need help

[Rainne]

im not sure where to turn to maybe some can help me. im doing my brotherinlaw family. he would like to know a bit more but his father doesnt want to relive the past which i understand. he was born in austria and of german decent. his father and mother are still alive but i cant get any farther. can anyone direct me

[Joby86]

Sounds like a tricky one I'm afraid. I am far from knowledgeable on this subject however, I am of the opinion that without the blessings of living relatives, your hands are proverably tied plus it appears that you will have limited cooperation but I truly hope that you can find out what you desire from one family researcher to another

[Jackiemh]

An awkward situation.
Could you do a search with just the surname with rough dates and see what it shows?
Jackie

[Ashtone]

Can't help but feel that without the father's cooperation you won't get very far. But if he changes his mind, this is a helpful guide for beginners: https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Austria_Genealogy

FYI: Austria has no central register where you can find persons by name.

https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Austria_Beginners_Corner_Finding_Your_Ancestor_in_the_Records

https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Austria_Civil_Registration

[CaroleW]

Did his parents marry in England?  If so - a copy of the marriage cert will give you his fathers name (your brother in laws grandfather)

You may be able to use that info to get more info but no guarantees

[melba_schmelba]

im not sure where to turn to maybe some can help me. im doing my brotherinlaw family. he would like to know a bit more but his father doesnt want to relive the past which i understand. he was born in austria and of german decent. his father and mother are still alive but i cant get any farther. can anyone direct me

Has the brother in law done a DNA test? Ancestry DNA kits are available to Germany through Ancestry's own Ancestry.de website and also to Austria through Amazon so probably you do have some Austrians who have tested, but you'd probably find most matches through American or Canadian relatives.

[J.R.Ellam]

Does your brother in law have any aunts or uncles, they might be more willing to help.

John

[Rainne]

unfortualy no i ran into a road block

[Footo]

Were they possibly persecuted during the war?

https://arolsen-archives.org/en/search-explore/

Or Ancestry link

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/61758/