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50th Anniversary Celebration at the IGGP Conference in Columbus Ohio on June 12th - 14th, 2025View the webcast about the 50th Anniversary Celebration here. The Passcode is: %7XL4#70
The Colorado Chapter of Palatines to America is pleased to announce that Gail Blanenau has accepted our invitation to be the speaker at our Fall Seminar on 3rd October 2026. Registration Coming August 1st. Visit www.copalam.us for more details.
Gail's Topics: 1. Power Combination: German Church Records and Farm Histories 2. Finding Your Family in Numbers: How to Find and Navigate German Census Records 3. Finding Your Germanic Home Village and Parish 4. Mountain Peaks and Trails: Your Swiss Ancestral Journey
The seminar will be a hybrid event.
The Pennsylvania Chapter’s series of Third Tuesday Zoom programs continues. Presented at 7:00 PM ET, they are free and open to all. Join us for our October program:
Tips and Tricks of Deciphering German Handwriting Tuesday, October 20, 2026
Learn the top tips and tricks for deciphering the old German script! With expert insight on how to easily recognize certain letters, how to tell tricky letters apart, abbreviations, spelling variations, names, and more, you'll be amazed at what you can read after only an hour of learning! Your ancestors' stories are waiting for you.
Katherine Schober is German-English genealogy translator, author, and dedicated educator. As the founder of Germanology Unlocked, she brings over a decade of professional experience to her mission of helping individuals uncover and preserve their German family stories. Katherine specializes in deciphering old German handwriting, offering a range of services that include expert translations, engaging webinars, and in-depth classes and workshops. Her expertise has made her a sought-after speaker at major national genealogy conferences such as RootsTech, the International German Genealogy Partnership Conference, National Genealogical Society, and more. Her contributions to the field have been featured on the History Channel and PBS's "Finding Your Roots".
Register here to join us for this program. If you have a question that you want to ask, feel free to email us in advance at info@pennpalam.org or pennsylvaniapalatines@gmail.com.
Fall Seminar 50 Year CelebrationOctober 24, 2026 at OGS Library in Belleville, Ohio
Join us as we celebrate our 2026 Fall Seminar and 50th Year Anniversary Celebration on 24 October 2026. We are in person and on Zoom this year. The Seminar will be held at the OGS Library, which is located at 611 State Route 97 West, Bellville, Ohio 44813. We still have room for you to attend in person or via Zoom, so sign up today. We will have lunch and Anniversary Cake for those who attend in person.
Guest Speaker: Peggy Clemens Lauritzen, AG, AGL, FOGS Presenter, Institute Leader, Researcher and Author
10 a.m. Session #1 – “Migration Trails Into and Out of Pennsylvania”
11 a.m. Session #2 – “Community Research Using National Register of Historic Places”
12 Noon Catered Luncheon (by Der Dutchman)
1:15 p.m. 50th Anniversary Celebration featuring
Ernie Thode, Local History and Genealogy Librarian, Retired“Reflections on this Historic 50th Anniversary Milestone”
2:10 p.m. Library Tours and Open Research
We will email a Zoom link and handouts to paid registrants a few days before the seminar. The Zoom link is for the registrant only. It can not be used by others.
Any Zoom questions or problems, please email Lori Poch at loripoch@yahoo.com
Registration online athttps://oh-palam.org/register/
Visit the Ohio PalAm Chapter Website for Registration & Payment information.
The Pennsylvania Chapter’s series of Third Tuesday Zoom programs continues. Presented at 7:00 PM ET, they are free and open to all. Join us for our November program:
What's Your Problem??? Tell Us About It!!!Tuesday, November 17, 2026
The November Third Tuesday program brings back our popular discussion of member research problems. What is your brick wall in researching your Pennsylvania German ancestors? Perhaps you are seeking the name of the ship that brought Heinrich Schmidt to these shores and when. Or maybe you found brothers George and Casper Henzel operating a butcher shop in Allegheny City in the 1860’s, but George disappeared after Casper and his
family moved west. How might you find George? Perhaps you found one census record listing your third great grandmother’s first name as Margaretha but another shows Magdelena. Which is right or are they even the same woman? Might “Mar.” mean Martha or Marie or Margaret or some other variation? WHAT DO YOU DO NEXT?
We can’t solve your problem or do the research for you, but maybe other attendees can offer ideas and suggestions for your next steps. For detailed information on how to submit your problem and the information we will need, see below. The submittal deadline is October 17, 2026.
Register here to join us for this program. If you have a question that you want to ask, feel free to email it to us in advance at info@pennpalam.org.
INFORMATION WE WILL NEED ABOUT YOU: Your Name Your Email Address
GUIDELINES FOR SUBMITTING THE PROBLEM: It must be Pennsylvania-related. Please include the name of the County and Township, if known. It must be general enough that other people can contribute to or benefit from the discussion.
INFORMATION WE WILL NEED ABOUT THE PROBLEM: What’s the problem? Who does it involve (names, dates, places)? What do you already know (facts, documentation)? What do you hope to learn? Where have you looked?
HOW TO SUBMIT: Condense the information into two paragraphs. A one- or two-page attachment, with a chart or a map, can accompany your submittal. Email your information to programming@pennpalam.org with “Third Tuesday Program on November 17, 2026” in the subject line.
Indiana Chapter Collaborative Learning Session Saturday, January 23 2027 ― 10:00 AM – 12:00 PMZoom Virtual OnlyFree to ALL
Save the Date!
Join us on Zoom as we explore how AI can enhance genealogical research. From searching on websites to using smartphone features, AI already helps genealogists work more efficiently. This CLS will help you understand and use these tools.
Palatines to America is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. PO Box 141260, Columbus OH 43214 © 2023
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