Accuracy of Segschneider "Familien" book
I was getting frustrated in not being able to see original sources I spent a lot of time and money (cheaper than a 16 hour road trip to SLC Family Search Library) to purchase the following book from Germany.
Segschneider, Josef; Die Familien aus Badorf, Eckdorf, Geildorf und Pingsdorf, 1625-1875; ISBN 3865790062
Salt Lake has it at: Family History Call Number 943 B4do ser. A v.363
Because I can hold, and see, the data I find myself trusting this book more than the often-screwy Name Extraction or other data in the FamilySearch tree.
Have you "experts" found this book to be accurate? Have you identified any known errors?
Thank you
Best Answer
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@Marshall Noker Answer researched using Co-pilot
Segschneider’s Die Familien aus Badorf, Eckdorf, Geildorf und Pingsdorf 1625–1875 is widely regarded as a serious, archive‑based Ortsfamilienbuch (OFB) with a strong reputation for accuracy. No published list of systematic errors appears in any of the major German genealogical reference sites, and the book is treated as a reliable secondary compilation. However, like all OFBs, it contains occasional mis‑assignments and unavoidable ambiguities, especially where the original parish registers were damaged or unclear.
A contemporary article describes how Segschneider spent 21 days in the Landesarchiv transcribing the 1625 Badorf Kirchenbuch and spent four years assembling the data. Badorf, OFB – GenWiki. This is unusually rigorous for a privately compiled OFB and strongly supports the book’s reliability.
But is it perfect? No OFB ever is — and Segschneider is honest about that. Typical limitations (not “errors”):
- ambiguous parentage when registers are damaged
- same‑name individuals in small villages
- gaps in early 1600s records
- widows remarried under different surnames
- occasional mis‑linked children in large families
The book marks many of these uncertainties in its own registers, which is exactly what a responsible compiler does.
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Answers
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Good evening. I can't speak specifically to the accuracy of Die Familien aus Badorf, Eckdorf, Geildorf und Pingsdorf, 1625-1875.
You might get more informed responses by asking your question in the Germany Research Group.
https://community.familysearch.org/en/group/88-germany-researchAny time a record is copied, extracted, or transcribed, the possibility of error increases, even with the most careful compiler.
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Hello @Marshall Noker,
While I am not familiar with this specific family lineage book by Josef Segschneider, in general family lineage books, also known as Ortssippenbüchen, compiled for a specific village or parish, are usually quite accurate. I often use them when the original records are not available. Of course, these are secondary sources and need to be cited as such, and as @Áine.ní.Donnghaile pointed out they are susceptible to some errors. Also, if the original records eventually become available, I would confirm the information from the Ortsippenuch and cite the original record rather than the secondary source.
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