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Welcome to the new edition of the German Genealogy Quarterly eNewsletter—the German Schrift! This newsletter will highlight the Genealogy Discussion Group, featured German resources, research tips, and interesting places to visit.    
 
Midwest Genealogy Center: February 2020 eNewsletter
GlühweinGerman Research Discussion Group

Review of the January 2020 meeting and special holiday edition in December 2019:
 
The January meeting took place for the first time in the new addition of the Midwest Genealogy Center. We enjoyed the three large screens on stage and comfortable seating for everyone. The session was also livestreamed for those who could not be present. We welcomed first-time attendants who introduced us to their research.
 
We also reminisced about the first ever holiday edition on December 5, 2019. It was a wonderful complement to the end of the year as we discussed German Christmas traditions. We listened to Stacey's story, admired her Glühwein Mug collection, and yes, she wore the dirndl! If you want to see Stacey in her dirndl, watch the end of the second part. Mary Ann supplied us with authentic German cookies, recipes, and table decorations! Bob brought a Christmas tree with authentic German lights and cookies. The event was a big hit! We will decide if we want to continue this festivity in the future.
 
The January meeting’s second hour belonged to Paul, who took us through European records to introduce his German ancestors who answered the call to go East and settled in Banat and Silesia (part is in the Czech Republic and part in Poland). If you missed his presentation, you can watch it here.
 
Iveta demonstrated the difference between the two German websites, the Matricula Online and Archion.de. If you want to learn how to methodically do German research, sign up for the German genealogy class, which is regularly offered at MGC. If your society wants to have a presentation at your place, just let us know.
 
The next meeting will be on April 18, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. Register here. In addition to the regular program, we will hear Don's story about tracing his German ancestors from Bessarabia and Poland back to Germany. If time allows, Iveta will introduce the largest German genealogy website, the Compgen.
 
In addition, we are planning to repeat Bob's popular classes as a series, teaching how to recognize German handwriting in civil records. We will offer the first one on July 18, 2020, so mark your calendars!
 
Featured Resources
Family Tree Magazine, January/February 2020
This periodical has various informative articles covering a broad range of genealogy-related subjects. In this particular issue, the inner centerfold section has a helpful “cheat sheet” for immigration records. This was compiled by Diane Haddad and has an immigration timeline, Q&A, and more. Visit MGC to read it or make a copy for yourself.
New Books
Distinguished German-Americans
by Charles R. Haller

This book features a short history of Germany, including German names and traditional professions, such as glassblowers and brewers. It identifies historically well-known German-Americans (known for their profession, sport, or business) and mentions contemporary distinguished persons with ancestors of German origin. Often, the original German name is given. The end of the book has a directory and an abridged list of contemporary German-American organizations functioning in the U.S. or abroad.
Explore Missouri's German Heritage
by W. Arthur Mehroff

This book focuses on the German influence in Missouri. The rolling hills and valleys reminded German immigrants of the old country, and so they settled there, continuing their work as artisans, brewers, and other skilled tradesmen.
Research Tips
Online Resource Tip
Surname Map: Are you curious about how many people still live in Germany with the name of your ancestor? Type the last name into this website. The map shows a distribution of names, taken primarily from phonebooks. Historically, people in Europe did not move often, and if they did, they stayed close by. For this reason, there’s a good chance that there are still descendants of your ancestors’ extended family, such as siblings' descendants, living in the area. This website is also helpful for giving possible name variants. Remember, names could be spelled more than one way. Once you find your ancestors’ descendants on the map, you may want to contact them! The current phone book for Germany is located here.
 
Another Tip: For those of you who traced your emigrant ancestor to the Lippe area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, explore this website. Open it in Google Chrome and switch to English. (Auswanderer = Emigrant).
Places to Visit
Pelster House Barn in New Haven, Franklin County, Missouri – This unique German structure in the U.S. combines house living quarters and livestock in the same building. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Learn more about the Pelster House Barn.
 
If this is too close to home, visit Cologne in Germany. You can still “fetch” the famous Karneval (Carnival) there. Speaking of Karneval, if you go to Cologne, be sure to try the delicious Krapfen, which is the Central European version of donuts—fried dough filled with jam. You can also try to bake your own Krapfen! Here is a recipe if you’d like to surprise your family with this traditional sweet dish.
 
Cologne is also well-known for its famous cathedral (Kölner Dom). Read more here. For genealogists, there is a historical archive with documents from the early medieval ages, although some were lost during the collapse of the building in 2009. Learn more.  
Fun and Learn
What is this German word? Dust off that German dictionary from your shelf (occupation).
  1. B r _ _ e r                                               (Brewer)
  2. A _ _ t                                                    (Doctor)
  3. F _ e i _ _ h _ r      or     M e _ z _ e r     (Butcher) 
  4. M _ l  _ r                                                 (Painter)
  5. P � c h _ _ r                                        (Farmer, tenant)
  6. K _ _ c h t                                               (Servant, farmhand)
  7. S c h _ _ i d _ r                                       (Tailor)
  8. T i _ _ _ l _ r                                           (Cabinet maker)
  9. L _ h _ _ r                                               (Teacher)
 
Christl's Proverb:
"Eine hand wäscht die andere!" which means, "You scratch my back, and I will scratch yours!" or "One hand washes the other!"
Thank you. Danke schön. 
 
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