Don't Forget!

Don't forget that this coming weekend, Saturday, September 29th, is our big even at 1:00 P.M.  The work is in progress, and we're looking forward to hosting our Intermountain Chapter AHSGR meeting in Vernal.  We'll be having a sausage making demonstration, fabulous food, and excellent company.  All you need to bring is yourself and family, and maybe a jacket just in case.  The weather is suppose to be nice.  We're looking forward to seeing you! RSVP would be appreciated, but not mandatory.

Arthur E. and Cleora Flegal Living Legacy

You are invited to contribute to the Arthur E. and Cleora Flegal Living Legacy.  Arthur Flegal has selected and helped develop a Living Legacy that includes a matching grant. He has contributed $25,000 in unrestrictive funds to begin this Living Legacy.  We now have an opportunity to recognize Arthur and Cleora Flegal and preserve our German Russian heritage by contributing to the Living Legacy Fund.  Once $25,000 has been contributed, Art will add another $25,000 to be matched so that the Legacy Fund will have $1000,000 to continue the mission of AHSGR.

Maybe you are like me, and don't currently have the ability to make a large contribution, but please contribute what you can.  Even a small donation is doubled when it is given to the Arthur E. and Cleora Flegal Living Legacy.  It's exciting when $50 becomes $100, or $200 becomes $400! I definitely want to be part of this.

For more information on Arthur E. and Cleora Flegal and their contributions to AHSGR, read the article in the Summer 2012 AHSGR Newsletter by Don Soeken.  They are amazing people.

Take Note

In case you haven't noticed, this blog has a new feature.  I'm hoping that it will prove to be useful for those of you who use this site.  At the top of the posts is an area that says Home, then lists three village names.  If you click on those names, it will take you to a page that holds posts concerning that particular village.  Just continue to scroll down to read all of the posts on that village.  I noticed that we had quite a few posts on Warenburg and Pfeifer, probably because chapter members and myself have those ancestral villages.  Please feel free to send me info to add.  If you have material on other ancestral villages, I can also start a page for other villages.  Currently I'll keep these posts on the regular page as well, as I work out a few bugs concerning the new feature. I can open those pages using Explorer, but not other browsers. So I'll try and get that figured out.  I will be receiving new information on Dietel soon, so I set up a link for it in anticipation.  Currently it is empty. I am not the Village Coordinator for any villages, so they are still your best avenue for information, but I'm excited to have things organized in a fashion that will make things easier for those who visit this blog.  Let me know what you think!

Village of Dietel

I will be posting both old and new information about the village of Dietel on this blog, so if you are interested in that village let Annette know. 

Don Soeken, co-coordinator of Dietel village

FEEFHS Conference

I was able to attend the first day of the FEEFHS Conference in Salt Lake City, and it was well worth my time.  I went to two sessions.  The first was an overview of the New Family Search and how to best use it for our area of research; I received many helpful tips.  The second session was on Germans from Russia.  While  much of the information was familiar to me, I came away with a renewed energy to keep going.  The best part for me was the consult with Dave Obee on my personal research problems.  It was very encouraging, and I'm moving forward. I definitely recommend the consult for next year.

I was also fortunate to have about eight hours in the Family History Library to work on a current research project.  I am compiling EWZ records on all of the Burghardt names from Pfeifer, Russia. I still have more films to go through, but I'm delighted with the progress I made. I was surprised with the number of people I found. Of course it will take some time to translate and compile the information, but then I will have it available to share.

Mark These Dates on Your Calendar

July 12-14, 2012

Plaza Hotel, Salt Lake City, Utah

The Eastern European Research Workshop will be presented by the Federation of East European Family History Societies.  There are classes on German and Russian Research and specialty classes on the Germans from Russia. Here is a link to the website that should tell you more on cost and give details about the classes.  www.feefhs.org/2012

 

Our next chapter meeting will be July 28, 2012, at the home of Shawnette Malan and Carol Harless, 10001 Hook Drive, South Jordan. We will meet at noon and eat during the meeting.  Everyone will bring food to share.  Six of our chapter members went to the Portland Convention and will tell about the convention.  Bill Dellos has the final report about our 2011 SLC convention.  If time permits, Sharon White will tell about finding more Laub ancestors, thanks to Konstantin Petrunin's research.  

Thanks For the Great Meals!

