In Germany, an Ortsfamilienbuch (town family book) contains birth, marriage, and death information about every person living in a specific area in a specific town. This information is helpfully arranged by family!
Finding your family's local Ortsfamilienbuch will provide you with valuable information. Family data is generally pulled from parish registers, civil registrations, court and land records.
To find an Ortsfamilienbuch, you need to know your ancestors' town of origin. Once you know where the family lived, search for the town on GenWiki (a German genealogy site) to find a bibliography of Ortsfamilienbuch for that town or region. The FamilySearch Wiki can also help you locate the books.
