Meyers Orts- und Verkehrs-Lexikon des Deutschen Reichs With Researcher's

Rating:
Summary: Pro' Germanic Genealogist since 1979, Karl-Michael Sala
Review: SINCE 1979, @ the Family History Library in Salt Lake City & @ Family History Centers in the USA & Germany, I have both voluntarily & professionally helped hundreds of patrons & clients solve hundreds of Germanic-European cases. Questions? [e-mail]

TO CRACK/SOLVE cases, I use not just one, but TWO gazetteers of the entire German Empire:
Meyers Orts= und Verkehrs=lexikon des Deutschen Reichs is a bit superior to the similar Neumanns Orts- und Verkehrs-Lexikon des Deutschen Reichs. Therefore, Meyers is THE source book used by the cataloging department of the Family History Library of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City, UTah. Don't be dissuaded in any way by the name of the church or whether you are not of the same faith. If you are seeking German parochial records (aka parish registers) in the FHL Catalog, you will need to follow their lead.

NEUMANNS gazetteer has some highly interesting historical notes not found in Meyers. Meyers has some statistical data not found in Neumanns. Meyers also seems to have more entries & listings, but I have not quantified.

BOTH can be used to narrow down from which--for example--Marbeck (or was that Marbach?) your ancestor originated. Meyers usually--but not always--has the advantage over Neumanns.

CAVEAT (or what WON'T Meyers {or Neumanns} tell me?): While Meyers (& Neumanns) might indicate whether a particular village had its own Evangelical (Lutheran) or Catholic parish, IF the location was too small to warrant its own parish, neither Meyers nor Neumanns gazetteers will PROVIDE the name of the actual parish. This must be done in actual provincial gazetteers. The province, e.g. Sachsen, CAN be obtained from Meyers. There were a few different Sachsen gazetteers, but that research challenge will not be discussed here. Once the village is found within the provincial gazetteer, then its Evangelical or Lutheran parish can be ascertained & looked-up in the Family History Library Catalog online or on a CD.

...GOT ACCESS to the MICROFICHE, but not the book? WHY $300? For those needing to look up more than just a few places, or those needing to scan the graphics (like me for clients), this source is worth every bit of $300. No serious researcher, research library or Family History Center should be without it, both in microfiche & book form. The book is superior to the fiche because of ease of use & due to its having the two-page maps, which I believe are in color.

NEUMANNS? First, get MEYERS. I got my Neumanns @ a used book store during one of my 7 research trips behind the Iron Curtain. My Neumanns is 1905 & has 2-page color maps of large towns. I believe this is what is available in Ray Wright's publication of Meyers. Ray's book also has other great explanatory features not found in the original books.
Whatever gazetteer you use, ensure that its publication date pre-dates ...