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
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Pamela Israel
- Oct 23, 2018
- 2 min
German in the Cemetery
Some old cemeteries have gravestones written in German. Here are some tips to help translate some key words.
3,543 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.
119 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...
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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.
16,458 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...
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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...
207 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.
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Stefan Israel
- Mar 14, 2018
- 4 min
the FEMININE of FAMILY NAMES
The history behind some of those last names - many had a feminine meaning. In some languages, the end of names still changes!
1,363 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
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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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Pamela Israel
- Dec 21, 2017
- 1 min
Der Nussknacker (The Nutcracker) - so much fun to say!
Nutcrackers, decorated trees and snow on the ground. Christmas must be right around the corner. We've seasonal Germantranslations to get
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Pamela Israel
- Dec 16, 2017
- 1 min
O Tannenbaum (O Christmas Tree) & More!
Houses are adorned with festive lights, decorations and trees. We've some German translations to get you even more in the holiday spirit
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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
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Stefan Israel
- Dec 4, 2017
- 2 min
St. Nicholas's Bad Cop: Krampus
Was zum Teufel? What the freaking devil? Santa. Krampus
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Pamela Israel
- Nov 21, 2017
- 2 min
…..And I Thought I Knew All About Those Grandparents!
Sometimes you think you’ve heard almost every family story (often multiple times), but I’ve been so wonderfully surprised recently....and in
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Stefan Israel
- Nov 15, 2017
- 2 min
The Curious History of the German 'Doubled S' - ß
Ä, Ö and Ü are simple variations of familiar letters, but the fourth letter that German has that we don’t is the real kicker: ß Eszett
4,617 views
Pamela Israel
- Oct 31, 2017
- 1 min
Black Cat (schwarze Katze) Boo!
German words inspired by US Halloween
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