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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
    Why do Americans say ‘Merry Christmas’?
    Dean Meservy
    • Dec 24, 2020
    • 3 min

    Why do Americans say ‘Merry Christmas’?

    We have kept the old word “merry” from a day when Christmas was anything but a Silent Night
    545 views0 comments
    Baptizing Beethoven - 250th Year Anniversary
    Stefan Israel
    • Dec 17, 2020
    • 3 min

    Baptizing Beethoven - 250th Year Anniversary

    Ludwig van Beethoven was baptized the 17th of December, 1770, in Bonn, a small city on the Rhine River.
    116 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
    German-Americans Celebrated in October
    Stefan Israel
    • Oct 6, 2020
    • 2 min

    German-Americans Celebrated in October

    The whole month of October is German American month. But wait! October 6 in particular is German-American Day. So many have contributed.
    92 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
    Imperial Cities of the Holy Roman Empire
    Stefan Israel
    • Jul 29, 2020
    • 3 min

    Imperial Cities of the Holy Roman Empire

    At various times, there were dozens of imperial cities, from towns of a few thousand people to some of the largest cities.
    1,177 views0 comments
    Kaffeeklatsch
    Stefan Israel
    • Jun 24, 2020
    • 2 min

    Kaffeeklatsch

    Kaffeeklatsch, a very gemütlich, cozy gathering. It translates as ‘coffee chit-chat’
    264 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
    DUTCH, not DEUTSCH: English, Dutch and German
    Stefan Israel
    • Apr 13, 2020
    • 3 min

    DUTCH, not DEUTSCH: English, Dutch and German

    English, Dutch and German are all related languages - the languages diverged - you can see it in how the same original words now differ.-
    1,023 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
    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
    Dutch and Deutsch:  so similar, so dissimilar
    Stefan Israel
    • Feb 10, 2020
    • 2 min

    Dutch and Deutsch: so similar, so dissimilar

    We’d talked about how much the German dialects vary, looking at dialect forms of the Lord’s Prayer. Let’s compare High German and Dutch.
    506 views0 comments
    Mozart and the Founding Fathers
    Stefan Israel
    • Jan 27, 2020
    • 1 min

    Mozart and the Founding Fathers

    In honor of Mozart's birthday on January 27th, we look to a curious Mozart connection or two crossing the Atlantic.
    1,248 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
    Dutchland? Germany?
    Stefan Israel
    • Aug 5, 2019
    • 3 min

    Dutchland? Germany?

    The tribes that coalesced into Germans spoke 'the people’s/ popular language’ as opposed to Latin
    3,708 views0 comments
    Why Do We Say Germany (& Not Deutschland)?
    Pamela Israel
    • Jul 26, 2019
    • 2 min

    Why Do We Say Germany (& Not Deutschland)?

    Not long ago, a friend asked me why we say Germany when the Germans use the word Deutschland. The words aren't even related! Good quest
    3,083 views0 comments
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