Category Archives: Blog

New Organization, New Conference – New Found Success!

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The last 2 years have been filled with preparations for creating a new genealogical partnership. What began as a conversation and a desire to connect German genealogists in the U.S. with connections in Germany has expanded into a wonderful partnership of German genealogy societies named the International German Genealogy Partnership.

This partnership is truly becoming international with partner societies in Brazil, Australia, England, Canada joining societies found in the U.S. and Germany. We hope to welcome many other societies from around the world that are interested in German genealogy.

We successfully hosted our first event last weekend and had a fabulous conference with nearly 700 attendees! It was wonderful to be able to offer classes on areas that are important to some German researchers but that are not broad enough to be offered at larger Genealogy conferences.

While there is still work to be done to maintain and continue to grow and strengthen this partnership, the enthusiasm of those that attended both the leadership day and the conference indicates that we are on the right track. That the efforts that have been put in have been worth it and that we have additional volunteers to assist us.

I am looking forward to returning to this blog and to growing my business as demands on my time are able to be shifted to others things.

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Gratitude List

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I have been enjoying the beautiful Fall colors this Fall, here in Minnesota. They have lasted a long time this year. I love the variety.

I am grateful for the variety of opportunities I have been able to enjoy this year in genealogy. They have added wonderful color to my life as well. Here is a brief list.

  • I have benefited from volunteering at my local Family History Center. I get to keep my skills up in various forms of research and I also get to learn from the patrons that come in.
  • I have had the opportunity through my association with the Germanic Genealogy Society and the German-American Society Partnership we have begun, to connect with other Germanic genealogists and society leaders from all over the U.S. and in various parts of the world.  We are coming together to promote Germanic Heritage – a fabulous cause.
  • I have spoken to various groups in the area and have been able to share in my enthusiasm for researching my family roots in various records.
  • I have connected with some awesome individuals within the Association of Professional Genealogists – Northland Chapter.  Our local chapter is a supportive of its members and many are very active in the genealogical community as well.
  • I am grateful to have attended several conferences that have added to my genealogical well of knowledge and stirred up details that I had forgotten about.  Conferences are also a fun place to connect with others – I have even found a relative or two!

The best way to find genealogy friends is to get involved in the community.  I have found value in society memberships, even those far from my home.  I love communicating with others in social media and giving support and also finding assistance when I need it.

I love that in October when the Fall color was at its peak we also celebrated Family History Month and as a nation we celebrated all of our trees.  May you find gratitude in your genealogy during the beginning of this holiday season.

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Posted in APG, Blog, Continuing Education, Family History Centers

SLIG- Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy

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Conferences are so rewarding. I am in Salt Lake City this week attending the annual Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy.  I am looking forward to a week of being educated from several experts about German Research. I am attending the Advanced German Research track with a couple of friends I have met through the Germanic Genealogy Society.

  • I enjoy the classes and the suggestions I hear that I can implement in my own research and as I help research for others.  I often write in the margins of my notes the surnames of families that a particular tip/website/resource could be useful.
  • I enjoy the camaraderie between researchers as we support each other in our research goals.
  • I really enjoy having conferences in Salt Lake City because it means research time in the Family History Library.

It is going to be a great week.

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Posted in Blog, Continuing Education, German, GGS

It’s a New Year: My Genealogy Goals

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The end of each year is often very busy. It can often be hectic and stressful too. But once they are complete and I look back, I treasure all of the time spent with family, many of whom I don’t see very often.

The New Year brings a fresh start, a break from busy holiday schedules. It is a time to get a start on goals. What stories were shared, photos were discussed, memories were made at recent family gatherings?

My goals for the next year include:

  1. Digitizing and indexing my Great-Grandmother’s journals.

    I only have 4 of them and they give a great glimpse into the busy life of a farming family.  I’m still working on the best method to share them with my family.

  2. Write a short history on a family or ancestor.

    I need some practice writing and I don’t want to pick too large of a project, so I am going to keep the focus small.

  3. Improve my German.

    I am nearly 3/4 German, but I can not speak it (although my husband can and my kids are learning it in school).  While I can find my way around German Church records and a few other documents, my pronunciation is terrible.  I have purchased The German Rosetta Stone software to try and get better.  I am also on my way to the Salt Lake Institute next week.  I’m enrolled in the Advanced German Track.

I could come up with additional 2015 goals but I will keep it simple.  I will be very happy if I can make progress in each of these three goals.

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August – a time to prepare

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Time seems to fly by in the summer.  This August is going to be a month of preparation.

We are currently preparing to finish our basement remodel after the excessive rain that led to flooding all over the midwest area.

The end of the month holds the reserved weekend of the Morsching Family Reunion.  My grandma’s family has been holding it for years.  The attendance has dwindled in recent years but I always try to attend.  This year I hope to share the journals of my Great Grandmother wrote over a couple of years.  My Grandma Ruth recently found them.  I hope to digitize and transcribe those pages so they are easily shared.  A couple of them are not in great shape.

This time of year is also a time to prepare for genealogy conferences.  I am looking forward to attending the Federation of Genealogy Societies Conference in San Antonio at the end of the month.  As president of the Germanic Genealogy Society (GGS) I am involved in planning our Fall Meeting in September.  This year I will be presenting at the meeting a couple of presentations on the FamilySearch.org website and how it can help Germanic Researchers.

I also have the opportunity to prepare a couple of classes to teach at my local Family History Center, one about using Online Newspapers and one about using the website Find My Past.  It is fun to teach such a variety of classes.

At the end of which I hope to complete all of my presentations, connect with other researchers at the FGS Conference and GGS Meeting, and I hope to finish at least one room in our basement remodel.

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