• Active Research,  Henss

    William Hall 1707? – 1757

    This page is under development; research is on-going Note: additional source materials are currently being sought. The Immigrant Grandfather Source: The Grandfathers The death of William Hall on the first of May, 1757 at the hands of the Cherokee Indians, not only thrust upon John Hall, his oldest son, the responsibility of heading the family but also the settling and managing of his estate. Many of the old-timers made their Wills on their deathbeds, but in the case of William Hall, death came suddenly and as a consequence he had no Will. Fortunately, Bedford county which had been organized just three years prior to the fateful Spring of 1757 had…

  • Active Research,  Henss

    Christian and Mary (Roth) Wenger- A Brief History

    This page is under development; research is on-going Note: additional source materials and records are currently being sought. Christian Wenger was born 2 DEC 1799, Basel, Switzerland Mary Roth was born 15 NOV 1807, Dornach, Switzerland They were married 7 SEP 1830, Burgfelden, Elsass Christian Wenger and family migrated from Germany through Basel, Switzerland to near Hamburg, Ontario in 1835. The family lived here for 9 years. In 1844 they moved to Washington Co., Iowa north of Wayland by covered wagon, stopping overnite in Chicago where they could not find a place to stay. All the clothing they owned was on their backs as their clothing had been stolen before…

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  • Senger

    August Ferdinand Kunz – Catherine Elisabeth Albrecht

    The family of August Kunz and Elisabeth Albrecht lived in Neuteicherwalde in Kreis Marienburg, Westpreussen (West Prussia). August was a Hofbesitzer (Farmer). It is believed that Hermann Recht and Auguste geboren Kunz inherited the family farm with their marriage three plus years following the death of August Ferdinand (facts are being sought to confirm this). We do know that as late as 1895 Elisabeth continued to live in Neuteicherwalde (even after Hermann and Auguste Recht had moved to Pietzkendorf). This fact is confirmed via the birth and baptismal record of Erich August Albrecht. August Ferdinand Kunz (was born on 7 Feb 1844 in Neuteicherwalde the son of Andreas Kunz and…

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  • Senger

    Hermann Recht- Auguste Kunz Family History

    Hermann Recht and Auguste Kunz were married in Baarendorf ev. Kirche Kreis Marienburg, West Preussen.  To quote from the church records: Johann Hermann Recht, born 16 June 1869 in Zeyersniederkampen, married Auguste Alvine Caroline Kunz on 10 March 1891. (page 192 Baarendorf ev. Kirche). Based upon an oral family history/ tradition obtained by me from Luise Rabideau geboren Senger, their grand-daughter, the Recht-Kunz marriage took place just after the death of Auguste’s father, August Ferdinand Kunz. The truth of the matter was that the marriage actually took place some three years after August’s death. Hermann and Auguste had five children, that we have identified, four of which lived into adulthood.…

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  • Technology & Tools

    New FamilySearch Film Ordering

    This week I used the new FamilySearch.org microfilm (microfiche) ordering system for the first time. As you might expect, like any new service there are a few wrinkles but overall the new system is simply a magnificent advancement.  Here’s what I learned with my orders. NOTE: If you did not already know, recently FamilySearch.org placed a new online ordering mechanism on their site. According to their site this offering is being rolled out across the world and is currently available in my area (Colorado). Click this link to read the complete announcement. As most of you know, I do a lot of Prussian research (which means I order quite a…

  • Senger

    Sometimes… magic happens

    Today was one of those amazing days. It is often unbelievable what the universe has in store for you. Today, I received a small insight. A cousin of mine, Norbert Grohmann contacted me. Mind you, I had no idea that I had a cousin by that name or that his part of the family had even survived the Second World War. My mother, my primary source for such information, had not even known. But today a message (comment) came to me here on ManyRoads and it was Norbert… my cousin (Gott sei dank!). Since early this morning, we have numerous email exchanges.  I have gathered photos and information from Norbert. …

  • Help Wanted,  Senger

    Auguste Alvina Caroline Kunz

    It was another one of those days a genealogist only dreams of… one, when a huge brick wall comes tumbling down. Today my daughter and I were reading through our latest bunch of 11 Family History Center tapes, hoping to eek out a simple clue regarding our Prussian German forebears. We had already viewed 9 tapes when on our 9th tape we saw a birth/baptism record for Eduard Ferdinand Kunz.  The name Ferdinand Kunz had appeared as being in attendance at my great aunt (Tante) Ella’s baptism.  Did we have the right family? As readers of ManyRoads may already know, Auguste Kunz (my Uhr-Oma) on my grandmother’s line has been…