The local AHSGR chapter in Portland fed the convention attendees well.  Just so you can have an idea of how hard they worked, I've included a few pictures. The menu included such items as rolladen (beef rolls), spaetzle (Bavarian pasta), rotkohl (traditional red cabbage), salat (salad), schweinebraten (pork roast), sauerkraut, gulash, nudeln (pasta), gemuese (vegetables), bratwurst, kartoffelsalat (German-style potato salad), and karrotten (carrots).  Thanks!

Opening General Session of AHSGR Convention

 St. Michael's Sanctuary, Portland, Oregon

 This bowl came with Russian immigrants  to America, lovingly protected in a strong box for the trip.

The opening general session to the 2012 Convention was held at St. Michael's Sanctuary in Portland.  Dr. Richard Scheuerman was the keynote speaker. He spoke about the first Volga German immigrants to the Pacific Northwest who came from Kansas to Portland via steamship from San Francisco in 1881.  They were joined by another group that arrived via wagon train from Nebraska.

Catherine the Great

This year marks the 250th anniversary of Catherine the Great's invitation to the people of Central Europe to settle on the bleak Russian steppe. And, that's how our ancestors ended up in Russia. How nice of her to show up at this year's AHSGR Convention!

Cooking at the Portland AHSGR Convention

 I think I've found a new hobby.  I've taken three different classes on German cooking.  Take a look at the results of these ancestral dishes from our Germans from Russia roots- noodles, grebbel, and butterballs.  I've been totally impressed with all of the people teaching these classes.  What a treat!

May 2012 Meeting

Just a reminder to let you know that our next Intermountain Chapter meeting will be May 19th, at noon at the home of Shawnette Malan and Carol Harless, 10001 Hook Drive, South Jordan.  Everyone will bring food to share at the meeting.  Darrell Weber will give a presentation about Catherine the Great. Konstantin Petrunin will be at this meeting.  Konstantin and his father do research at the Engels and Saratov archives in Russia.  This will be a great chance to meet Konstantin.

What could you discover in a death certificate?

•Names: You might find the name of the deceased, his or her spouse, parents, children and sometimes other relatives. You can even find maiden names. •Cause of death: This may indicate a family medical history. If the death was suspicious, look for a coroner’s report, newspaper articles and court records that can tell you more. •Place of birth: This can lead to a birth record or another trail to follow. Details on a death certificate can help support theories or suggest next steps in your research, though they aren’t always easy to come by. If you can’t find the death certificate you’re looking for, search local newspapers for an obituary or try tombstones, church documents or funeral home records. (Ancestry.com)

March Meeting

Just a reminder to let you know that our next AHSGR Intermountain Chapter meeting will be March 17, 2012, at noon at the home of Shawnette Malan and Carol Harless, 10001 Hook Drive, South Jordan. Everyone will bring food to share and we will eat during the meeting. Everyone should also bring something (preferably from Utah) to put into the basket our chapter will provide for the Silent Auction at the Portland convention.

The "WHY" of the Story

This has been my mantra for several years...filling in the story so that you can understand the "WHY". I borrowed these helpful tips from ancestry.com. I hope they will be of help to you as well. It’s easier to understand why when you see a person’s actions against the backdrop of history. And the best way to do that in your own family tree is to plot your discoveries on a timeline. Step 1: Start with the facts. Create a simple timeline with pen and paper or a word-processing document. Add basic information you know about a relative and his or her immediate family. Jot down names, dates, places and key events in chronological order. Add details from census records, family stories and any records you find at home. Step 2: Add history and supporting records. Give your timeline context by adding historical events. Include big ones that may have affected your ancestors and smaller ones specific to your family. Use these events to help you find additional records like draft cards, newspaper articles, yearbooks, obituaries or city directories. Step 3. Analyze. Look at your timeline. Does everything add up? Gaps and inconsistencies can show where and when to look for records. For example, a widow with a six-year-old child in 1910 is an invitation to look for the husband’s death certificate between 1904 and 1910.

Military Records

Military records are wonderful sources that provide unique facts and insights into the lives of men and women who have served in the armed forces. They may include dates of birth and death, residence, names and addresses of family members, military rank and affiliation, among other details. The types of records you’ll find in this category include draft records, service records, pension records, bounty land records, claim records, and military histories.(ancestry.com) While most of us are researching immigrant ancestors, there is much more to the story than many of us know. I was able to find one of my uncles who had immigrated to the U.S. from Russia in time to serve in WWI. It was such a delightful discovery. While his description on the records was rather sketchy, it was still fun to read that he had blue eyes and was tall. Anything that helps them come alive is well worth the search.