Pennsylvania Laws-German Translation
A chance encounter with an 1801 document from Greene County, Pennsylvania got me thinking about early German records in western Pennsylvania
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Pamela Israel
Dec 23, 20231 min read
Photo Christmas Card from 1934
1934 Chicago newlyweds used their wedding photo for their Christmas card decades before photo Christmas cards were popular.
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Stefan Israel
Nov 3, 20233 min read
Why does German Capitalize everything?
Why does German Capitalize everything? If you look at much German, you start to notice- they use a Lot of Capitalization. Not just for nam
276 views
Stefan Israel
Sep 1, 20232 min read
! Them von Königsmarcks!
The brief story of a royal heir, his wife and her lover....and a curious pattern from von Königsmarcks
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Stefan Israel
Aug 3, 20232 min read
The Other French Germans
By 1700, one-fifth of Berlin was French-speaking, and they remained French-speaking until siding with the rest of Germany against Napoleon.
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Stefan Israel
Jul 21, 20235 min read
Fiefdom in a Desk
What challenges of reading an older document, such as a 15th century manuscript, and what can its language tell us? Who, when, where & more!
120 views
Stefan Israel
Jul 6, 20233 min read
Why Couldn’t Shakespeare Get U and V Right?
When you look at old books into the 1600’s, it looks like they mixed u and v up with abandon. Originally, there had only been one letter.
330 views
Pamela Israel
Jun 22, 20233 min read
German Feudal, Fief and Enfeoffment
A 1497 German manuscript stashed in a Boston desk opens a window into German enfeoffments - relationships between feudal lords and vassals.
201 views
Pamela Israel
May 25, 20233 min read
1497 German Medieval Letter
Part 1 of 3 It's not every day you find a medieval German knight's letter in an old desk. What on earth? Well, Laurence Posner of...
235 views
Stefan Israel
May 11, 20231 min read
What's in a name- George?
Translating names can be tricky. Look at the name George, Jurgen, Georgios, Jorge and Yuri - all the same. Here's some history.
404 views
Stefan Israel
Apr 27, 20235 min read
Punctuation and the Genealogist
A comma, semi-colon or period - different quotation marks in different languages - Agh! What an interesting history to punctuation marks.
91 views
Stefan Israel
Mar 30, 20232 min read
Two Dots and an Umlaut
Unlocking the umlaut. History of the two dots.
455 views
Stefan Israel
Mar 16, 20235 min read
Celtic Footsteps across Germany- the Undarkening Ages
Medieval Irish and Scottish influences still felt in Germany and beyond.
236 views
Pamela Israel
Mar 6, 20231 min read
Milestone Favorites: Language, History & Tips
Unlock Your History launched in 2017! Check out some favorite posts about language history & translating old German, Danish, Swedish.
82 views
Stefan Israel
Apr 2, 20213 min read
Brahms’ Lullaby, the Wiegenlied
Brahms' Lullaby: Genealogy is family, and family is parent and child, and what binds parent and child like a Wiegenlied?
3,079 views
Stefan Israel
Mar 5, 20214 min read
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
961 views
Stefan Israel
Jan 28, 20214 min read
Why Couldn’t My Ancestor Spell Their Name the Same?
You’re tracing your family back, and the spellings sometimes just go crazy.
649 views
Pamela Israel
Jan 14, 20216 min read
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.
99 views
Dean Meservy
Dec 24, 20203 min read
Why do Americans say ‘Merry Christmas’?
We have kept the old word “merry” from a day when Christmas was anything but a Silent Night
2,210 views
Stefan Israel
Dec 17, 20203 min read
Baptizing Beethoven - 250th Year Anniversary
Ludwig van Beethoven was baptized the 17th of December, 1770, in Bonn, a small city on the Rhine River.
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