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• PalAm-Ohio's German Community Forum Series

  • When
    16 May 2026
  •  
    10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
  • Location
    ZOOM

  Ohio chapter
  PALATINES TO AMERICA - GERMAN GENEALOGY SOCIETY

  German Community Forum Series

  

  Sifting Through Ohio Records

  PalAm-Ohio’s German Community Forum Series resumes on Saturday, May 16, 2026 at 10:00 AM ET, to around or until noon, as a FREE ZOOM only event. Our facilitator this month is Nancy Ottman, a retired Director of Human Resources and Loss Prevention for JCPenney Co She has been involved in genealogy research and cemetery studies for more than 30 years. A member of PalAm since 2006, she is a former treasurer of our society and was instrumental in moving our collection to the Columbus Metropolitan Library.

  Nancy is also a member of the Association of Gravestone Studies and the Ohio Genealogical Society. She has spoken to numerous genealogical and historical societies and fraternal organizations in Ohio and Pennsylvania on topics ranging from beginning Genealogy, tombstones and their meanings, the Immigration of Germans to America, and the migration of Germans throughout the United States. A current member of the Ohio chapter board, she has presented at numerous PalAm, national and Ohio genealogical conferences.

  This talk is free, and we hope to see you online. To register, e-mail ckfsmail@gmail.com, and put “GFS” on the subject line. We get so many emails; please be sure to use that specific title so that you can be sure to get registered and receive your ZOOM link. Any Zoom questions or problems, please email Lori Poch at loripoch@yahoo.com.

  See you on May 16th, 2026 at 10am Eastern Time.

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• PA Chapter Third Tuesday for May 2026

  • When
    19 May 2026
  •  
    7:00 PM
  • Location
    ZOOM

  PA chapter Third Tuesday Zoom PROgram

  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 May program:

  Researching German Ancestors in Chester County, PA
  Tuesday, May 19, 2026

  
  

  Large numbers of German settlers emigrated to Pennsylvania in the colonial era and during early statehood. Learn  how these trends influenced settlement patterns by way of research tools at the Chester County History Center and Chester County Archives, dating to the early 1700s. This talk encompasses the original geography of Chester County and its current shape. It also addresses other repositories that should be included when researching the 1600s.

  

   Ellen Endslow is the Director of   Collections/Curator at the Chester County   History Center, West Chester, PA. She is   responsible for the museum collection and   oversees the library and photo archives. Ellen   works extensively with the community on   exhibition, oral history, and program   development. Ellen supervises collections   management activities with community volunteers and student interns. She grew up in Lancaster County, has numerous German ancestors, and is a big fan of scrapple!

  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.

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• 2026 Pal Am National Conference

  • Start
    18 Jun 2026
  •  
  • End
    20 Jun 2026
  •  
  • Location
    DoubleTree Resort Hotel Lancaster, Pennsylvania

  

  Our German Ancestors: Building America

  The Palatines to America 2026 National Conference will be held
  

  June 18-20, 2026 at the DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Hotel in Lancaster, PA.
  Join us in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch Country near where many early Palatines settled.  Learn from local experts and nationally recognized speakers.  Celebrate our nation’s 250th birthday just a few miles from where it all started. Registration opens January 2, 2026.

  Planning to attend?  Save the dates!
  Coming up June 18-20, 2026: the Palatines to America 2026 National Conference - presented by us - the Pennsylvania Chapter!

  We're deep in the planning phase at the moment but here's what's real so far:

  • The conference will take place at the DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Hotel in Lancaster, PA. Registration will open January 2, 2026. (When you register for the Conference, we'll be sending instructions with your conference registration confirmation about how to get "Conference Pricing" if you choose to stay at the DoubleTree.)
  • There will be two days packed with (as yet unconfirmed) speakers / presenters on a variety of topics for anyone who is interested in their German Heritage.
  • We are planning for a variety of exhibitors and vendors with materials to support or enhance your German genealogy.
  • The schedule of events will be published here, so bookmark the page and check back often. Also, keep an eye out for more information in upcoming issues of the PennPal and Palatine Patter newsletters.
  • When confirmed, the speakers, exhibitors, vendors and activities will be published on this page.

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• PA Chapter Third Tuesday for August 2026

  • When
    18 Aug 2026
  •  
    7:00 PM
  • Location
    ZOOM

  PA chapter Third Tuesday Zoom PROgram

  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 August program:

  Evaluating the DNA of Palatine Families – Part 2
  Tuesday, August 18, 2026

  Continued from our January program, this talk will also focus on how DNA can be used as a tool to enhance family history, particularly as we use DNA to link families together and discover new details about our ancestors. This second part of the talk will also give detailed examples among families who lived in the Palatine region of Germany, and among Swiss-Germans who settled in the Palatinate for several generations from the mid-1600s to mid-1700s before immigrating to Pennsylvania.

   Darvin L Martin has been passionate about family history since his youth and began to explore ways to use DNA testing to solve family history puzzles since these tests were first offered more than twenty years ago. His interest in history, particularly local history not found in common textbooks, compelled him to blend a career of scientific research with the pursuit of his own ancestry, seeking to understand the lives of his ancestors, many of whom are from Palatine families. He has chaired the Lancaster Family History Conference from 2003 through 2019 and serves as Group Administrator of the Mennonite and Amish Immigrants DNA Project.

  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.

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• PA Chapter Fall Webinar & Annual Membership Meeting

  • When
    26 Sep 2026
  •  
    1:00 PM
  • Location
    ZOOM

  Pennsylvania chapter Fall WEBinar
  and Annual Membership Meeting

  The Pennsylvania Chapter’s Fall Webinar and Annual Membership Meeting is happening on Saturday, September 26, 2026, beginning at 1:00 pm EDT.  Join us via Zoom for two interesting presentations, then stay connected for our Annual Membership Meeting.

  Putting Those Records to Work
  and
  Legal History of Title Origins in Pennsylvania

  Our first session on Records explores the clear use of each document we locate. Each can be mined – directly or in combination with other records – for more: a deeper, richer context for our family members and their place in time. In our second session on Title Origins, we will learn that PA law begins with one premise: William Penn owned it all. Knowing how the genealogists can read between the lines when tracing land ownership back to the beginning pays big dividends for research.

  
  

  Judy G. Russell, The Legal Genealogist®, is a genealogist with a law degree who provides expert guidance through the murky territory where law and family history intersect. An internationally-known lecturer and award-winning writer, she holds credentials as a Certified Genealogist® and Certified Genealogical Lecturer® from the Board for Certification of Genealogists® and is a Fellow of the Utah Genealogical Association. Her blog is at https://www.legalgenealogist.com.

  Our Annual Membership Meeting will convene at approximately 3:15 pm, following a brief break at the conclusion of the presentations. Please join us for this important look back at the past year and overview of upcoming activities, as well as the election of officers for the next year. Agenda and background material will come out closer to the meeting date.

  Register Here to join us for this event. If you have questions about the presentations or the annual meeting, please email us at info@pennpalam.org.

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• PA Chapter Third Tuesday for October 2026

  • When
    20 Oct 2026
  •  
    7:00 PM
  • Location
    ZOOM

  PA chapter Third Tuesday Zoom PROgram

  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.

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