The German Interest Group of The Eastside Genealogical Society (EGS)meeting

When: Friday, November 6, 2020 from 12:30 to 2:30 pm – Virtually

Topic: Heraldry in a Nutshell or Two: How a Coat of Arms came to be. What is heraldry and how does it relate to genealogy? Learn about the history of heraldry and what constitutes a Coat of Arms, its components and who can bear one.  

Presenter:  Gail Spangenberg-Parrish

A native of Pretoria, South Africa, Gail first learned of heraldry at the Bureau of Heraldry in Pretoria where she worked as an artist. Her knowledge of Coats of Arms was minimal but she soon learned and found the entire process fascinating. Gail has executed numerous Coats of Arms for various groups or private individuals both in the US and abroad. Some of her work is on display in South Africa, in both Western and Eastern Washington, California, Massachusetts, Washington DC, Germany and Thailand.

More information: https://egsgermangroup.wordpress.com/ 

Visitors are always welcome. To request an invitation, please use the Contact tab on our website, no later than November 1^st.  

The German Interest Group of The Eastside Genealogical Society (EGS) meeting

When: Friday, October 2, 2020 from 12:30 to 2:30 pm – Virtually

Topic: Explore the Rhineland-Palatinate

The wine-making Rheinland-Pfalz, or Rhineland-Palatinate, in southwest Germany is rich in history, museums, local festivals, and wine tours. It is also the area from which a large number of Germans emigrated in the 18^th and 19^th centuries.

Speaker: Claire Gebben

Claire, author of the historical novel The Last of the Blacksmiths and the memoir How We Survive Here, shares an overview of some of the most intriguing aspects of the region’s history for genealogists, as well as points of interest in the Palatinate today for those who enjoy learning more about other cultures, places, and times.

More information: https://egsgermangroup.wordpress.com/ 

Visitors are always welcome. To request an invitation, please use the Contact tab on our website, no later than September 30^th. 

The German Interest Group

of The Eastside GenealogicalSociety (EGS)meeting

When: Friday, September 4, 2020 from 12:30 to 2:30 pm – Virtually

Topic: Crossing the Atlantic – Tie your family’s emigration story to the evolution of traveling by sea. Crossing the Atlantic will review the history of maritime traffic from Europe to the New World, including how these movements took place, how the changes in vessel types and various tools improved ocean movement, review the evolution of passenger carriage, then overlay all of this with the significant waves of German Emigration. 

Speaker: Ken Passé – He began his genealogical research in the mid-1990s and was able to make reasonable progress by the time his wife, mother-in-law and he made a combined tourist/family history trip to Germany and Poland in 1999. He has been fortunate to have made one more tourist trip and two combined business/tourist trips to Germany. Ken’s career was in the maritime industry, so ships have always held a certain fascination for him. He is just ¼ German but continues to pursue that line because it is the most interesting connection for him. 

More information: https://egsgermangroup.wordpress.com/

Visitors are always welcome. If you wish to join us, please use the Contact tab on our website, no later than noon on Sept 2nd, to request an invitation. 

The German Interest Group of The Eastside GenealogicalSociety (EGS)meeting

When: Friday, March 6, 2020 from 12:30 to 2:30 pm

(Doors open at 12:10 pm for networking)

Where:  Relief Society Room of the Latter-day Saints Church

             10675 NE 20^th St, Bellevue, WA 98004.     

Topic: “Friedrich Christian Eiler: Scoundrel, Bigamist and More” – Not all our ancestors are fine upstanding citizens, but Friedrich challenged all parameters of exemplary citizenship. But, who was Friedrich Eiler? The ability to combine fragments of identity to form a single individual is an important skill. This case study illustrates the techniques used to identify the unknown! 

Presenter:  Jill Morelli, cg^® lectures about her Midwestern, northern German and Scandinavian ancestors nationwide with a focus on intermediate and advanced methodologies, and unique records sets. After obtaining her credential as a Certified Genealogist, she began an online course sharing her experiences and demystifying the process of certification to all who are interested in going “on the clock.” She is presently the president of the Seattle Genealogical Society and a member of many others.

Visitors are always welcome.  More information: https://egsgermangroup.wordpress.com/  .  

The German Interest Group

of The Eastside GenealogicalSociety (EGS)meeting

When: Friday, February 7, 2020 from 12:30 to 2:30 pm

(Doors open at 12:10 for networking)

Where: Relief Society Room of the Latter-day Saints Church

10675 NE 20^th St, Bellevue, WA 98004

Topic: “More German Church and Civil Record Tips” – This presentation will enhance our prior programs with additional tips for 1) locating the German records in the United States and elsewhere, 2) reading the old German handwriting in those records and 3) translating the German words into English.

Presenter:  Dorothy Pretare started collecting family history in 1995 and is active in 2 local genealogical societies, leader of the EGS German Interest Group and a member of 3 societies in Minnesota.  In 2008, she visited her ancestral villages in old East Germany and present-day Poland.

