German Phase 1 Update

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

 

This week we are putting the finishing touches on our syllabus materials for German Phase 1: Identify the German Hometown. This virtual course is set to run each Tuesday starting October 14 through November 11, 2025, and is offered through the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. 

 

We look forward to helping people who are trying to find their German-speaking ancestor’s town of origin. Without that information, their ancestry cannot be extended into Germany. While, we cannot guarantee that by the end of the course, a student will have that information; we anticipate our students will leave with new ideas and a solid research plan to find the town.

 

There are still some spots available. We hope you will join us!

https://academy.ugagenealogy.org/courses/german-phase-1-identify-the-german-hometown/

Columbus (OH) Metropolitan Library

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

 

Recently in Columbus, Ohio, we had the opportunity to visit the local history and genealogy area at the Columbus Metropolitan Library. They have a lot of interesting collections that we could have spent months—probably years—exploring.

 

In 2009, the large collection curated by the Palatines to America (PALAM) moved to this library. It contains many of the standard publications for German research, such as the Germans to America serics. They have many Ortsippenbücher(genealogy books for a German town) and Familienbücher (family books). One of the most unique items is a collection of farm histories from the Bersenbrück and Osnabrück areas of Lower Saxony. This collection has been digitized in its entirety and is available on their website:  https://digital-collections.columbuslibrary.org/digital/collection/p16802coll9. If you have farms from these areas, you won’t want to miss this collection.

 

Another great collection to explore is the Huguenot Collection, https://www.columbuslibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Collection-Guide.pdf. The library notes that it is one of the largest Anglo-American Huguenot collections in the country with nearly 400 titles. The library’s collection is primarily church and naturalization records going back to the 1500s. If you have Huguenot ancestors or are interested in this topic, this library is definitely a place to learn more!

To learn more about the genealogical resources available at this library, visit their website: https://www.columbuslibrary.org/history-genealogy/.