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People leave their tracks behind them ...
"I wanted to fight for a better lot than the one I've had so far. That's why I'm leaving." This was how more than 400 thousand people felt in the middle of the 19th century, as they left their homes in Lower Saxony in the hope of making their dreams of a better life come true in the United States. This emigration has left its traces, hidden away in the archives, but still preserved today. The History Department of Hanover University in collaboration with the Lower Saxony Institute for the Research of Regional History (Niedersächsisches Institut für Historische Regionalforschung e.V.) has made it possible to research the emigrants' personal life stories.

... on emigrating from Lower Saxony
Today we can pick up the tracks of the emigrants in various documents such as those confirming that they were not debtors or that they had completed military service. These records have been prepared for computerized access at the Lower Saxony State Archives. This is where you can obtain preliminary information: http://www.staatsarchive.niedersachsen.de. Now we can start taking up the trail.

People in Hanover give professional aid
and put you on the right track. Students of Hanover University have been trained to reconstruct the lives of the emigrants from such documents. They know where the documents are and they can read old handwriting. They would also like to help you track down the emigrants. The students are available as academic companions, too, assisting you in tracing your ancestors. So your relatives and ancestors can become old friends again.

But how do you find the right track?
If you are interested in finding out more about your ancestors, don't hesitate to contact the History Department of the University. On the website http://www.geschichte.uni-hannover.de/projekte/amerika you can start by familiarizing yourself with the history of the emigration and with the documents that need to be analyzed when tracing emigrants. If you specifically want to carry out research on the origins of your ancestors, please send us an E-Mail. Tell the Lower Saxony Institute for the Research of Regional History the name and place of origin of your ancestors as accurately as possible. You will soon be informed whether documents relating to your ancestors are available and how more detailed research could be carried out. This first piece of information costs you nothing. You will be informed in detail about further costs.

And how can you find out more about the tracks?
This is where the Hanover students can help you further. They search for the relevant information in close cooperation with the State archives in Lower Saxony and give you an idea of how your ancestors used to live in Germany. And if you are really interested, the students can accompany you here locally, either during research in the archives or by showing you the area where the tracks lead to.

How much does this cost?
General
We guarantee to conduct research and all other services we offer correctly and in a professional manner. We employ solely graduates or students of history. All people who work for us are well acquainted with the use and interpretation of historical documents. Since the results of historical research are not predictable, we cannot guarantee a positive outcome of the research, i.e. a result which necessarily meets the client's wishes.

Catalogue of fees
To process the initial enquiry as to whether names of persons are to be found in the archive database, we charge a basic fee of 30,-- US $. For this amount we check the archive database for the name of the person looked for. In addition, we suggest if possible steps for further research and calculate the costs this would incur. If you commission us with further research on the basis of this initial enquiry, we will credit you with the basic fee you have already paid when charging the final fee.
More thorough research generally entails investing a comparatively large amount of time. Our fees are charged accordingly. For looking through files of records stored in the Niedersächsischen Hauptstaatsarchiv (Lower Saxony State Archives) or in other archives in the town of Hanover we charge 110 US $ for up to three files, 150 US $ for four to six files, 190 US $ for six to ten files.
The rates for all further research, especially in archives outside Hanover, are calculated according to the individual circumstances. The calculation basis is a daily rate of 210 US $ plus the reimbursement of expenses (travel expenses, archive fees etc.) For supervising interested persons locally we charge a basic fee of 110 US $ and for each hour or part thereof 15 US $ plus reimbursement of expenses.

Means of payment
We trust you will appreciate that we can only carry out commissions from new customers on a prepayment basis. You can pay by the following means:

1. Credit card (We accept Eurocard and Visa and require the following information: Name of the card holder, number and expiry date of the credit card. You can send us this information per eMail. If you are concerned about the security aspect, you can of course send us the information per letter, fax or telephone.),
   
2. via cheque,
   
3. transfer to our giro account:
   Stadtsparkasse Hannover, P.O. Box 145, D-30001 Hannover, Tel.: +49-511/346-0; Bank routing number: 250 501 80, Account no.: 261 467.

Who are your contacts?
Customer service:
Dr. Jürgen Rund from the Lower Saxony Institute for the Research of Regional History.
The Lower Saxony Institute for the Research of Regional History (Niedersächsischen Institut für Historische Regionalforschung e.V.) was founded at the beginning of 1998. The Institute has a number of academic members who have been involved in researching aspects of Lower Saxony's history for many years. Among them are university professors in the faculties of history and political science, archivists, museum curators, geographers, regional planners and freelance historians. One of the Institute's important tasks is customer service in regional history.

Academic supervision:
Professor Carl-Hans Hauptmeyer and private lecturer Dr. Karl-Heinz Schneider from the History Department of Hanover University.
Regional history is one of the main focuses of research and lecturing conducted at the History Department. It embraces a wide range of topics, such as medieval and early modern agricultural and town history, aspects of regional industrialization, media and cultural history, town history in the 20th century and important aspects of the history of National Socialism. Special features of regional history at Hanover University are not only the broad range of topics, but also the interdisciplinary work and the strong practical, professional bias. For twenty years we have been carrying out projects relating to regional history events in collaboration with regional museums, archives, adult education institutes and local authorities.

Where to contact us:
Customer service:
Martin Stöber, Director, Niedersächsisches Institut für Historische Regionalforschung e. V., Hansteinstraße 3, 30419 Hannover, Tel.: 0511/2 15 12 30, Fax: 0511/2 15 12 33, E-Mail: info@regionalforschung.de.

Academic supervision:
Prof. Dr. Carl-Hans Hauptmeyer and PD Dr. Karl Heinz Schneider, Historisches Seminar, Hanover University, Im Moore 21, 30167 Hannover, Tel.: 0511/762-42 01, Fax: 0511/762-44 79, E-Mail: hauptmeyer@hist-sem.uni-hannover.de and Karl-Heinz.Schneider@hist-sem.uni-hannover.de.