The German Interest Group of the Eastside Genealogical Society

When: Friday, January 5, 2024 from 12:30 to 2:30 pm PT

Zoom Registration required:  https://tinyurl.com/5en2nsy5      

Topic: The Best Websites for German Genealogy

Discover which are the best web sites for German genealogy and research!

Presenter:  Dan Jungclas

With 35 plus years of experience, Dan began his genealogical journey at the young age of 26. Dan, quite an accomplished speaker, is an International Speaker and has spoken for the International German Genealogy Partnership (IGGP). Dan’s expertise offers incredible insight through comprehensive exploration, research & preservation. Knowledgeable of more than just the basics of genealogy, Dan is familiar with vital records (birth, marriage, and death), census records, church records, land records, tax records, emigration records, immigration records, & naturalization records. Dan specializes in a number of areas related to but not limited to Germany, Germanic Areas, Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio; Northern Kentucky, Illinois, Michigan and other areas of the USA as well as the National Archives (NARA), the Great Lakes, the Midwest, the US Civil War, WWI, WWII and German Genealogy.

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

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

Zoom Registration required:  https://tinyurl.com/2kzh8yd2   

Topic: German Guilds and their Records: A possibility for filling gaps when church records are missing

In this lecture, we learn about the history, structure, and purpose of guilds.  Then, we look at some of the many record types that guilds created and how they can be of use to the researcher, especially when church records are missing and how these records can fill those gaps. Some discussion of occupations will also be given.

Presenter:  Fritz Juengling, Ph.D., AG^®

Doctor Juengling received his Master’s and Doctorate in Germanic Philology with minors in both English and Linguistics from the University of Minnesota. He is an Accredited Genealogist® for Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway, Denmark, and Sweden through ICAPGen, and certified by the Verband deutschsprachiger Berufsgenealogen. He is a German, Dutch, and Scandinavian Research Consultant at the FamilySearch Library.

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, October 6, 2023 from 12:30 to 2:30 pm PDT

Zoom Registration required: https://tinyurl.com/39jrfwve

Topic: The ABCs of the Old German Script

Starting from the beginning—the alphabet—dive into how to decipher individual letters of the old German script. Learn how to use that knowledge to decipher key genealogical terms, based on context and expected record content, to start you on your own road to discovering the hidden treasures in your German-language records.

Presenter:  Charlotte Noelle Champenois, AG®

Charlotte Noelle Champenois, AG®, originally from Allerød, Denmark, and a long-time resident of Utah, is accredited in Germany Northwest, Denmark, Sweden, and Austria and has a BA in genealogy from Brigham Young University. She is a German Research Specialist at the FamilySearch Library, where she helps guests with research and translation.

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

When: Friday, September 8, 2023 from 12:30 to 2:30 pm PDT

Note: This is the second Friday of the month

Zoom Registration required:  https://tinyurl.com/p323wpt4

Topic: “Wanting to travel to German archives? Hold up! Finesse and Know how Required!”

Come and learn how to:

–          Establish a prioritized research objective(s) list

–          Leverage online archival finding aids to maximize your research time in physical archives

–          Assess physical finding aids

–          Anticipate key record types, and what they are

–          Understand archival etiquette

–          Getting help with gathered data

Presenter:  Annette Unrau

As a native German from Hamburg, Annette takes immense interest in German genealogy, emigration, consulting others in discovering their heritage.  She is currently completing her final course in social media marketing to wrap up her BS in professional studies with an emphasis on family history from Brigham Young University Idaho. Annette worked as a German research consultant at the Family History Library, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Last summer Annette conducted extensive research in German archives, while completing her Germans from Russia Studies Certificate from Northern State University. She is working towards research hours for ICAPGen accreditation in the Germany Northwest Region.

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

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/