  • 27 Jan 1945 - Survivors of Auschwitz are shown during the first hours of the concentration camp's liberation by soldiers of the Soviet army, January 27, 1945. Manfred Pohl, a Deutsche Bank historian, said February 4 that Germany's largest bank, Deutsche Bank AG, lent funds to firms involved in the building of the World War Two camp. An estimated 1.5 million people were killed in the camp during World War Two. Photo by B. Fishman-Corbis-Bettmann REUTERS
    German Genealogy Pointers,  Tools

    The Former German Provinces & Missing Persons Search

    If you, like me, research and search for family through the area of West Prussia (Westpreussen)- East Prussia (Ostpreussen) and Pomerania (Pommern), these sites will be of interest.  I have also listed all these sites on the links page of ManyRoads. (Please Note! the links to external webpages are in the headers themselves and they appear before the individual site descriptions, when one exists.) If you are looking to find information on missing relatives from the Second World War, these sites are most helpful: DRK-Suchdienst (German Red Cross Tracing Service) The German Red Cross Tracing Service has always been on the side of those in need and by taking this…

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  • ManyRoads,  Technology & Tools

    Sharing Notes, Tasks, Todos

    Keeping notes, reminders and tasks synchronized as I move from place to place has been a real dilemma for me.  Not surprisingly, I really need a place to take notes, add reminders when I am browsing the web or reading my email.  I also need these notes, reminders, todos to be available wherever I am and on whichever PC I use. Recently, I found what seems to me to be a good solution.  Perfect no, good, yes!  This solution involves the use of several free, open source tools: ThunderBird (email system of choice) FireFox (internet browser of choice) ReminderFox (todo list and reminder system) and one file synchronization (Cloud) toolset:…

  • Public Speaking,  Quebec Genealogy Pointers

    Quebec Genealogical Tutorial

    I will be presenting a tutorial on conducting Quebec- Francophone Genealogy Research, September 10, 2011 at the: Parker Colorado Genealogical Society Stroh Ranch Fire Station 19310 Stroh Ranch Road Parker, Colorado 10 September 2011 Business Meeting: 1:30pm – 2pm Speaker: 2pm – 3:30pm I have created the following materials for use in the session for both: advance preparation (awareness) –as well as– for the session itself. The materials will form the basis of our discussion and an advanced reading will ensure that we can have a more in-depth set of discussions and mentoring activities. I know that it is unusual to assign homework for a session but hopefully folks will…

  • Lower (Bas) Canada Map
    Public Speaking,  Quebec Genealogy Pointers

    Quebec Historical Documents & Newspapers- Quebec Research Tip #3

    Here are lists of Quebec-related Online Historical Documents and Newspapers I have come across while performing data gathering searches. Please let me know of others as you stumble upon them, so I may add them to the list here. Getting Started with Quebec Research (from FamilySearch) Links to articles on getting started with Quebec research. Step-by-Step Quebec, Canada Research How to Locate Your Ancestor in Canada How to Recognize your Canadian Ancestor Name Variations in Canadian Indexes and Records Quebec Search Strategies Canada Online Genealogy Records Quebec Research Outline – Contains out-of-date links Mary’s Genealogy Treasures – Quebec research resources Originis – Stories of parishes, baptisms directories, marriages and burials, census, clergy biography…

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  • Active Research,  Deyo

    Francois Lafaye & Marguerite Foret/Forest

    I have encountered yet another Quebec genealogy mystery. As you might expect, this “new” mystery also involves the Deyo line. Nothing new there, I guess! Here’s where things stand currently. The family in question are the Francois Lafaye/ Marguerite Foret family- my gggg-grandparents down my grandmother’s maternal line (mid 1700s). Marguerite Foret/Forest appears ‘likely’ to have been the daughter of Bonaventure Foret/Forest and Marie-Claire Rivet. She as well as her entire Forest/Foret family were deported by the British ultimately landing in Louisiana as part of le Grand Derangement; deportation records (on Ancestry.com) support that assertion as does a database on the Acadian-Cajun website. Additionally I have found the following history…

