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

When: Friday, December 3^rd, 2021 from 12:30 to 2:30 pm PT– Virtually

Put on your favorite festive gear and meet in Zoom for some holiday fun and genealogy sharing.  Melinda McRae will present a short feature on the Origins and Development of German Christmas Decorations. Afterwards, anyone can share about Germanic traditions for the holidays and maybe some recipes. If time permits, the topic may change to genealogy goals and plans for the upcoming year. Let’s share and support each other during our adventures!

Melinda McRae is the grand-daughter of 3 German immigrants (and one American- born Scot) and has been delving into her family history for decades. Currently, she is double-checking all her Stolz family research with the on-line church books on Archion – finding some errors and a lot of new people as well. She has an MA in European history with a focus on Germany.

More information: https://egsgermangroup.wordpress.com/  Visitors are always welcome and may request an invitation by using the Contact tab on our website, no later than 2 days prior to the meeting.

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

When: Friday, November 5, 2021 from 12:30 to 2:30 pm PDT– Virtually

Topic: “Learning about my Oswald and Rendtorff Ancestors”

Janice will highlight the discoveries in her journey while researching the German branch of her family tree — New and surprising family stories, helpful research finds, historical context, gratifying contacts with others, joy of finding cousins, useful DNA finds, and a quick virtual trip to Gimbsheim, Germany will be included. She is excited to share the joy she has had finding these family stories and collaborating with others.

Presenter: Janice Leitzke

Janice’s love of family history began when her children started school, and she began recording their history in scrapbooks.  About the same time, her father wrote a book of his family history.  The two interests combined and she became involved in researching and recording her family’s genealogy. She was delighted to uncover information about her mother’s unknown early American roots as well as more details about her father’s German roots. She gets particularly excited learning about connections between family and historical events, and discovering new cousins. When Janice is not researching genealogy, she loves to travel, sew and read.

More information: https://egsgermangroup.wordpress.com/  Visitors are always welcome and may request an invitation by using the Contact tab on our website, no later than 2 days prior to the meeting.

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

When: Friday, June 4, 2021 from 12:30 to 2:30 pm PDT – Virtually

Topic: “Finding my 19th Century Immigrants from Germanic Europe”   

Shares the successful conclusion to a 20-year search for the town of origin of a 19th century immigrant ancestor from Germanic Europe. The presenter also reviews the successful conclusions for three additional 19th century immigrants from Germanic Europe, how those successes were achieved, and the research tools & methods used. Researchers are encouraged to modify and adapt these tools and methods to best suit their own endeavors.   

Presenter: David S. Raese  

Growing up, my grandmother often recalled stories told to her by her grandparents, all four of whom were immigrants from Germanic Europe. However, many decades later when I began asking about them and traveling to Germany myself as an exchange student, she did not know the names of the towns where her grandparents were from, and did not know any names of her great-grandparents. Not a single one. Shortly before 2000, I began researching their origins in the records. Researching actual records is entirely different than solely relying upon family stories. It was an eye-opening experience. I quickly learned, and managed to locate the towns of origin for three out of four of her grandparents. The fourth grandparent was successfully found this year, just a few weeks ago. This is my story. 

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 2 days prior to our meeting.

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

When: Friday, May 7, 2021 from 12:30 to 2:30 pm PDT – Virtually

Topic: “From Pikeman to Pennsylvanian: Swiss Ancestral Origins”

Investigating “Pennsylvania Dutch” origins can turn up fascinating stories. Claire Gebben’s maternal great grandmother, Annie Elizabeth Salome Line Lindsey, was a fifth generation descendant of Swiss emigrants Henry Carpenter / Zimmerman (1673-1750) and Maria Salome Rufener (1675-1743), both from the Canton of Bern in the Central Alps region of present-day Switzerland. Evidence of their story was at first conflicting and scanty at best, but a deeper dive uncovered an unexpected bounty of family history and the Swiss German legacy. In this presentation Claire shares often-untapped resources and glimpses of the adventurous lives and times of some of the earliest Swiss settlers to William Penn’s Pennsylvania province.

 Presenter: Claire Gebben is the author of an award-winning memoir How We Survive Here (2018) about the discovery of old letters in an attic in Germany written by Claire’s ancestors that propelled her on a transatlantic quest to learn the truth about their lives. Her novel The Last of the Blacksmiths (2014) is based on the true story of a 19th-century German immigrant blacksmith Michael Harm who pursues the American dream. Claire ‘s articles about family history appear in publications such as the Seattle Genealogical Society Newsletter, Northwest Prime Time, the Fiske Genealogical Society Newsletter, and German Life magazine. She holds an MFA and speaks on genealogy topics at numerous venues. More at http://clairegebben.com

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 2 days prior to our meeting.

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

When: Friday, March 5, 2020 from 12:30 to 2:30 pm PT – Virtually

Topic: “Connect Your Family:  Useful Research Strategies”

Do you have a broken branch or stump in your family tree?  Come learn some useful research strategies to find your brick wall ancestors.

Presenter: Dana Palmer, CG^®, CGL^(SM) has been a genealogy instructor since 2010 and has spoken at many genealogy events and conferences. She specializes in Midwestern research and has experience in Germany, Denmark, and the U.K.  She loves problem solving and tracking down those elusive ancestors. 

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 2 days prior to our meeting. 

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

When: Friday, February 5, 2020 from 12:30 to 2:30 pm PT – Virtually

Topic: “What’s in a Name: Going from Iowa back to Saxony”

How does someone locate an ancestral village when the original surname has evolved over time? Follow a near beginner as she builds upon clues discovered in ordinary documents and learn how taking some simple actions can be helpful in your family research.        

Presenter: Beth Snyder is a Seattle native who had little interest in genealogy until about 5 years ago when she took a Telos class with Bob Barnes and got the bug. Beth knew little about her father’s side but had come across his baptismal certificate. It was in German and it started her on a path to discover that side of her paternal ancestry. 

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 2 days prior to our meeting.