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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Stefan Israel
- Feb 20, 2019
- 4 min
Glimpses of the Catastrophe of 1914/1918
In reaction to the horrific killing burning across Europe, in 1916, Danish composer Carl Nielsen wrote the Inextinguishable, meaning the 
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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
628 views
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
1843 letter in old German handwriting from my 3x great grandfather, to his son telling him to hurry from the army before his mother dies.
76 views
Pamela Israel
- Jan 9, 2019
- 2 min
The Journey & the Journeyman Book
An apprentice butcher's training in 19th century "Germany" included journeying and learning from one expert to another and sta
431 views
Pamela Israel
- Dec 27, 2018
- 2 min
What's Fairfield, IA got over NYC?
See the 1922 comparison of small-town Fairfield, IA versus New York City - it's entertaining what doing genealogy research can uncover t
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Stefan Israel
- Nov 12, 2018
- 4 min
Why burg, why berg?
Berg vs. Burg
These two words show up abundantly in family and place names across the Germanic languages (German, Swedish, Dutch, Englis
16,628 views
Stefan Israel
- Oct 16, 2018
- 3 min
Separated 99 Years, part 2
Recall that in our last blog on Herbert Harschnek, the US family had been searching for any German relatives for decades with no success. Wh
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Stefan Israel
- Oct 10, 2018
- 3 min
Separated 99 Years, part 1
Finding Herbert Harschnek - a little saga of 99 years parted: Starting with Alois Harschnek whom we mentioned in our last post.
120 views
Pamela Israel
- Oct 3, 2018
- 1 min
Tip: German-Language Newspaper Search
Here’s a fun tip for researching relatives, especially 1st generation German ones. The Library of Congress’ Chronicling America: Historic...
105 views
Stefan Israel
- Sep 21, 2018
- 4 min
Clues Hidden in "von" and "van"?
People's surnames often provide clues into their way back family history. Learn what Von and Van mean for the Dutch and Germans.
18,555 views
Pamela Israel
- Sep 10, 2018
- 1 min
When is October in September?
Beer lovers and German fans can likely answer this riddle in a second. We are talking about Oktoberfest! September brings a nip in the...
61 views
Pamela Israel
- Jun 2, 2018
- 2 min
Civil War Diary Translation?
I feel so very lucky that my family has saved and cared for both family photos and also diaries, letters and other family pieces. Reading...
249 views
Stefan Israel
- Mar 31, 2018
- 2 min
Frohen Geburtstag, Bach! Happy birthday, Bach!
It’s the old master’s birthday, and we’ll take that as a happy excuse to talk about names like Bach.
105 views
Pamela Israel
- Mar 8, 2018
- 2 min
Servant Class: Independent Woman
Voyage to America: Servant Class - Independent Woman
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Stefan Israel
- Jan 18, 2018
- 2 min
What’s with the -ch- in German?
German has two variants for ch, depending on whether the surrounding letters are ‘bright’ or ‘dark’. If you say “ee, ey” versus “o, oo, a
602 views
Pamela Israel
- Dec 30, 2017
- 2 min
Ticket to a Year of Happiness
One of the fun things about digging through old family papers is discovering the whimsical pieces that someone has tucked away. Here's
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Stefan Israel
- Dec 5, 2017
- 2 min
St. Nicholas - Bringer of Gifts
Martin Luther, who grew up with the tradition of gifts on Nikolaustag, shifted gift-giving to Christmas, since saints were no longer a focus
345 views
Stefan Israel
- Dec 4, 2017
- 2 min
St. Nicholas's Bad Cop: Krampus
Was zum Teufel? What the freaking devil? Santa. Krampus
120 views
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