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  • Public Speaking,  Quebec Genealogy Pointers

    French Canadian Source Materials- Quebec Research Tip #2

    Canada has some of the world’s best documented family history information.  This is especially true for Roman Catholic French Canadians.  They were wonderful record keepers and the materials have been excellently preserved. Over the years I have had the great good fortune of finding a number of small publishers/ booksellers who have, in their own ways, been most helpful.  I hope you find some of these links and pointers useful in your New York and Quebec research. Quintin Publications– Quintin Publications provides a wide array of professional genealogical research texts and document collections. Most of their texts focus on French Canada although they also publish materials from the British Isles…

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  • Public Speaking,  Quebec Genealogy Pointers

    French Canadian Genealogy Searches- Quebec Research Tip #1

    Finding “French Canadian” North American ‘relatives’ can be quite a challenge. My searches most often lead me to southernmost Quebec (Bas Canada, near La Prairie and Lacolle areas) as well as to Northern New York (specifically Clinton County, NY).  It seems that is the general area where most of my French-speaking forebears lived (from 1780- 1925); on occasion they manage to spill into the Quebec or Montreal areas, but that is almost always in the years before 1780.  As you might know, the area I search is rather small geographically, as well as from a population perspective. But my observation has been, even though folks did not move around very…

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  • Help Wanted,  ManyRoads

    Clyde Ross- photos found

    If you know of anyone related to and/or seeking images of a young Clyde Ross born in Cambridge Illinois, USA in the year 1896, we have 5 original photos of Clyde. The photos show Clyde at the ages of 3 months through 7 years (approx.). We found these wonderful photos in an antique store in Denver and simply could not let the collection be broken up any more than it already had been.  Besides, the images of Clyde growing up simply charmed us.           If you are related to and are seeking images of Clyde, we’d love to send digital copies of Clyde’s photos back to…

  • Active Research,  Deyo

    Alexis Menard- Louise Pageau family history

    Notes: For those of you who follow ManyRoads, you will recall that I have been looking for years for my great-grandmother’s family (Exina Menard- Deyo). I am sharing my work and data as it evolves (I hope much like a tutorial or case study.) for three reasons: to help me keep things in one place (a running log?) share the process of research with anyone interested in seeing my work as it stumbles, jerks and ultimately unfolds to use in my September tutorial Be aware, this page is being actively worked and its content will change! This material grew in large part from a forum posting originally created by Bev…

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  • Ancestry.com Thoughts,  German Genealogy Pointers,  Quebec Genealogy Pointers,  Search Tricks & Tips,  Technology & Tools

    Kick-starting your genealogy efforts

    I have put this little reminder checklist together to help me and others quickly examine our obvious options when we either are stuck or just getting started. This list is hardly exhaustive and if you try everything here without success you should not feel like you have to throw your hands up in despair, there are still many avenues to examine.  Hopefully though, using these tools will prove useful and productive and fun. Enjoy! Have you checked? For basic name searches try these out. Not all of these tools are genealogy focused but they are all quite robust and helpful. Google Mocavo FamilySearch Ancestry If the above hasn’t provided you…

  • Search Tricks & Tips,  Technology & Tools,  Tools

    Polish Archives

    For those interested in such things, a number of ‘online’ Polish Archives have recently come to my attention.  They include: Archiwa Panstwowe- State Archive in Poznan Archiwum Archidiecezjalne w Poznaniu (Archidiocese of Poznan Archive) Genealogical Society of Great Poland “Gniazdo” Although many of these site pages offer English translations, I find the translated documents to be only marginally easier to use than the Polish original pages (and my Polish is limited to the ever present and marginally accurate Google Translate). Nonetheless, these archives look to be a very positive resource and representative of a very hopeful trend! Should you know of other online Polish Archives you believe we should share,…

  • Ww1. Trench excavation near Fort Douaumont, Verdun, 1917
    German Genealogy Pointers,  Polish Genealogy,  WW1

    WW1 German Casualty Lists – 1.WK Armee-Verordnungsblatt Verlustliste

    Since I originally wrote this article, a number of new source material sites have come online. Be advised the only records listed here are those for German War Dead or Wounded.  In the event that you are unaware of key statistics involving German troops in WW1 here is a rough sketch: Killed in Action: 1.7 to 2 million Wounded: 4.2 million 65% of all mobilized men were casualties (killed or wounded) A word of caution, Austrian or other German Central Power Aligned Troops are listed elsewhere, as are those of the Allied Powers. As of 8 Feb. 2015,  you may find WW1 German Casualty Lists online at (but be aware…

