What is the International Association of Germans from Lithuania (IAGL)?
The IAGL is a U.S. based not-for-profit organisation created to help those researching their German ancestors in southwest Lithuania (Deutsche aus Litauen) by offering resources to the public. It was founded by several genealogical researchers who share a passion for helping others who are interested in this unique ethnic minority.
Is the IAGL a not-for-profit?
Yes.
Does it cost money to search the IAGL indexing project?
No–we believe that everyone has a right to learn about their ancestors, so our transcriptions are provided to the public completely free of charge. However, you can donate to help with the development and maintenance of our online database. You can donate to the IAGL by clicking the “Donate” button on the top of the site.
Where do the records come from?
The original records which our volunteers have transcribed, come from a variety of sources. Many are transcribed from records posted by archives online from across Europe, while others are photographs of records from archives or scans of private records.
I know that a specific group of records exists, but why haven’t you transcribed them yet?
There could be two reasons for this: 1) We just haven’t gotten around to them yet–our volunteers are constantly finding new records to transcribe and add to our database. 2) The records you’re looking for may contain information that is restricted under certain privacy laws and regulations. As a rule, we follow privacy restrictions based on the country in which the records are stored.
How do I cite information from your database or index?
You should cite the record based on the archive in which the original image was accessed. For example, FamilySearch.org, Lithuanian State Historical Archive, Archiwum Glowne Akt Dawnych, etc.
Which countries or areas does your database cover?
The IAGL’s database covers Lutheran churches mainly located in the former Suwalki region of the Russian Empire (click here for a map - Suwalki is in light blue) which includes cities in Lithuania and parts of modern-day Poland.
Do you have records of churches elsewhere in Lithuania?
No, the IAGL’s database only contains records from the former Suwalki Gubernia of the Russian Empire, as this is where the vast majority of Germans from Lithuania lived.
Does your database include records from Catholic churches?
No, the IAGL’s database only contains records from Lutheran churches. However, a free online database does already exist for Catholic church records in Lithuania: https://www.metrikai.lt/
Does your database only contain Church records?
No–our database also includes transcriptions from various publications as well as some civil records. However, the vast majority of records are from Lutheran churches.
What language are the original records in?
The language of the original record depends on the year in which it was written and the location of the church. For example, church records in the former Suwalki Gubernia (such as Vilkaviškis, Vištytiš, Virbalis, Kalvarija, Marijampolė, Seirijai, Šakiai, Pilviškiai, Prienai, Kudirkos Naumiestis, Kybartai, Garliava, Sudargas , etc) are in Polish until 1868 when the Russian government required them to be in Russian Cyrillic. Records created after 1918 are usually in Lithuanian. Records that were not used for official Government use (such as confirmation records) may be in German.
I can’t find the record I’m looking for. Where is it?
There could be a few explanations for a record you can’t find:
Alternate spelling - Sometimes, names were recorded phonetically. Sometimes, they were spelled in a Polish, Russian, Lithuanian, or German version. Try searching the database for different types of spellings to see if you can find the record. Be sure to uncheck the “Search Exact Terms” options on the search page.
We haven’t transcribed the records yet - It’s possible that the record you’re looking for hasn’t been transcribed by our volunteers yet.
The record is restricted - If you’re looking for a birth or confirmation record less than 100 years old, it will not be included in our database due to privacy restrictions. You should contact the archive who holds the record to access it.
The records for that time period are lost - Many parts of Lithuania were severely damaged during WWI and WWII and as a result, many records have been lost forever. This is especially true for areas in the former Suwalki Gubernia (such as Vistytis, Vilkaviskis, Virbalis, Mariampol, Kalwaria, etc.)
Can I request an edit to a transcription?
Yes–please use our contact page to submit any corrections or suggestions to our transcriptions.
I’d like to help transcribe records. How do I do that?
We’d love any help you’re willing to provide! Get in touch via our contact page and we’ll see what project you can help with. You’ll need to have access to either Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel, and be able to be able to accurately read either German, Lithuania, Russian, or Polish.
