findmypast is allowing guests to search Irish records for free, between today and St. Patrick’s Day. So if you’re a wee bit Irish, don’t wait around! And be sure to search all the way down their homepage to see what’s available.
Thanks to UpFront with NGS for the tip….
Yes, fourteen members of the Immigrant Genealogical Society &/or the IGS Pommern group will be attending the International Germanic Genealogy Conference in Minnesota in July 2017 — along with one spouse. But most of us have multiple memberships in partner organizations, so it took a little sleuthing to come up with the current number of attendees. Here’s a breakdown by principal genealogical partner organization:
IGS — 5 (plus the spouse); our IGS Pommern group — 4; the host society, GGS — 3; and the San Diego Gen. Soc. German Interest Group — 2.
And here’s the breakdown by state: California, 9+1; Arizona, 1; Minnesota, 1; Nevada, 1; Pennsylvania, 1; Virginia, 1. Of course more are welcome!! Visit the IGGP website for information….
Liz Shaw, Publicity representative and Facebook administrator for the Sacramento German Genealogy Society (SGGS), wishes to extend an invitation to all IGS members to attend their upcoming seminar. The seminar will be held at Fair Oaks Presbyterian Church, and features Michael Lacopo, DVM a veternarian who retired in 2013 to become a professional genealogy researcher and has 30+ years experience in genealogical research. He will present two lectures on “Using DNA to Further Your Family Tree” and two lectures on “Overcoming Brick Walls in German-American Research.” He is a knowledgable and engaging speaker. SGGS members have enjoyed his quick wit and willingness to answer their questions. His science training makes him especially qualified to discuss and explain DNA testing and its use in genealogy research.
Brochures for this event will be available at the IGS researcher “Stammtisch” we’re holding this coming Sunday, beginning at 1 pm. Or, just visit the SGGS website and click on “Spring Seminar.” Here you’ll find cost and optional lunch details, and a map to the location. Registration is by PayPal or mail-in form (but registration should be received by April 1st to avoid late registration pricing). And, be aware that space is limited, and that registration may close if the event is as popular as in past years!! Special questions or concerns? Just email Liz or call her at 916.337.1830.
The following is a news release from Laura W. Carter, MEd, MLIS, SLIS. She is the Director of the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research, hosted by the Georgia Genealogical Society. Questions may be directed to her at IGHR Publicity….
F. Warren Bittner, a renowned expert on German genealogical research, will be teaching Intermediate German Genealogy at the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR), July 23 – 28, 2017, in Athens, Georgia at the University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education & Hotel. You can view the daily schedule for this course on the IGHR website http://ighr.gagensociety.org/ighr-2017/courses/intermediate-german-genealogy.
The Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR) provides an educational forum for the discovery, critical evaluation, and use of genealogical sources and methodology through a week of intensive study led by nationally renowned genealogical educators. Students choose one course that lasts throughout the week.
Intermediate German Genealogy is targeted for students “who have dabbled enough in German research to be confused by localities and challenged by the difficult handwriting.” One main goal of this class is to teach students to use the gazetteers and finding aids needed to identify places in Germany, and a full day will be spent teaching students to read Gothic German Script. Additional topics include an overview of German History 800 to 1989, German church records, marriage customs and records, feudal records, military records, websites, published sources, and Ortsfamilienbücher. This week-long course is open to anyone interested in German research. Some previous German research experience is helpful, but not required.
Warren Bittner is a genealogical researcher and lecturer. He holds a Master of Science degree in history from Utah State University. He was a winner of the National Genealogical Society 2011 Writing Contest, with his article “Without Land, Occupation, Rights, or Marriage Privilege: The Büttner Family from Bavaria to New York.” This article was also awarded the National Genealogical Society, Award for Excellence, 2012 which is presented annually for an outstanding article published in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly. He has coordinated German research tracks at the Samford Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR) in Birmingham, Alabama, the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG), and the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh (GRIP). For six years Warren Bittner was the German Collection Manager for the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. He has researched in more than fifty German archives and in more than forty U.S. archives and record repositories.
In addition to excellent courses and opportunities to network with fellow genealogists, IGHR attendees benefit from access to the world-class libraries of the University of Georgia including the law library and special collections libraries. Researchers may also enjoy making the short drive to Morrow, GA to visit the National Archives at Atlanta (NARA’s southeast region facility) and the Georgia Archives. For more information about the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research, now hosted by the Georgia Genealogical Society, please visit our website ighr.gagensociety.org and follow us on social media.
The full arrangements are still to be made. But the Immigrant Genealogical Society is proud to announce that it will hold an all-day workshop featuring Fritz Juengling, Ph.D., AG®. This IGS workshop will be held on Saturday, June 24, 2017 at the Los Angeles FamilySearch Library. They have a classroom that will accommodate the audience we hope to attract. The workshop will have four lectures, two in the morning and two in the afternoon, as follows:
You’ll want to reserve this date on your calendar NOW, while you’re thinking about it!!
