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5 days ago
4 min

Three Hansa Cities, Two Emigration Ports, and a History: Bremen, Hamburg, Lübeck

The largest emigration ports from Germany to the New World were the Hanseatic cities Bremen and Hamburg, Germany’s leading ports even today.

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German-Born, Civil War Vet - Newspaper Help

Pamela Israel

May 25
3 min

German-Born, Civil War Vet - Newspaper Help

I love scouring old newspapers. I hit the jackpot with Joseph Billman from Erie - German-born and Civil War veteran.

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Celtic father-names: Donaldson, McDonald, O’Donnell

Stefan Israel

Mar 17
4 min

Celtic father-names: Donaldson, McDonald, O’Donnell

The main Celtic traditions for genealogy are the Irish, the Scottish and the Welsh. Complicating matters, Irish settlers brought Gaelic from

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Like Daughter, Like Mother: Transatlantic Journey

Pamela Israel

Mar 8
3 min

Like Daughter, Like Mother: Transatlantic Journey

Christine makes the journey across the Atlantic in 1950. Her daughter in Germany worries that her frail mother might not be strong enough.

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Understanding -Sen and -Son in a Name: Johnson, Janson and Jansen

Stefan Israel

Mar 2
4 min

Understanding -Sen and -Son in a Name: Johnson, Janson and Jansen

Why do some family names end in -son and some in -sen?

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Pamela Israel

Jan 29
2 min

AUGH! From German to English

AUGH! It’s not just a cry of distress, it’s an anglicization. Why do we see lots of names ending in -augh? Baugh, Grumbaugh, Brumbaugh?

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Pamela Israel

Dec 13, 2019
3 min

1960 Christmas Card Mystery

Why were there piles of Christmas cards from 1960 sent from around the world to a young girl in Virginia?

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Pamela Israel

Sep 19, 2019
3 min

Washing & Sewing: A Diary & Tins

Sewing, in addition to laundry, used to be a responsibility that almost every woman had. And yet it can be tough to get insights into this p

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Pamela Israel

May 1, 2019
2 min

Tips for Finding the Day of the Week

Just a head's up for those looking up dates further back (generally prior or 1752) or from some other countries cultures: People used di

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Postcard Clues 100 Years On - Clues to Olof !

Pamela Israel

Apr 18, 2019
2 min

Postcard Clues 100 Years On - Clues to Olof !

It's amazing how curious you can get about people in no way related to you. I've written before about Olof Harrison, a Swede who mov

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Pamela Israel

Apr 5, 2019
2 min

German Wedding Invitation Details

Our family has a photo of the framed wedding invitation of my 2nd great aunt and uncle. It's a charmingly simple one. When I first came

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Stefan Israel

Mar 14, 2019
4 min

We're from Germany but Where?

When you’re tracing an ancestor to Central Europe from a century or more ago, you need to find out which state they were from. Here are some

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The Scandalous Pauline: Discovering a Fascinating Woman

Christine Israel

Mar 8, 2019
5 min

The Scandalous Pauline: Discovering a Fascinating Woman

One of the early things my father told me when I asked him about his family was that my great-grandmother, Pauline Volkmann, had left her hu

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Postcard Pals - Old Swedish Cards in Translation

Pamela Israel

Mar 1, 2019
2 min

Postcard Pals - Old Swedish Cards in Translation

A series of correspondence to and from the same people opens up a whole new understanding about them. Old Swedish postcards from greater

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From Genf to Geneva and other Translations

Pamela Israel

Feb 11, 2019
2 min

From Genf to Geneva and other Translations

When learning about ancestors who immigrated to the US decades or centuries ago, you get a double challenge. Not only is there the translati

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Pamela Israel

Jan 23, 2019
1 min

Christmas Letter in February?

We thought it would be fun to conclude our week celebrating the magic of handwriting with a light-hearted Christmas note that arrived one F

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Pamela Israel

Jan 22, 2019
1 min

Joyous German Visit Home: 1925

Eliese Trede, my mother's grandmother, immigrated in 1908, leaving her loving parents on a journey across the Atlantic. This is her 1925

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Pamela Israel

Jan 21, 2019
2 min

Beloved Son, Hurry! 1843 Letter

This is an 1843 letter from my 3rd great grandfather, to his son telling him to hurry home from the army before his mother dies. We have a l

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Pamela Israel

Jan 18, 2019
1 min

Handwritten Letters & a Postcard

Day 2 to highlight the Art of Handwriting and your Family through January 23rd, National Handwriting Day. Share a favorite family hand-writt

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Pamela Israel

Jan 17, 2019
1 min

Celebrate Handwriting!

Post your family handwritten letters to celebrate National Handwriting Day.

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