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  • Tips & Opinions

    Revised Tips & Pointers

    For those of you who are interested in the tips etc. I have been writing, I have begun the process of both adding new materials and sorting my lists of articles into more useful (I hope) groupings.  You can see everything as it evolves here or you may directly access my newly sorted areas from the lists below: Search Tricks & Tips: German Genealogy Pointers: Quebec Genealogy Pointers:

  • Search Tricks & Tips,  Tools

    Google Search “Automated Tricks”

    Randy Majors has created a genealogy Google query tool that seems quite helpful. His search  tool attempts to optimize Google searches. You may test it directly below. If you prefer to use Randy Major’s site directly, please use this link! Thank you Karl for the tip!

  • Prussia Maps,  Videos

    Evolution of Germany from 1867

    The territorial evolution of Germany from 1867 to today. This video is in German although hopefully the graphics will be understandable to those who speak no German. Die Geschichte des deutschen Staates seit 1867 – staatliche und territoriale Entwicklung. Didaktikvideo zur staatlichen und territorialen Entwicklung der Bundesrepublik Deutschland.

  • Search Tricks & Tips,  Tools

    Image Search “Google Tricks”

    So you search for images as well, you say. I know I do. I find the search for images to be something of an obsession for me. I especially value those photos I am able to find that are of the German Expulsion or the area around Elbing in the former West Prussia, where my mother grew up. In keeping with my earlier article on Google Search Tips, I thought folks might appreciate some hints on Google search tricks for images. So here are a few. Firstly, it is important to note that the syntax for image searches is really not very different from the syntax for any other type…

  • ManyRoads,  Site,  Tips & Opinions

    Ancestor Approved Award

    Sassy Jane Genealogy: was nice enough a few months ago to give ManyRoads the Ancestor Approved Award. Sassy, I apologize for my delay in responding to the honor you offered ManyRoads. The honor is truly much appreciated and by now hopefully even a bit more deserved. The
 Ancestor Approved Award, for those who may not be aware, was created in March 2010 by Leslie Ann Ballou of “Ancestors Live Here” to appreciate and enjoy geneablogs that are “full of tips and tricks as well as funny and heartwarming stories….” Recipients provide a list ten things which surprised, humbled, or enlightened them about their ancestors and ten blogs to pass the…

  • Search Tricks & Tips

    Google Search “Tricks & Tips”

    Internet searching can be a wonderful adjunct to your genealogy efforts. Unfortunately most folks seem not to understand how to use search engines to their best advantage. Consequently they struggle and are often frustrated by their lack of accomplishments/ results. If you have not tried using some of the fancy features available in all search engines, I recommend that you consider doing so… In that spirit, I offer this posting. I can assure you that this brief article will not do much more than whet your appetite; but you might just come away with a few tips and an interest in seeing what else can be accomplished with just a…

  • Search Tricks & Tips

    Searching for Texts (online)

    Finding obscure, out of print texts covering low interest topics is an essential part of conducting genealogy research. Many of the texts you may want or need are not necessarily easily obtained from major book sources, like Amazon.com, ebay or your neighborhood bookstore. Rather than allowing difficulty associated in finding these difficult texts form a permanent road block, I thought I’d share a bit of an example search. I’ll point out in advance that our sample search will not be wholly successful; most are not. However, hopefully you’ll find the example informative. As our example, we’ll use is a nearly out of copyright WW2-era text entitled: Lend-lease : weapon for…

  • Deyo

    Another Deyo adventure!

    I guess I could have entitled this posting, out with the old, in with the new.  But as with most genealogy not very much of this information is actually new; including the fact that I had yet another problem in my Deyo lineage. Here’s the long and short of what has happened.  Barb (one of my  Deyo ‘cousins’) reviewed my latest Deyo line and noticed that my information and hers were not in synch. She is the proud owner of many things Deyo including photos, death certificates, folklore and the like. And as luck would have it, Barb’s copy of Mary (Bonah) Deyo’s death certificate indicated that Mary’s parents had…

