Village Coordinators of the Month

Every month we feature two Village Coordinators, to recognize the work they do for AHSGR and give members an opportunity to become more familiar with their Village Coordinators.

August 2017

Dee Hert

Anton,  Alexanderhoh,  Alexanderdorf  (North Caucasus),  Alexanderdorf   (South Caucasus),  Blumenfeld, Emmas, Tiegenhoff,  Tilfis,  Eigenheim,  Nalchik,  Johannesdorf,  Karlsruhe,  Katharinenfeld

Dee Hert has been a village coordinator for several years and continues to find villages of interest for which there is no coordinator.

“These are important areas, so I find myself agreeing to be the village coordinator,” she said. “The Caucasus region has my primary attention at this time; what a fascinating area and I am locating villagers from various regions. As I become aware of Caucasus villages without a village coordinator, I may consider adopting them.”

Dee married into a double-GR family. “My mother-in-law informed me there were very few Herts remaining; I accepted this information at face value,” she said.  “Years later I can disprove that statement as my database contains thousands of Hert/Herdt/etc.”

Dee has advice for people researching their heritage:  

“Gather all appropriate resource materials, join and refer to professional organizations depending on your objective.  Materials from AHSGR, NDGR, societies such as the Germanic Genealogy Society, Montana Historical Society are increasingly valuable,” she said. “I live in Utah and have easy access to the Family History Library (FHL) which is also an incredible resource. Facebook and other social media are constantly improving and should be reviewed frequently. Establish an AHSGR Facebook page or social media of choice and share what you learn.  Genealogy is sharing!”

Another source of information is the annual on-line Village Coordinator reports; one can improve research skills and gain insight into successful practices.

Dee encourages members to consider becoming VCs. “If you are hesitant then offer to assist another VC, mentoring can be very enjoyable.”

“AHSGR has a wonderful link to individual village files.  Read beyond your primary village, read all files as data crosses villages and your ancestors may have lived in numerous locations,” she said. “You would be amazed to learn how many villagers relocated to the Caucasus; slowly I am gathering that data into a separate database.

“I am a Life and Board member of AHSGR, I can honestly say that these folks are amazing.  They possess a positive attitude towards improvement and strive to attain the goals of preserving and promoting the Germans from Russia culture as do many individuals in the field. Working together we can move forward in a positive direction.”