European Holocaust Research Infrastructure (EHRI) for Genealogists

Uncovering the stories of Holocaust survivors and victims can be challenging as records created during World War II are scattered across the world. The European Holocaust Research Infrastructure (EHRI) was begun in 2010 as an information repository for Holocaust-related material held in large and small archives, libraries and museums. While created primarily for academic researchers, genealogists can use this freely available tool to unearth buried family stories. The EHRI Portal offers access to the catalogs of over 2000 repositories in 66 countries worldwide.

This presentation will demonstrate the power of EHRI for family history research using a case study of the Horn family from Euskirchen, Germany. Each family member had a different Holocaust experience. By weaving historical information discovered through EHRI with personal information uncovered through typical genealogy repositories, a more complete picture of each person’s journey was able to be constructed. Telling the Horn family’s stories required pursuing records from eight archives in five countries and in five languages. Record types used included train timetables, health statistics, maps, an unpublished manuscript, and a refugee application, including photographs. Tips will be provided on how to search, filter, and interpret the descriptive data provided by the portal’s interface.