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Kaffeeklatsch
Kaffeeklatsch, a very gemütlich, cozy gathering. It translates as ‘coffee chit-chat’
Stefan Israel
Jun 24, 20202 min read
774 views


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.-
Stefan Israel
Apr 13, 20203 min read
1,573 views


Understanding -Sen and -Son in a Name: Johnson, Janson and Jansen
Why do some family names end in -son and some in -sen?
Stefan Israel
Mar 2, 20204 min read
11,007 views


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.
Stefan Israel
Feb 10, 20202 min read
799 views


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?
Stefan Israel
Jan 29, 20202 min read
1,174 views


1960 Christmas Card Mystery
Why were there piles of Christmas cards from 1960 sent from around the world to a young girl in Virginia?
Pamela Israel
Dec 12, 20193 min read
242 views


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
Pamela Israel
Sep 19, 20193 min read
83 views


Dutchland? Germany?
The tribes that coalesced into Germans spoke 'the people’s/ popular language’ as opposed to Latin
Stefan Israel
Aug 5, 20193 min read
8,308 views


Old German Writing Tips
Here are a couple tricks to help decipher old German handwriting, Kurrent or Suetterlin, especially important with old family letters.
Pamela Israel
May 22, 20193 min read
2,270 views


H- huh? Making Sense of German
German and English both mostly use h the same, as that puff of air at the start of a word:
hello/hallo, here/hier, horn
But what’s that h do
Stefan Israel
May 8, 20193 min read
665 views


Tips for Finding the Day of the Week
Figuring out the day of the week that something happened can be important in genealogy. Here are a couple approaches.
Pamela Israel
May 1, 20192 min read
147 views


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
Pamela Israel
Apr 18, 20192 min read
73 views


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
Pamela Israel
Apr 5, 20192 min read
239 views


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
Stefan Israel
Mar 14, 20194 min read
754 views


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
Pamela Israel
Feb 28, 20192 min read
125 views


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
Pamela Israel
Feb 11, 20192 min read
795 views


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
Pamela Israel
Jan 22, 20191 min read
41 views


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.
Pamela Israel
Jan 21, 20192 min read
85 views


Surviving Manassas: Civil War Diary
Civil War 1862 Diary: Looking at just the week of August 26 highlights his experiences: rebels attacking, burning railroad bridges, fighting
Pamela Israel
Jan 19, 20192 min read
99 views


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
Pamela Israel
Jan 18, 20191 min read
60 views










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