From German Girls Genealogy (Teresa Steinkamp McMillin & Debra A. Hoffman): When a person was leaving historical areas that became Germany, they were often legally obligated to get permission. This differed by time and place. Usually, nineteenth century migrants were under some obligation to register. The requirements generally ensured people paid their debts and men… Continue reading German Emigration Records

From German Girls Genealogy (Teresa Steinkamp McMillin & Debra A. Hoffman): As we noted in the last post, conducting research in Germany requires knowing the German town of origin. Unfortunately, sometimes when you find the name of the town, there are more than one town with the same name! How do we narrow the choices… Continue reading How to Determine Which Town of Origin is the Right One?

From German Girls Genealogy (Teresa Steinkamp McMillin & Debra A. Hoffman): Conducting research in Germany, requires knowing the German town of origin. Unfortunately, for many researchers that is the missing piece of information. Sometimes finding that critical piece of information can be easy. Other times, the search continues. Debra found the town for her 4th… Continue reading Finding a German Town of Origin

From German Girls Genealogy (Teresa Steinkamp McMillin & Debra A. Hoffman): Teresa and I finished our presentations this week in “Course One – Methods and Sources in Practice” coordinated by Rebecca Whitman Koford, CG® and “Course Two – Intermediate Genealogy and Historical Studies” coordinated by Angela Packer McGhie, CG®. These courses are hosted by the… Continue reading IGHR Coming to a Close

From German Girls Genealogy (Teresa Steinkamp McMillin & Debra A. Hoffman): This week we are preparing for the sessions we will be teaching in “Course Two – Intermediate Genealogy and Historical Studies” hosted by the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR). Angela Packer McGhie, CG® is the coordinator for this week-long course. IGHR was… Continue reading IGHR Next Week

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… Continue reading German Phase 1 Update

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… Continue reading Columbus (OH) Metropolitan Library

From German Girls Genealogy (Teresa Steinkamp McMillin & Debra A. Hoffman): While at the International German Genealogical Conference last week, there were many German-themed vendors. One of the vendors was selling homemade artistic Christmas ornaments. Christmas in June--only a short six months away! Debra’s husband, Dave, decided they needed a Krampus Christmas ornament. Krampus is… Continue reading Who is Krampus?

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/). Schmidt's Sausage Haus - we ate lunch here one day! It was such a great conference. We were able to see many of our fellow German genealogists. It was… Continue reading 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… Continue reading International German Genealogy Partnership (IGGP) Conference