International German Genealogy Partnership (IGGP) Conference

 From German Girls Genealogy (Teresa Steinkamp McMillin & Debra A. Hoffman):

 

This past week we attended and presented at the IGGP Conference in Columbus, Ohio (https://iggp.org/2025-iggp-conference/). 

 

It was such a great conference. We were able to see many of our fellow German genealogists. It was wonderful being able to socialize and learn from each other. Some of our international colleagues were not able to be there in-person but some presented via Zoom. 

 

You never know what you will learn or who you will meet. Debra discovered that one of the attendees was her distant cousin. She also found someone else who is researching the Propheter family and was able to share details and exchange contact information. I ran into a past client whom I had never met in person. 

 

In addition to the many wonderful presentations, there were several Connection sessions based on different geographic regions in Germany. Those are always a terrific way to meet others doing similar research. 

 

The exhibit hall had many books and other items for sale. Stay tuned for our next post about one of our finds there!

International German Genealogy Partnership (IGGP) Conference This Weekend!

From German Girls Genealogy (Teresa Steinkamp McMillin & Debra A. Hoffman):

This week we are attending and speaking at the IGGP Conference in Columbus, Ohio (https://iggp.org/2025-iggp-conference/). This is a bi-annual conference for people researching German-speaking ancestors. It is a terrific way to connect with others who share our passion. We can all learn so much from each other, too!

 

Debra will be presenting:

§  Early German Settlements on the East Coast – Their Impact and Records

§  Early U.S. German Religious History – Learn About the Methodology and Sources

 

Teresa will be presenting:

§  German Village History: Your Key to Researching Beyond Church Records

§  Nineteenth-century German Migration to Midwest United States

 

Debra will also be moderating a connection session for Baden-Württemberg. Teresa will be moderating a similar session for Bavaria.

 

We hope to see some of you there!

Spots Still Open for German Phase 1: Identify the Hometown

From German Girls Genealogy (Teresa Steinkamp McMillin & Debra A. Hoffman):

Registration for 2025 Fall SLIG Virtual courses opened on Saturday, May 17^th, for German Phase 1: Identify the Hometown. See https://slig.ugagenealogy.org/slig-fall-virtual/ for more information on the course and for details on how to register. While many spots have been filled, there are some still available.

 

A few weeks ago, we had the opportunity to talk with Cheri Hudson Passey. She has been interviewing SLIG course coordinators. You can see our chat with her here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5L7JN6vOXIY. 

 

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us. We hope that you will choose to take our course and look forward to seeing you in October 2025!

Register Now for German Phase 1: Identify the Hometown

From German Girls Genealogy (Teresa Steinkamp McMillin & Debra A. Hoffman):

 

Registration for 2025 Fall SLIG Virtual courses opened on Saturday, May 17^th, for German Phase 1: Identify the Hometown. See https://slig.ugagenealogy.org/slig-fall-virtual/ for more information on the course and for details on how to register.

 

Don’t let the challenge of identifying your German immigrant’s hometown be a brick wall. This course will provide proven strategies for determining that important piece of information. Examples, case studies, and one-on-one consultations are included and students will have the opportunity to work on their research projects over the 5 weeks.

 

If you have this research challenge, we hope that you will choose to take our course and look forward to seeing you in October 2025!

Registration Now Open for German Phase 1: Identify the Hometown

 From German Girls Genealogy (Teresa Steinkamp McMillin & Debra A. Hoffman):

Registration for 2025 Fall SLIG Virtual courses started on Saturday, May 17^th, for German Phase 1: Identify the Hometown. See https://slig.ugagenealogy.org/slig-fall-virtual/ for more information on the course and for details on how to register.

 

Debra and Teresa designed this course for researchers who want to begin researching their immigrants from Germany. This course is foundational and will provide a strategic approach for identifying the hometown, which is necessary to conduct research as the church and civil records are held at the local level. Unlike the United States that has national records available like the federal census, those records are not available in Germany. Before 1871, Germany consisted of kingdoms, duchies, principalities, and free Hanseatic cities. This can make researching German immigrants particularly challenging, especially for those that arrived in the United States in the 1700s.

 

If you have this research challenge, we hope that you will choose to take our course and look forward to seeing you in October 2025!

SLIG Fall 2025 German Phase 1 - Should I Register?

 From German Girls Genealogy (Teresa Steinkamp McMillin & Debra A. Hoffman):

Registration for 2025 SLIG Virtual courses opens on Saturday, May 17^th for German Phase 1: Identify the Hometown. See https://slig.ugagenealogy.org/slig-fall-virtual/ for more information on the course and for details on how to register.

We are often asked “should I take your course?” This course is designed for the frustrated researcher with German ancestry, who has yet to find the immigrant’s town of origin in Germany. It is also designed for a researcher with experience who has yet to research a German ancestor. If you have that same challenge, this course is designed with you in mind!

 

Not only will students benefit from the course structure and presentations, but students often learn as much from each other, too. Students will receive a digital syllabus, which provides a handbook that can be referred to in the future. It is filled with additional sources found in the bibliographic material that can be explored during and after the course ends. Another benefit is that the presentations are all recorded, so that students unable to attend that day can still watch the presentations. They can be watched multiple times, if you choose. Recordings will also be available for a short time after the course ends. 

 

Students in this course will be working on their own research problem with the opportunity for a one-on-one consult with one of us. With the one day per week structure over five weeks, there is time to apply the information and methodology covered during the course. 

 

If you have this research challenge, we hope that you will choose to take our course and look forward to seeing you in October 2025!

Registration Opens for 2025 SLIG Fall Virtual courses on Saturday, May 17th

From German Girls Genealogy (Teresa Steinkamp McMillin & Debra A. Hoffman):

 

Registration for 2025 SLIG Virtual courses opens on Saturday, May 17^th for German Phase 1: Identify the Hometown. See https://slig.ugagenealogy.org/slig-fall-virtual/ for more information on the course and for details on how to register.

Certified genealogist Teresa Steinkamp McMillin and I (Debra A. Hoffman, PLCGS) are the co-coordinators of this new SLIG course. In conducting research on German immigrants, it is not enough to know that immigrants came from Germany or even a specific German state (e.g., Baden). Teresa and I designed this course to instruct our students on how to find the hometown by conducting thorough research using United States sources and utilizing appropriate research methodology. 

 

My presentations will include an overview of the history of Germans in the United States and their geographical settlement on the East Coast. German Americans are the largest ancestry group in the United States and their influence can be seen in the cities and towns along the eastern seaboard. I will also cover German religious history as German immigrants brought their religious beliefs and the record-keeping practices with them to America. My presentations on methodology include conducting a literature search and creating a locality guide. Challenging genealogical research problems must be thoughtfully analyzed and methodically tackled. I will also present on the appropriate methodology for locating a German town of origin and will cover appropriate sources, such as vital and church records. To view all the presentations that will be given in this course, click on the link above.

 

Teresa and I have been successful in locating the German hometown in our research and want to share our knowledge and expertise with you, so you can have that same success. We are looking forward to having you join us in October 2025!