  • Site

    100,000 Visitor

    Today (a snowy Colorado day in May) ManyRoads was visited by our 100,000 visitor. What can we say except, thank you! We know that by big site standards this is not a high traffic rate, but for us 100,000+ unique visitors is both amazing and wonderful. If you find our little site of benefit, please consider joining as a member.  If you are looking for something you think we might help you find, please ask. For those of you who might be interested, the following is a list of the 20 countries from which we have had our top 20 number of visitors. United States- 19,709 Germany- 17,944 Canada- 5,616…

  • Expulsion - Vertriebenen

    Worse than War

    In keeping with our emphasis on die Vertreibung and Ethnic Cleansing, we recommend you either view Daniel Jonah Goldhagen’s documentary “Worse Than War” or read his book of the same title. To quote Dr. Goldhagen: (source website- disappeared) I hope that you choose to have a look at it. Whether or not you end up agreeing with every conclusion and proposal in Worse Than War, the [documentary] offers a plethora of new information and perspectives not just on genocide or eliminationism but on critical aspects of humanity and modernity, society and politics. I hope to rouse your intellect and conscience, even if I at the same time challenge your views…

  • Tips & Opinions

    A new ethnic group? Prussian-Quebecois.

    Everyone claims an ethnicity. Me, too. So far as I  know, my sister and I form a rather distinct, maybe even a unique, ethnic group.  Yep, we are Prussian-Quebecois. We like to think of ourselves a being fairly unique and special.  After all our parents said we were special, and they wouldn’t lie. Would they? The really sad thing is it looks like our ethnic group is about to die out.  Today, we are both approaching 60 and in our youth we demonstrated immensely poor ethnic planning skills when it came to choosing our spouses.  Neither of us remained within our ethnic group! My sister chose an Irish-German guy; and…

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  • Quebec Genealogy Pointers,  Quebec History

    “Dit” Names

    The use of Dit names in French Canada (Bas Canada) is both very common and confusing.  Currently, I am working with another Deyo cousin to attempt to unravel yet another Deyo mystery. This part of my family line is now being reworked for the fourth time!  I think I might be getting good at it.  Briefly here’s the mystery… It appears, now, that I might be descended from a woman we believe was named Honoree Beaulac. Her family name (surname) has the following common dit names (there may be others as well): Desmarais Lake Lefebvre Marest Beaulaque Hertel (a nice German sounding name, eh?) By the way you will also…

  • Quebec Genealogy Pointers,  Quebec History,  Tools

    Rituel du Diocèse de Quebec

    If you are performing research in Quebec, the Rituel du Diocèse de Quebec may prove useful in providing clues regarding the name or names of your ancestors. To quote the PRDH: Among Catholics, choice of first name wasn’t left to chance or parents’ imagination. On the contrary, the church liked to control the attribution of first names to ensure that on the day they were baptised, children received the name of a saint who would guide them throughout their life. In the Rituel du Diocèse de Quebec, which laid out the rules to follow for writing baptismal, marriage, and burial certificates in Quebec, Monsignor de Saint-Vallier stipulated, “The Church forbids…

  • Expulsion - Vertriebenen

    Flucht aus Polen

    They said, the war was over. Still, the suffering continued. They were hungry. Alone. Afraid. Father had never come home, from Stalingrad. Brother, an infant, was dead. Home was gone, given to others. Of the family, Mother and the two sisters survived. They had their fear, their lives, their uncertainty, and each other. Mutti had sent Lilli to beg a cup of food from another expelled family… (photo, Lilli, age six or seven, is in the dark coat with cup). Her face shows the the feelings of humiliation she still remembers. This poorly written piece is true. Circumstances such as Lilli’s Vertreibung can never be justified; yet, they continue. Different…

  • German Genealogy Pointers,  Tools

    Finding German War Dead

    If, like me, you seek relatives who fought on the German side of a war, you might have experienced difficulty in finding information about these forebears. One of the most useful online services I have encountered in this area is the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge (link below).  It is through the wonderful efforts of the Kriegsgräberfürsorge that I have been able to find information about two of my great-uncles, who lost their lives in WW1: Adolf Senger Albert Senger and three cousins who died in WW2: Willi Wedhorn Egon Recht Erich Recht To quote the Kriegsgräberfürsorge site: The Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge e. V. is a humanitarian organization which is charged by…