More information: https://egsgermangroup.wordpress.com/ . Visitors are always welcome.

The German Interest Group

of The Eastside Genealogical Society (EGS)meeting

When: Friday, January 3, 2020 from 12:30 to 2:30 pm

(Doors open at 12:10 for networking)

Where: Relief Society Room of the Latter-day Saints Church

10675 NE 20^th St, Bellevue, WA 98004

Topic: “German Immigration Patterns Prior to the Revolutionary War” – There were 3 waves of German immigrants to America prior to the Revolutionary war.  He will emphasize the 3^rd wave of immigrants, those coming from 1717 to 1775. It’ll include where they came from and why plus where they went.  He will also cover why most did not come to America but went to Eastern Europe.  Much of his material is drawn from Hopeful Journeys, German Immigration, Settlement and Political Culture in Colonial America from the late 1600’s to the start of the Revolutionary war.

Presenter:  Bill Frisinger – His ancestor Ludwig Friderich Freysinger immigrated to Philadelphia in 1754.  The ship and where most of its immigrants came from are well documented but no one has any documentation of where in Europe he came from although most “know” where.  It is just that they are almost certainly wrong.  It is this puzzle that drew him into genealogy.  Later when he received a copy of a journal passed down on his maternal side, he began a more formal study of his ancestors.

More information: https://egsgermangroup.wordpress.com/ . Visitors are always welcome.

The German Interest Group of The Eastside Genealogical Society (EGS) meeting

When: Friday, November 1, 2019, from 12:30 to 2:30 pm

(Doors open at 12:10 pm for networking)

Where:  Relief Society Room of the Latter-day Saints Church

             10675 NE 20^th St, Bellevue, WA 98004.     

Topic: “Alsace Emigrations and Records” – A number of factors compelled emigrations not only from Alsace but also Lorraine, the Rhineland and Southwest Germany during the 18th and 19th centuries. Where did they go and why? This presentation will discuss those factors, however, the primary focus will be on Alsace and the records available.

Presenter: Melanie Matway became interested in genealogy as a teen asking her grandfather questions about family history when he spent a winter at their home in Southern California. Her interest renewed when she learned that church records for his family and other European ancestors had finally been microfilmed. In the last 10 years, Melanie has become the family genealogist and enjoys sharing what she has learned with other interested family members.

Visitors are always welcome.  More information: https://egsgermangroup.wordpress.com/  .  

The German Interest Group

of The Eastside GenealogicalSociety (EGS)meeting

When: Friday, October 4, 2019, from 12:30 to 2:30 pm

(Doors open at 12:10 for networking)

Where: Relief Society Room of the Latter-day Saints Church

10675 NE 20^th St, Bellevue, WA 98004

Topic: “Professional Time-Saving Research Tips” – Most of us have limited time and limited money. Saving time in working with records provides more time for research and reading. To save time, consider the tools we use, e.g. keyboard short-cuts and smart phone scanners. Consider our approach to research, to include going online before going off-line, keeping a research diary/journal as we research. Consider how to stay organized by building research lists and timelines. Learn a few of my professional time-savers that don’t cut corners.

Presenter: Janet Camarata is a genealogist with over 30 years’ experience. She currently leads the SKCGS Technology User Group and the SKCGS Genetic Genealogy/DNA Discussion Group and is a member of EGS, SKCGS as Director of Education, KCGS as newsletter editor and SVGS and presenter at the Northwest Genealogical Conference. She is currently a member of the GIG German Interest Group program committee. Janet is a graduate of the University of Washington Genealogy and Family History program.  She has a B.A. (Education) degree from Central Washington University and a master’s degree from Antioch University. 

German Interest Group URL

The German Interest Group of The Eastside Genealogical Society (EGS) meeting



When: Friday, September 6, 2019, from 12:30 to 2:30 pm

(Doors open at 12:15 pm for networking)



Where:  Primary Room of the Latter-day Saints Church

             10675 NE 20th St, Bellevue, WA 98004.


Topic: Genealogical Benefits of Facebook – Facebook can provide expertise, knowledge, and genealogical assistance on many facets to support your research. We will explore those benefits and demonstrate how to find the right pages or groups for your specific area of interest, and how to effectively access and search within groups, pages and your saved posts. Many of the examples address researching Germans from Russia.

Presenter: Marilyn Mullins Schunke – As a graduate of University of Washington’s Genealogy & Family History Certificate Program, Marilyn volunteered at Heritage Quest Research Library as a Board member, Education Coordinator and Volunteer Librarian. Technology is her forte and she presented Windows 10 and Digital Organization classes. She is a member of several local, state and national genealogy organizations. Marilyn will be presenting this same program at Concordia University’s Center for Volga German Studies in November.

Visitors are always welcome at our meetings. For more information about our Group, kindly visit our website at https://egsgermangroup.wordpress.com/  .