GGD 1939 Resettlement Records Database, Rev 2023
Einwandererzentralstelle (EWZ) Documents
The GGD 1939 Resettlement Records database has been extracted from the Einwandererzentralstelle (EWZ) documents, literally Immigration Center documents, stored in the Berlin Document Center. These records were captured by the US government at the end of World War II. They pertain to ethnic Germans who settled in German controlled areas from other areas in Central and Eastern Europe.
For more detail on the EWZ records, including how to view and use them, see our HELP file.
These records contain many errors of varying severity from trivial to significant. We have spent many hours trying to resolve issues but it has not been possible in all cases. These records were taken from microfilms of carbon copies (not originals) which themselves were typed in a noisy room with immigrants giving their information verbally to the officers, often from their memory. Often alternate spellings or dates are given in the NOTES section.
History of the GGD 1939 Resettlement Records database
The original comprehensive database was created in 1998 by the GGD, extracted from the EWZ records. The project was led by Steve Stroud (S12) and when complete, contained 55,000 people. A major revision was made in 2016, with John Kaminski (K25) co-ordinating the work. 10,000 new cards were merged into the existing 55,000 person database leading to a new database of 64,077 names. Volunteers who typed in the information are: Betty Wray (member W5), Renata Dilk Pilon (P50), Pam Sandbo (S163), Richard Grauman (G12), Maggie Graham (G43), Barbara Duey (D3), and Ed Rozylowicz (R4).
There are 3 methods to view the GGD partial extraction of the EWZ records and the corrections. These are detailed in the paragraphs below
- GGD 1939 Resettlement Records database
Contains the records extracted by the GGD project team from the EWZ records and viewed with a powerful GEDCOM viewer. Only available to current GGD members.
- GGD 1939 Resettlement Corrections index
Contains information submitted directly to the GGD correcting EWZ information or adding new information.
- GGD 1939 Static Surname/Name reports
These are static web pages generated by Legacy FamilyTree genealogy software (Millennia) from the database.
How to view the GGD 1939 Resettlement Records database
The GGD 1939 Resettlement Records database is best viewed using our very powerful GEDCOM viewer by clicking here 
. You can search for families, individuals, inhabitants of a village, etc. Charts available with the viewer include Timeline, Relationship, Ancestry, Fan and Hourglass.
The EWZ card number for the FHL microfilm is called "Reference Number".
How to view the GGD 1939 Resettlement Corrections index
We have also received some corrections to the database. GGD did not feel we could legitimately "change" the extracted records, but because numerous interested persons have notified us that their family data was in error or that more info could be added to these records, GGD has included a Correction Index of Names and Reference Numbers (referenced numbers as found in the Resettlement films).
This Corrections Index includes the name and contact information of person submitting this information on their family, as well as the corrected and/or additional information. GGD has not verified these corrections/changes, but is simply including them as submitted to us in an effort to aid as much as possible your search for more information on your families. If you wish to inquire about contacting the submitter of an entry, or adding or correcting any info, contact 
. All entries will be given a code for members or a disguised e-mail address to avoid spamming.
How to view the Static Surname/Name Reports web pages - for the general public
To access these web pages which contain links to Surnames, Names and Individual/Family Pages, click here. These are reports generated from the comprehensive 1939 Resettlement Records database using genealogy software. You are NOT viewing the database itself. This page may take some time to load and it is not as powerful as the database, but it does contain all the same information.
Surname List & Name List Reports
Alphabetical list of all surnames in the database grouped by first letter in the surname. This is a compact index of all surnames with links directly into the exact page where your surname listing starts. You can use CTRL-F to find a surname, but it is probably better to scroll through the list to find similarly spelled surnames.
Click on your surname and the Name List appears which includes first names, birth dates, and birth town. This is called the Name List Report. Clicking on a name brings up the family where this person is the husband or wife of a family. The little letters beside the names indicate whether the named person is shown as a S=Spouse, C=Child, or P=Parent.
The Surname List allows you to quickly find all people with the same surname. Beware of the multiple spellings for the same last name. Clicking on a surname brings up the Name List in alphabetical order. The small C or P beside a person indicates that this person is listed twice, once as the head of a family, and again as a parent or child of another family. The EWZ card number for the FHL microfilm is called "User ID."
Please Note: On the Surname List/Name List Reports web pages (as opposed to our comprehensive database) the "User ID:" is the EWZ number used for finding Stammblätter Case Numbers.
Individual/Family pages
In these pages the individual and whatever information known is given. The first section is information about the individual, then the Family section with the marriage date/place if known, then the Spouse section with the name and information about the spouse of the individual if known, then come the children (if any) one line per child with birth/death dates if known.
Database Owner Information
Galizien German Descendants
Send E-mail to: corrections
galiziengermandescendants.org
Website: galiziengermandescendants.org/cms
The Surname/Names Reports were created 28 Jun 2023 with Legacy FamilyTree 9.0 from MyHeritage