The Heart of the Taufschein offers the first in-depth interpretive history of the Taufschein (birth and baptism certificate), the most numerous and, to many because of its genealogical value, the most important type of fraktur. Berks County arguably became the center of Taufschein production in North America. Thanks to an understudied Lutheran minister named Daniel Schumacher, Berks County families were among the first to have these certificates made for their children. This volume underscores Berks County's unique role in the development, distribution, and popularity of these stunningly decorated certificates. By the last decades of the eighteenth and through the nineteenth centuries, Berks County hosted a unique blend of fraktur artists, scriveners, and printers who responded to the cultural appetite of the local Pennsylvania German community, comprised primarily of church people. In this volume the Earnests, the leading authorities on fraktur, trace the development of the Taufschein beyond Berks County into southeastern Pennsylvania and colonial America as the surge in demand for these works of art on paper followed the successful outcome of the American Revolution. The authors follow the history and expansions of the market from the eighteenth to the twentieth century. Two hundred magnificent, full-color illustrations demonstrate how major fraktur artists and scriveners, some previously unknown, worked and distributed the Taufschein within the beyond Berks County, Pennsylvania. Maps, notes, selected references, and indexes enhance the volume's usefulness. Appendices feature fraktur artists, scriveners, and printers who routinely helped Taufscheine for Berks County families; and English translations appear for all German documents. 

Corinne Earnest received her undergraduate degree from Oregon College of Education and her Masters from the Sonoma State University in California. Having a keen interest in family history and Pennsylvania-German fraktur, Corinne has lectured at numerous genealogy and historical conferences throughout the U.S.

In addition, Corinne has published hundreds of articles and numerous books about fraktur as well as other subjects. She currently writes regular columns regarding the genealogy data from fraktur for Der Kurier, the quarterly publication of the Mid-Atlantic Germanic Society, and for Penn Pal, the quarterly newsletter of the Pennsylvania Chapter of Palatines to America.

Russell Earnest served in the U.S. Navy after which he received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Oregon State University. His professional career was with the U.S. Department of the Interior. He authored and co-authored numerous scientific and technical papers, presented testimony before Congress, and helped develop environmental policy for Republican and Democratic administrations.

In addition to co-authoring books about fraktur, the Earnests served as guest curators for a fraktur exhibit at the Heritage Center of Lancaster County in Lancaster, Pennsylvania (1997). In 1999, the Earnests were awarded for their work on fraktur by the Pennsylvania German Society.

The Earnests have developed the largest fraktur reference library in existence, plus the most comprehensive surname indexes to genealogical data found on fraktur. In the course of their research, the Earnests have recorded over 30,000 fraktur and Pennsylvania-German Bible records in public and private collection.