The Computer Corner

By Duane Stabler,

Number 17, March 2002, republication of this article requires prior approval from the author. This and previous Computer Corner articles can be found at

As you know, I’ve been a big fan of the computer in the use of genealogy research for numerous years. I remember a time when I was lugging around a Tandy model 1400 laptop long before most people had a computer. When I sat at the GRHS convention in Bismarck, ND, with it, I could hardly get any work done as I was finding that people were curious and asked me all kinds of questions.

With the advent of the Internet, using the computer as a tool for recording genealogy has become a standard item. But how much success have you had in really making a big breakthrough in your genealogy research as a result of the Internet? Let me tell you my story!

I’ve been searching for a breakthrough in tracking my Stabler family ever since I, with help from Ardella Bennett (I publicly thank you), learned of the small village of Musberg, Germany. It turns out that Musberg is just southeast of Stuttgart and is probably considered suburban Stuttgart today. The St. Petersburg record that Ardella found contained the death record of my Great-Great-Grandfather Ludwig Stäbler. Ludwig’s record said he was born in Musberg. I had a clue!

Time went by and I searched high and low for something that might give me some record of Musberg. I searched many websites here in the USA as well as in Germany and learned of a book that was written in Germany in the 1970’s. It was out of print and numerous used bookstores in Germany were unable to find it. Again, the Internet did all this. Then one day I learned of a genealogy researcher who did research for people from her home in Germany. Her name is Sabine Scheichert (). Sabine and I communicated via email several times and I told her of my search. I’d say it took her maybe two weeks to locate the book titled Familienbuch Musberg written by Günther Schweizer. Sabine thought the book looked promising as it had “lots of Stabler and Stebler” family in it. But she wasn’t sure or couldn’t guarantee this was my family line. I took her advice and had her order the book and send it to me. The book arrived in February and I had to start sharpening up on my German language skills as the book is entirely in German. But I have found that my Ludwig Stäbler was indeed listed and the birth date was a perfect match. The book also states “ausgewandert nach Kausasien” which I believe is immigrated to the Caucuses” which is in Russia. Obviously, Ludwig stopped in Bergdorf and settled there and one mystery that remains is who was his wife as he was a widower at the time of his death. One last thing about my Stabler research, I now have family listings going back to the 1500’s and a lot of further translation to do.

Well, enough of my success and a little more about Sabine as I owe her much for this success. I decided to do an “email interview” of Sabine and she agreed. Here is some of what I’ve learned about her and German Genealogical Research Service.

Q. What is German Genealogical Research Service (the name of your company)?

A. I have a degree in history (1992) and have been doing research in archives since the end of the 1980s, also worked (as part-time employee) in some archives when I was a student. So I can read all that stuff fluently, including Latin. I began genealogy as a hobby in the beginning of the 1990s, and in the subsequent years, decided to make it a profession. One of the reasons was that we have a daughter (six years old now), so that I couldn't take a normal out-of-home job. So the first steps as a professional genealogist were in 1995, and since then, I've been building this up.

Q. Do you have any areas you specialize in?

A. Anything having to do with historical research. Mostly, I am searching emigrant ancestors for American clients, and, if/when found, follow them back as far as possible - which usually ends with the beginning of the church records, but sometimes also crosses the line and goes into the "secular" documentation of tax lists etc. Sometimes, I also search for living relatives, but this is difficult in Germany because of the existing privacy laws. I also do transcriptions of the

old script and translations into English.

Q. How many people, besides you, work for German Genealogical Research Service?

A. Formally, none, but I am building up a network of researchers who do research for me in other areas if necessary. This, especially, covers Southwest Germany which is important for the Germans who went to Russia.

In conclusion, I highly recommend Sabine as a further resource for genealogy research in Germany.

Below are some useful websites that I’ve used in my genealogy research.

Websites to bookmark:

…use this site to translate German (and other languages) to English.
…German Genealogical Research Service (Sabine Schleichert) and
……German Genealogical Research Service Website
……is a telephone book of Germany
…the German’s from Russia repository of information.
….the Gluckstal Colonies Research group (Bergdorf is located in this Gluckstal area of Russia)
……the Germans from Russia Historical Society Website
……the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia Website.
…NDSU’s Germans from Russia Collection of data
….a website listing German facts

Good luck in your research and use that computer; you might find that it offers so much more if you make the effort.