The March newsletter will arrive late this month. There has been simply too much going on for it to be produced according to the regular schedule.
And, while we’re at it, that schedule now will be that the monthly newsletter will appear on the third Wednesday of each month unless announced otherwise. That would be today, if the schedule could be followed….
The Jewish Gen. Soc. of L.A. sent an email this morning (!) about the program they’re hosting tonight at American Jewish University’s Sperber Library at 7:30 p.m. The title of the talk is: “Why Did My Father Know His Grandfather Had An Uncle Selig?” and the speaker is Israel Pickholtz. Members attend free; guests pay $5 to attend. Here’s the official description…
More than twenty years before Israel Pickholtz began doing serious genealogy, his father sent him a postcard with three bits of family information. One of those was that Israel’s great-grandfather Hersch Pikholz had an uncle Zelig. That information was very important in Israel’s research over the last two decades, research that was helped along by traditional sources and more recently by genetic genealogy. But even as he was progressing in his research, Israel could not shake the question “Why did my father know this?” Israel says “My father was eight years old when his grandfather Hersch Pikholz died and they never had any real conversation. None of the cousins knew about Uncle Zelig, even the older one who lived in the same house as my great-grandfather. My father himself did not recall why he knew this.” And did it even matter?
Israel tells the story of his great-great-great-uncle, what he learned about this family and why now he thinks he knows how his father knew. And yes, it matters.
Israel Pickholtz has lived in Israel since 1973 and now lives in Jerusalem. He has done serious family research for nearly twenty years. His flagship work is the Pikholz Project, a single-surname project to identify and reconnect all Pikholz descendants. Alongside his work as a professional genealogist, taking clients in Israel and abroad, he became heavily involved in genetic genealogy in 2013. He manages test kits of over ninety family members at last count.
In August 2015 he published a book “ENDOGAMY: One Family, One People,” available at www.endogamy-one-family.com
He blogs at http://allmyforeparents.blogspot.com and receives mail at IsraelP@pikholz.org
I haven’t investigated what I’ve read in a German mailing list, but it sure is interesting (and I’ve seen similar comments before):
(translated) “In the collection Rheinland are hidden, among other things, military church books from East Prussia, church books from Leipzig and much more….”
Germans are divided on Ancestry.com, with several being critical of transcription errors by persons unfamiliar with the locality of the documents, and (of course) of errors in family trees that are then perpetuated by others. Generally, however, they recognize that using it with care is far preferable than having to travel to read documents the old way.
Moral of the story: It’s always good to explore online resources thoroughly!
Here is a summary of developments:
Early, discounted registration runs through March: $225 for individuals belonging to organizations that are members of the International German Genealogy Partnership (formerly German-American Genealogical Partnership), and $250 for all others. If you’re a member in good standing of the IGS, then you qualify for the discount. Regular registration begins April 1 at the standard rate, $299. The general conference information is here.
Hotel rooms at the Minneapolis Marriott Northwest Hotel in Brooklyn Park, Minn., venue for the conference, sold out in December. Additional nearby hotels are offering special rates for conference attendees. Go here for hotel information and room reservations, and find the link to the hotels at the very bottom of the page.
“This may be one of the largest German genealogy events ever held in the United States,” said officials of the Minnesota-based Germanic Genealogy Society, host of conference and a co-founder of the Partnership, which is organizing the conference.
“Upfront with NGS” is the blog for the National Genealogical Society. Every so often they post something that really gets a person to sit up and take notice. Such is the case with an offering today on an online Irish Family Research Workbook. This has been produced by the National Archives of Ireland, and their link to the Workbook is on the “Upfront” page that you’ll get when you click the line above….
If you’re not a member of NGS, please consider joining! They help keep us connected.
The International German Genealogy Partnership (IGGP) is now online, and while it is still new and undergoing modifications you’ll want to bookmark it and refer to it often.
When you’re at the IGGP homepage, don’t overlook the information available in the sidebar with reference to our 2017 Conference. Brochures are available for download here, or you may pick up a paper copy at the IGS Library in Burbank.
Lastly, the IGGP has a booth in the Exhibit Hall for RootsTech in Salt Lake City this week. The purpose is to promote the Partnership — now at 32 organizational members & growing — and to make attendees aware of the upcoming conference. Societies that will staff this booth for the three days (Thursday through Saturday) are the DAGV, the Germanic Genealogy Society (of Minnesota), the Sacramento German Genealogy Society, the Ostfriesen Genealogical Society of America, and your Immigrant Genealogical Society.
As many of you may be aware, our International German Genealogy Partnership will hold a conference in Minnesota in late July this year. Some of you have made hotel reservations, but have wondered when it would be possible to actually register for the conference….
Now this will soon become possible. A news release tells the story, here. But be careful about testing the new IGGP website, as it won’t be operational for about another two weeks or so. Check back closer to the end of the month, and watch for the paper registration materials at your IGS offices and library. This conference is going to be GREAT, and your society will be well-represented!