Is this the End? Taking Your German Brick Walls Down Piece by Piece

Discover how to track your Palatine ancestors who traveled from Germany to the colonies in the 1700s, using techniques that will assist you in determining their place of origin. Use migration patterns of their family and friends to help you in your research. Learn more about online sources of original…

In Germany, more and more directories are online. This presentation will tell you where to find them, how to work with them and how to interpret the information typical for German directories.

Gain an understanding of the different social statuses in historical Germany. Learn about the living conditions of the different classes in Germany. Until the foundation of the German Empire in 1871, there were a total of 22 monarchies and three free cities in what is now Germany. And there were almost as many different regulations concerning the rights and duties of the residents. Citizenship was usually not acquired by birth, but only after an application and the strict examination of the fulfillment of several requirements. This presentation will give information on acquisition and loss of citizenship and the respective reasons for it.

Explore 19th-century German engagement, marriage and divorce traditions, historical social norms and legal regulations, including economic motives, marriage contracts, remarriage, and strict divorce processes. This presentation will explore the complex world of marriage and divorce in nineteenth-century Germany, emphasizing its importance to genealogical research. Participants will gain insight into the economic, social, and legal factors that shaped marriage and divorce practices. The session will include examples of historical documents and introduce new types of records beyond traditional church records.

German-French or French-German? Genealogy in Alsace-Lorraine. Do you have ancestors listed in the U. S. census as German in one and French in another? They are likely from Alsace-Lorraine, with a complicated history that presents family researchers with opportunities and challenges. Learn about sources and methods that will help you to progress in your research.

Why is what happened in Augsburg on September 25, 1555 one of the most important historical events in German history and of utmost importance to researchers? And why do we need to know about the French emperor Napoleon? Why does it make such a big difference if a birth took place in 1874 or 1876? Find out in this presentation why knowing the most important events in German history can be helpful for your research.

Learn the 10 top tips and tricks for deciphering the old German script! With tips on how to easily recognize certain letters, how to tell tricky letters apart, abbreviations, spelling variations, names, and more, you'll be amazed at what you can do after only an hour of learning!

Many 19th- and early 20th-century German language newspapers were printed in a Fraktur font. And not only that, they were written in a foreign language! This combination of an archaic font and a foreign language creates two significant hurdles for the 21st century genealogist, perhaps with limited foreign language skills, to overcome. But don’t despair. Modern technology has provided solutions. Learn how to "crack the code" and discover where your favorite newspaper sites have hidden the Optical Character Recognition (OCR) text. Translation tools will quickly make those foreign words readable for even the most die-hard English-only speaker.

Learn how to use Transkribus, ChatGPT and other AI tools to translate German church records, and other records, into English. Learn about cautions and practical uses.