In this fourth episode of Series Six, host Andrew Martin is joined by German professional genealogist Sven Grewel, who explains how he got hooked on researching family history, and the challenges of researching in a country whose borders have altered so frequently.

Listen to the episode

Also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Music, and others…

The Life Story – Johann Sabel

Sven has chosen to tell the life story of his 2x Great Grandfather Johann Carl Max Sabel who worked as a police officer in between the First and Second World Wars in Hamburg, Germany.

This was a dangerous time, with the Nazis rising to power, and citizens reporting each other to the authorities.

Johann, used to delivering justice of the law as a policeman, gets accused of a crime, and ends up spending years fighting it in prison and in a psychiatric clinic despite there being some clear holes in the evidence.

The Brick Wall – The Thirty Years’ War

It’s a research brick wall caused by The Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648) that has Sven perplexed.

Engulfing large swathes of Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, the Thirty Years’ War was one of rule and religion, during which it’s estimated that 4.5-8 million soldiers died through battle, famine, and disease. It’s also a period where buildings and records were burnt, leaving a gap in the records.

Sven is particularly keen to find church records for the town Karlstadt in Bavaria, Germany.

If you think that you can help Sven to track down the Karlstadt records, or any of those church books from the Thirty Years’ War period, then you can contact him directly at his website www.svengrewel.com, or alternatively you can send us a message and we’ll send it straight on to him.

In the meanwhile, Sven is keen to accept Andrew’s offer of help, but has a few questions first…

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Resources

A list of websites and resources mentioned in this episode;

• www.ancestry.com – Ancestry
• www.familysearch.org – Family Search
• www.hamburg.de/bkm/benutzung/5017640/englisch-benutzung – Hamburg State Archive
• www.myheritage.com – MyHertiage

Episode Credits

• Andrew Martin – Host and Producer
• Sven Grewell – Guest
• John Spike – Sándor Petőfi