The Immigrant Genealogical Society and the German Interest Group of the Southern California Genealogical Society (both located in Burbank) will together host as speaker and “Brick Wall” consultant Mr. Weissleder from Laatzen, Germany. He is the national chairman of the DAGV, the German equivalent of our Federation of Genealogical Societies. But to many German researchers here in America he is known for being a founding partner and now 2nd vice president of the International German Genealogy Partnership (IGGP).
To promote cooperation between our two groups of German researchers, and help individual researchers understand and appreciate the potential of a global partnership in our area of German research, he is presenting two lectures on the afternoon of the GIG’s regular monthly meeting, starting at 1 pm at the SCGS Library, 417 Irving Drive, Burbank.
The first of these is: The Pribislaw – A vehicle through stormy times, or what a sailing ship can tell. A sailing ship is not just pieces of wood, it is a vehicle through time and from continent to continent. The Mecklenburg barque Pribislaw (named after the first Wendish duke, d. 1178) was built at the shipyard of Hanns Ludwig Miebrodt at Ribnitz and was launched in October 1847. The Pribislaw anchored at more than 65 harbors on five continents. It made three long voyages from Hamburg with more than 560 German emigrants, mostly from Mecklenburg: 1849/50 to Australia, 1851 and 1853/54 to the USA. After 1854 she was used as a freight carrier and, following severe damage in the Scottish Shetland Islands in February 1870, the Pribislaw was taken out of service and used as a storage hulk. This ship’s story will help you understand what emigrants went through, both at sea and arriving at new shores. Learn how it is now possible by today’s means to reconstruct historic situations present in the mid-19th c. Most importantly, discover how projects that help both you and others will open doors to new dimensions in your genealogical research. Genealogy is about connecting people!
The second lecture is: Sources and Structures for Successful Genealogical Research in Germany. Doing genealogical research in Germany is different from other countries. The historical background and the local development are very complex. This lecture will address the best on-line German research sites from the German perspective. It will describe records that go beyond Birth/Marriage/Death, such as census records (a growing interest in the past year!), and tell you what survives and how it may be accessed. Also of interest to many will be a discussion of the important boundary changes of the 19th and 20th centuries, and how they are important to research. From this lecture you will receive a brief but thorough overview of successful genealogical research in Germany today.
Attendance at these lectures is free, but there will be a donations jar available for those who wish to show their support. Proceeds will be split equally between the two Burbank organizations, and the IGS portion may be used to buy a recommended book. Also of note, Mr. Weissleder will provide 20-minute consultations at our IGS Library from 10 am until Noon — first-come, first-served — except for two time slots that have already been reserved. There is a $20 donation asked for these consultations, and again the proceeds will be shared equally between IGS and SCGS-GIG.
One more thing, for our IGS members…. Mr. Weissleder was just honored at our November 2018 Annual Meeting and subsequent meeting of the new Board of Directors in being named an Honorary Member of the Board. You will want to meet him if you have not done so in his previous visits. He is a board member as well of the prestigeous Confédération Internationale de Généalogie et d’Héraldique (CIGH) and of the Académie Internationale de Généalogie (AIG). We welcome his support!
