When: Friday, June 2^nd, 2023 from 12:30 to 2:30 pm PDT

Zoom Registration required:  https://tinyurl.com/bdeedzj9     

Topic: “Walking in the Footsteps of Your Ancestors”

Visiting places where your ancestors lived can be a once-in-a-lifetime experience that opens the door to better understanding your ancestors’ lives. Learn strategies for getting the most out of a visit to an ancestral town and making local contacts. We’ll also talk about genealogy research tips for identifying the place of origin for your ancestors.

Presenter:  Carolyn Schott

Carolyn has researched her German ancestors in Eastern Europe for 20+ years. She’s a founder of the Black Sea German Research Community, a former board member of the Germans from Russia Heritage Society, and author of the book, “Visiting Your Ancestral Town.”

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

When: Friday, May 5^th, 2023 from 12:30 to 2:30 pm PT

Zoom Registration required: https://tinyurl.com/3k3af4cb       

Topic: “19^th Century Germany”

The 19th century represents the period of greatest emigration out of Germany, and it is therefore a time of great interest for many German-American family historians. This talk will address, among other things, the topics of geography, politics, and religion in the context of how they affect the genealogist’s search for family information and how that information can be interpreted.

Presenter: Richard Haberstroh 

Mr. Haberstroh is an accredited genealogist who has been involved in German genealogical research in both the United States and Germany since 1984. A frequent genealogy lecturer, Richard has published a number of genealogical articles, including his family’s genealogy and short articles for the newsletter of the German Genealogy Group, of which he is a founding member. He is also the author of the book The German Churches of Metropolitan New York: A Research Guide, published by the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society. 

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

When: Friday, April 7, 2023 from 12:30 to 2:30 pm PT

Zoom Registration required: https://tinyurl.com/yck8upj6    

Topic: “Researching the Eastern European German Diaspora”

This presentation focuses on the populations of Germans in Eastern Europe which reached more than 18 million people scattered in former German communities. Their settlement area was roughly bounded by the Oder-Neisse River (West), the Ural Mountains (in the East), the Baltic Sea (in the North) to Turkey (in the South).  Major former German Provinces of Ostpreußen, Westpreußen, Schlesien, Pommern, Memelland, Litauen, Sudetenland will be included.

Presenter: Mark Rabideau

Mark Rabideau has more than 20 years’ experience researching genealogy. His website is ManyRoads, one the internet’s largest privately owned and managed repositories of Prussian genealogy source information (biased towards West Prussia, East Prussia, and Pomerania). The archives include maps, source documents, histories, guidance, and photographs. He has created and maintains one of the internet’s most robust Prussian (Germany, Poland, and Shoah) research support pages. He is the author of hundreds of genealogy articles. More is available online at ManyRoads (https://www.many-roads.com/ )

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

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

When: Friday, March 3, 2023 from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm PT  (2 hours earlier)

Zoom Registration required: https://tinyurl.com/2trmcmbd   

Topic: “Introduction to CompGen Website and Databases”

Dr. Georg Fertig, Chairman of The Computer Genealogy Society (CompGen), will join us at 10:30 AM, PT, from Germany, to give us an introduction to the organization’s website. He will describe the databases available, and show how to use them – in English, of course.

Presenter: Dr. Georg Fertig

Dr. Georg Fertig is a professor of economic and social history at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg in Halle (Saale), Germany. In addition, he is involved in several historical and genealogical groups including serving as chairman of the Working Group on Historical Demography and chairman of The Computer Genealogy Society (CompGen). His most recent book, co-edited with Sandro Guzzi-Heeb, on “Genealogien”, includes contributions in German and English and is available at https://journals.univie.ac.at/index.php/rhy/issue/view/602/203/ .

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

The German Interest Group

of The Eastside Genealogical Society (EGS)meeting

When: Friday, February 3, 2023 from 12:30 to 2:30 pm PT

Zoom Registration required: https://tinyurl.com/2s4azks3

Topic: “How to get Research Help at FamilySearch.org – with emphasis on Germanic research

Come discover what free research help is available at FamilySearch.org. This class will demonstrate how to access and use several FamilySearch resources designed to help you work through your genealogical challenges. Regardless of your research experience or ability, these resources can help you break through the brick walls found in every family tree.

Presenter: Becky Adamson

Becky graduated from BYU-Idaho with an AAS degree in Family History. She is currently enrolled at Strathclyde University, where she has earned her Certificate in Genealogical, Paleographic & Heraldic Studies and is pursuing her Diploma and Masters in the same field of study. She has a passion for United States and British research and is accredited through the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists (ICAPGen®) in Scotland research. She is currently working towards her accreditation in the Upper South, United States region. Becky is a Research Specialist on the VIP Hosting and Research Services team at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

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

The German Interest Group

of The Eastside GenealogicalSociety (EGS)meeting

When: Friday, January 6, 2023 from 12:30 to 2:30 pm PT

Zoom Registration required: https://tinyurl.com/w4xnrtw7

Topic: “Start the New Year Right – get organized by letting software do the work.”

Is your genealogy research organized and easy to manage? If you’re like most of us, you could use some help getting this done. Several EGS-GIG members will demo free software that can help turn your piles and files into easily stored and retrievable data. Learn great ways to track everything from citations to collections, research management to photo organizing and many other useful tools.

Presenters: The presenters will include Leslee Dunlap, Wilson Royer and Melinda McRae. All are active genealogists and love finding new computer tools to assist their work.

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

When: Friday, December 2, 2022 from 12:30 to 2:30 pm PT

Zoom Registration required: https://tinyurl.com/4ywscar2

Topic: “Beyond the Nutcracker: German Christmas Traditions“

The decorated tree, the song “Silent Night,” the story of The Nutcracker and more are contributions to Christmas in the U.S. by German immigrants of the 18th and 19th centuries. Other vibrant, lovely traditions have been lost in translation but continue in Germany today. Talk includes a handout with recipes, links to music, history and more.

Speaker: Claire Gebben

She is the author of the award-winning memoir How We Survive Here: Families Across Time (2018) about the discovery of old letters in an attic in Germany written by her ancestors, letters that propel her on a transatlantic quest to learn the truth and write about their lives. Her historical novel The Last of the Blacksmiths (2014) is based on the true story of German Michael Harm, who immigrates to America in 1857 to apprentice as a blacksmith and pursue the American dream. Ms. Gebben gives presentations on genealogy, history, and writing at numerous venues. Her articles on German genealogy and history appear in the Seattle Genealogical Society Newsletter, Northwest Prime Time, German Life magazine and elsewhere. More at http://clairegebben.com

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

We will require registration for each meeting. If you prefer using the long URL for Registration rather than the short one above, it’s  https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMsfu-trj0vG9NNobUkwXRvDei-wujsWHY-   

When: Friday, October 7, 2022 from 12:30 to 2:30 pm PDT (Virtually)

Registration required: https://tinyurl.com/ye262t7k  

Topic: “Discovering German Church Records at Matricula Online”

Obtaining German church records can be challenging unless you know where to find them. Discover the abundance of these Catholic records at Matricula Online. This lecture will show you how to effectively use the Matricula Online website for locating German Church records.

Presenter:  Dana Palmer, CG^®, CGL^(SM)

Dana specializes in lineage society applications, publishing family books, and Midwestern research – specifically Ohio. In addition to her client work, she reviews military repatriation cases, and is part of the Mayflower Silver Books team.

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