  • Education,  Public Speaking,  Tips & Opinions

    Castle Rock Genealogical Society Presentation

    Well yesterday was one of those wonderful experiences for me. I had the opportunity to meet with and speak to the Castle Rock Genealogical Group about Technology and Genealogy. (My presentation materials are online here: Survey of Genealogy Related Technologies) For me the group was huge; okay, not really huge but larger than any I have ever the pleasure of speaking to before. The folks were congenial, enthusiastic and engaged. Their facilities (a spacious and well equipped meeting room in the Castle Rock Library) were wonderful. And their singing (yes they sang happy birthday to a member whose big day it was) was, well, a bit off key- probably because…

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  • German Genealogy Pointers,  Tools

    “Un-German” German Names

    Last evening, my wife and I watched a documentary on Poland, it covered the Gdansk (Danzig)- Szczecin (Stettin) area in particular. Baltic Coasts – Hidden Treasures: Explore the coastline from Vistula Lagoon via Gdansk Bay to the sandy beaches and steep cliffs of Pomerania and West-Pomerania. The reason for this post involves what I learned from one of the featured individuals, a talented young Photographer; his name- Michal Szlaga. Looking at his name never made me think of German descent or Germanic heritage but then the announcer pronounced his name and it was Michael Schlaeger / Schläger (exactly). You can imagine my surprise.  I certainly would never have pronounced his…

  • German Genealogy Pointers,  Tools

    Understanding the German Past

    German Genealogy is not much different from any other genealogy. You really need to have a plan as you begin your research, especially if you are unfamiliar with the region/ area or time period. Never assume that one locale looks like or offers information or data in the same as another. Each area, region or time frame offers its own unique idiosyncrasies, its own information. German research is really no different in this regard from other places; it is not the US or Canada and the available data is different from that commonly available in North America.  Having said all that, this posting is more of a concrete example on…

  • German Genealogy Pointers,  Tools

    Finding German Genealogy Data

    So where are the best places to find German Genealogy data? I hear this question, or something similar, often.  Perhaps it is because I am an American that I notice, but it seems most Americans I hear from expect to find German Genealogical record keeping and data ought to mirror that in the US. Unfortunately, they do not.  A number of historical factors impact the quality and type of genealogical records to be found in Germany today. What follows are a few points regarding German history that merit understanding: A number of fairly destructive wars ran over German lands.  These wars not only destroyed people and buildings, but also innumerable…

  • German Genealogy Pointers,  Tools

    German Name Spellings

    For those unfamiliar with, or simply wishing to learn more about, conducting German/ Prussian genealogical research this is my second posting in a series on the topic of German-Prussian Genealogy Pointers. One of the greatest difficulties people have with researching Germanic family members involves name spellings.  This is especially true for those English speakers.  Over the centuries, Germans who emigrated into English speaking lands have either tried to spell their names in ways that would be pronounced correctly or had assistance with their name spellings upon arrival or ‘later’ in Census takings.  This ‘help’ has lead to numerous challenges in finding the right folks in the old homeland (Heimatland). Here…

  • Uncategorized

    Conducting Better German Research

    Recently, I have received numerous queries on how to get started or better conduct German genealogy research.  Rather than simply email folks one at a time, I thought a post on the subject might be useful. By way of background, I ought to state that almost everyone I hear from tells me that they are: German (of German descent) the neither read nor speak German (or just very little) few are aware of much German history fewer are aware of their family’s cultural background in Germany Having provided the little list above likely provides clues as to items researchers need to pay attention to: If you do not speak the…

  • Uncategorized

    Political Debate about the Center Against Expulsion in Berlin (ARD)

    Political Debate about the Center Against Expulsion in Berlin. Flucht und Vertreibung – Eskaliert der deutsch-polnische Zoff? (ARD Anne Will’s political talk show) Unfortunately, it is not easy or simple to find factual information about controversial subjects like die Vertreibung (the Expulsion). We extend our sincerest appreciation to all our readers who have shared their experiences, links, articles, and photos on the subject. We hope that you find these videos informative and helpful in developing a more complete and balanced understanding of what happened to Eastern Germans following the loss of World War 2. For more background on why we present this information, please read: On the “Vertreibung”, Expulsions, and…

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  • Uncategorized

    Whoa, Backup!

