John Blankenbaker's Germanna History Notes

Note 2048

[Change of subject from immediately previous Notes.]

The Pennsylvania Chapter of Palatines to America has announced their Spring Conference on Saturday, 23 April 2005.  The place is Yoder's Restaurant banquet room in New Holland, PA.

There is one speaker for the day, Trudy Schenk, who was born and educated in Germany but who now makes her home in Park City, Utah.  She has become a leading author and research scholar on Germanic emigration to the United States.  Deciphering the old German handwriting is her speciality, as well as finding places of origin in Germany.  She is an Accredited Genealogist with the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, and the co-author of several books titled " Wuerttemberg Emigration Index ".

The " Wuerttemberg Emigration Records " is a unique collection of papers and documents on applicants who filed for permission to emigrate from Wuerttemberg during the 19th Century.  The original documents are not indexed.  In the published books, you will find names in alphabetical order, showing the person’s date and place of birth with other information.

Her three topics at the Spring Conference are:

(1) " Wuerttemberg Emigration Indexes " and Beyond:  Records of 19th Century immigrants,

(2) Colonial Pennsylvania Germans:  Methodologies for Finding the Villages of Origin, and
(3) "Where Do I Find It?"  Overview of Where to Access German Record Groups.

Though there is an emphasis on 19th Century emigration, the techniques that she will be discussing should also have an application to 18th Century emigration.

There is a charge for the Conference:

For Chapter Members, $25 per person, and
For Non-Chapter members, $27 per person.

Full refunds up to 5 April and partial (almost total) refunds up to 18 April.  These prices include a very generous lunch.

Send an advance registration to:

Lois Wahl Decker
Spring Registrar
3011 Dundee Road
York, PA 17402-1016
with checks payable to PA Chapter PalAm.

The Pennsylvania Chapter was formed in 1977 when fourteen people met to organize a chapter under the national organization.  There are now about 1,300 members around the world.  For more information about joining, write to:

PA Chapter
Palatines to America
P.O. Box 280
Strasburg, PA 17579-0280.

I'll be there and should any of you go, please introduce yourself.
(15 Feb 05)

We gratefully acknowledge the work of John Blankenbaker who published over 2,500 Germanna History Notes via the Germanna-L@rootsweb.com email list from 1997 to 2008. We are equally thankful to George Durman (Sgt. George) for hosting the list and republishing the notes via rootsweb.com.