Compendium of 4,000 German Middle-Class Citizens: 1250-1850 - Volume One; by Frederick Siler; 2022; 259 pp; 8.5x11; Paperback; Perfect bound; ISBN: 978-1-62859-331-0; Item # FR0705

This book is the first in a series of volumes exploring the linage and heraldry of 16,000 common middle-class German citizens who have been identified from records dating from approximately 1250 to 1850. Access to documents about the commoner social strata of the 13th to 15th centuries is nearly non-existent for English-speaking family historians who wish to extend their family tree back in time before Guttenberg's invention of the printing press and prior to the first migration of our German ancestors to American in the 17th and 18th centuries.

This volume includes the following highlights:

• Significant characteristics of the Holy Roman Empire during the Late Middle Ages and Early Modern Period of European History
• How to Locate biographical information about middle-class Germans through the online German Biography Database and the CERL Thesaurus File.
• Strategies for using burgher coats-of-arms as a genealogical tool and resource.
• A Compendium of 4,000 entries pertaining to hundreds of surnames and given names, where and when each occurred, and place names of historical and modern geographical locales in the Holy roman Empire and Switzerland.
• A Glossary of over 500 German occupational terms gleaned directly from primary source materials used during the preparation of this book
• A Gallery of 66 portrait images of selected middle-class citizens cited in the book.

THE FOLLOWING IS FROM THE TABLE OF CONTENTS

FRONT MATTER

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

PREFACE

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 1 – Significant Characteristics of the Holy Roman Empire

- The Late Middle Ages - c.1250 to c. 1500

- The Early Modern Period - c.1500 to c.1800

- A political history of the Holy Roman Empire

o The Late Middle Ages

o The Early Modern Period

- Economics: Commerce and Finance

- Education and Universities

- Religion and the Protestant Reformation

- City Government and Administration

- Class Structure and Conflict

o Upper and lower classes of the nobility

o Middle-class patricians, clergy, and burghers

o Lower-class plebeians and peasants

o The Reformation: efforts for equality among the classes

CHAPTER 2 - Locating Biographical Information About Middle-Class Germans

- The German Biography Database.

- The CERL Thesaurus File.

CHAPTER 3 - Burgher Armorial Bearings

- Heraldry and the family historian.

- An introduction to burgher arms.

- Some aspects particular to Germanic burgher arms.

o Differences from British Heraldry

o Differences between Germanic burgher and noble arms

- Utilizing heraldry as a genealogical tool and resource

o Dealing with different branches of a family in Germanic armory

o Comparing arms of the same surname in different locations

o Comparing arms of the same surname at the same location

o Deciding whether to merge entries

CHAPTER 4 - Components of the Compendium

- Defining the Elements

o Names

o Geographical Locations

o Chronology

o Occupations

o End Notes

o Terminology

o Key to special notations

CHAPTER 5 - A Compendium of 4,000 Middle-Class German Citizens

APPENDIX A: Gallery of Burgher Portraits

Other Books by the Author

About the Author

Frederick Siler has over twenty-five years experience as a family historian. He holds a lifetime membership in the National Genealogical Society, and is also a member of the International Association of Amateur Heralds. Fred has authored five other books on German genealogy and heraldry. He created the Heraldry and Genealogy Reference Library website and co-authored Our Ancestors: 380 Years of History in America with Tom Peiffer.