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    When France Came to Germany
    Stefan Israel
    • Mar 5, 2021
    • 4 min

    When France Came to Germany

    Beethoven and Goethe, the German Shakespeare, were glad to see liberator Napoleon come, and glad to see occupier Napoleon go. Napoleonic la
    349 views1 comment
    Why Couldn’t My Ancestor Spell Their Name the Same?
    Stefan Israel
    • Jan 28, 2021
    • 4 min

    Why Couldn’t My Ancestor Spell Their Name the Same?

    You’re tracing your family back, and the spellings sometimes just go crazy.
    451 views3 comments
    A Plea to Save Letters!
    Stefan Israel
    • Jan 14, 2021
    • 6 min

    A Plea to Save Letters!

    Save letters! I have a treasure trove of memories downstairs. So began the email from my mother earlier this week.
    77 views0 comments
    20 YEARS OF FRENCH GERMANY
    Stefan Israel
    • Nov 21, 2020
    • 3 min

    20 YEARS OF FRENCH GERMANY

    French Germany? France is French and Germany is German, as a general rule, so how could you have French Germany? Well, borders can be flu
    298 views0 comments
    Our Dutch (Speaking) President Martin Van Buren
    Stefan Israel
    • Oct 30, 2020
    • 1 min

    Our Dutch (Speaking) President Martin Van Buren

    The first U.S. president born in the United States (so after the country’s founding) didn’t even speak English as his first language.
    642 views0 comments
    Three Hansa Cities, Two Emigration Ports, and a History: Bremen, Hamburg, Lübeck
    Stefan Israel
    • Sep 22, 2020
    • 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.
    389 views0 comments
    German-Born, Civil War Vet - Newspaper Help
    Stefan Israel
    • May 25, 2020
    • 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.
    190 views0 comments
    Celtic father-names: Donaldson, McDonald, O’Donnell
    Stefan Israel
    • Mar 17, 2020
    • 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
    405 views0 comments
    Like Daughter, Like Mother: Transatlantic Journey
    Pamela Israel
    • Mar 8, 2020
    • 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.
    69 views0 comments
    Understanding -Sen and -Son in a Name: Johnson, Janson and Jansen
    Stefan Israel
    • Mar 2, 2020
    • 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?
    5,544 views0 comments
    AUGH! From German to English
    Stefan Israel
    • Jan 29, 2020
    • 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?
    397 views0 comments
    1960 Christmas Card Mystery
    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?
    131 views0 comments
    Washing & Sewing: A Diary & Tins
    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
    62 views0 comments
    Tips for Finding the Day of the Week
    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
    117 views0 comments
    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
    48 views0 comments
    German Wedding Invitation Details
    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
    186 views0 comments
    We're from Germany but Where?
    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
    652 views0 comments
    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
    188 views0 comments
    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
    87 views0 comments
    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
    468 views0 comments
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