.

➔ Certificate of Mastery: Earn a certificate upon completion of each course, recognizing your new skill!

➔ Community Access: Join a supportive forum of fellow genealogist students to discuss and share experiences.

➔ Bonus: Essential Handwriting Key: Kurrentschrift Key to help you recognize old German scripts.

➔ Bonus: Extensive Vocabulary Lists: Downloadable lists providing you with a comprehensive reference system for your research.

➔ Bonus: 20 Expert Tips for Deciphering German Handwriting: My tried and true tips from years of genealogical translation experience.

➔ Bonus: Master List of German Record Websites: Over 70 genealogy websites to help you find your German-speaking ancestor, no matter what region they came from! Our most popular resource to date.

Best Value

Pay in Full

Get Started Today with a

One-Time-Payment of $796

What's Included:

✓ Lifetime Access: Reading the Old German Handwriting Online Course and...

✓ Lifetime Access: German for Genealogists Online Course

Everything included in the Course Bundle Payment Plan, plus the convenience of a one-time payment.

$477 One-Time Payment

or 5 Payments of $96

What's Included:

➔ Lifetime Access to German for Genealogists Online Course

➔ 7+ Hours of Video Lessons

➔ 20+ Downloadable Worksheets

➔ Extensive Vocabulary Lists

➔ Interactive Flashcards

➔ Matching Games

➔ Quizzes and Tests

➔ Practice Records

➔ Certificate of Mastery

➔ Community Access

➔ Bonus: German Genealogy Vocabulary Master List

➔ Bonus: Master List of German Record Websites

➔ Bonus: 20 Tips for Deciphering German Handwriting

$359 One-Time Payment

or 4 Payments of $90

What's Included:

➔ Lifetime Access to Reading the Old German Handwriting Online Course

➔ 5+ Hours of Video Lessons

➔ 20+ Downloadable Worksheets

➔ Interactive Flashcards

➔ Matching Games

➔ Quizzes and Tests

➔ Practice Exercises

➔ Certificate of Mastery

➔ Community Access

➔ Bonus: Kurrentschrift Key

➔ Bonus: Master List of German Record Websites

➔ Bonus: 20 Tips for Deciphering German Handwriting

Katherine Schober, Founder and CEO of Germanology Unlocked

Katherine Schober is a German-English genealogy translator, author, educator, and the founder of Germanology Unlocked. With over a decade of professional experience, she is dedicated to helping others uncover their German ancestry and preserve their family stories for future generations.

Katherine offers services focused on deciphering old German handwriting, including translations, webinars, classes, and workshops. She has been a featured speaker at major national genealogy conferences such as RootsTech, International German Genealogy Partnership Conference, NGS, and more, where she shares her expertise on working with German records and handwriting. Her work has also been highlighted on the History Channel and PBS' "Finding Your Roots."

Combining her deep knowledge of the German language with a passion for genealogy, Katherine strives to make your journey of uncovering your family history exciting and fun.