    Backups, file duplication, redundancy, security are essential dimensions of performing quality genealogy work; well honestly they are required for any type of computing.  Having said that, most people don’t bother with any of this unless, and until, they have a catastrophe, and even then only for a short while after an accident. To my mind these functions need to be easy, seamless and nearly automagic once they are established.  All this is to say, data synchronization and backup must require very little, if any, extra effort or thought.  Extra effort or thought are almost always extra… and extra things tend to get forgotten. Like many of you over the past…

  • Expulsion - Vertriebenen,  Senger,  Tips & Opinions,  Tools

    Frieda Senger- Cyrillic Conversion

    As many of you are aware, I have been trying to decipher a Russian document that Soviets created as justification for sending my grandmother into a Gulag following WW2. To help me with my sleuthing, I have found and used the following tools: Russian letters & script Russian online keyboard Automatic Cyrillic Converter My grandmother’s document may be viewed here: Frieda Senger -Suchdienst & Soviet Records. What I did to help me in my search was to carefully look at the Cyrillic script and attempt to define each letter using the script as presented on the site at item 1 above. Once I found (or thought I found) the script…

  • Uncategorized

    Zeyer- the end

    Recollections of an officer of the chief administrative district in Zeyer. Johannes Jahn, farmer and farm owner in Zeyersvorderkampen. see original document This document has been translated and reworked with additional family history by Mark Rabideau. The District of Zeyer was located in the northeast corner of the Free State of Danzig, in the area that included the towns of Grosses Werder, Zeyer, Stuba and Schlangenhaken. The district followed the Nogat River, starting at the village Zeyer to the Vistula Lagoon estuary. The total area of the District was about 2510 hectares (~6200 acres)  of which 480 hectares (`1200 acres) were the village of Zeyer, Stuba with the village of…

  • Senger,  Thoughts

    For some its Groundhog’s Day

    2 February is one of those days that adds a bit of winter fun to many Americans’ lives. For me though, it is something much more. It was 122 years ago today (2 February 2011) that my grandfather was born. As readers of this site will most likely know, he remains one of my life’s great influences. He is one of those loved people to whom much of my ManyRoads work is dedicated. Richard Senger was born on this day in 1879. He was born the third child of ten to Michael Senger and Adelgunde geboren Kiehl in Zeyersniederkampen, Westpreussen, Deutschland (a heimat -homeland- that is no more). He survived…

  • Thoughts

    Genealogy & Social Networking Technologies #5- RSS Feeds

    RSS Feeds are one of the most stable and long running social tools on the web. As might be expected it is one of the two I started using first and the one for which I had the highest expectations. As luck would have it , RSS feeds have been largely a disappointment for me. RSS feeds have been around for probably longer than any of the tools in my little survey. For most folks, RSS seems to be both a very reliable and stable method of retransmitting blogs to broad ‘external’ audiences, using an information ‘push’ toolset; meaning I push (send) my content out to you the reader and…

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  • Tips & Opinions

    Genealogy & Social Networking Technologies #4- LinkedIn

    Unlike facebook, LinkedIn has been moving in positive and useful directions. To be honest, I have had enough success with LinkedIn that I have begun to expand my efforts on that social networking platform. By way of a quick overview, to-date I have attempted the following activities with good success on LinkedIn. I have: added LinkedIn friends and now have more than 500. As I have increased my associates so has the ManyRoads traffic increased. created a Genealogy Group (Genealogy Guild) which now has more than 100 participants. There is limited activity in the group and some amount of traffic from the group to ManyRoads has yielded additional, albeit limited,…

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  • Uncategorized

    Just knowing…

    Knowing our family origins brings a comfort that is hard to explain, but priceless to those seeking and finding. I could not have said it better. The above quote was one I received today in an email from one of my clients. I think the message is clear, succinct, and one which most of us who chase ancestors would heartily agree. The words moved me. I thought perhaps they might move you as well.

  • Uncategorized

    Genealogy & Social Networking Technologies

    Social networking (media) ought to be a useful adjunct to genealogy research. Or more complexly stated, genealogy and genealogists should benefit greatly through improved interpersonal, Internet communications technology (better known as social networking).  Of late, I have been trying to employ a number of web oriented ‘social’ technologies in an effort to up ManyRoads site readership and traffic. It probably bears stating, the reason I (and most genealogy bloggers) seek higher traffic is because I both appreciate and need the contact/ interaction in my genealogy searches/ efforts.  By that I mean, you (our reader) have knowledge and information that might help me in my search(es), just as I have information…

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