Finding religious records of your ancestors sometimes requires a pedigree of the congregations to which they belonged, many of which don't exist today and require a scavenger hunt to unearth their registers! 1) Value of religious records: a. as vital records substitutes; b. social history of ancestors 2) Hierarchical and congregational models of organization 3) Examples of sleuthing for records for closed congregations.

James is a Pennsylvania German expert, has authored four books, including a just-released second edition of Trace Your German Roots Online. He also writes the weekly column/blog “Roots & Branches,” is a German Life magazine columnist, and has been part of a weeklong institute course on U.S. church records.