Send questions/comments on this or any other topic to GRIVA.GermanSIG@gmail.com. In our last SIG of the year, we addressed the three southernmost colonies – North Carolina South Carolina, and Georgia. North Carolina Like Virginia, North … Read more
Germans have explored and settled in colonial Virginia since the early 1600s. Johannes Fleischer, a botanist from Breslau, landed in Jamestown with the British in 1607. His goal was to explore the area for medicinal … Read more
Per the 1790 census, German immigrants made up about 8.6% of the overall population of the thirteen newly minted states. In Pennsylvania, however, that number rises dramatically – to 34%. So there is a lot … Read more
The Palatines of New York are one of the earliest groups of German settlers in the British colonies of North America. Their story is in some ways tragic, but in others a testament to perseverance. … Read more
In September, the German SIG examined the emigration process in the 1600s and 1700s. Where did emigrants come from? How did they get here? Where did they settle?
For blank civil registration record for birth, marriage, and death, as well as transcriptions and translations of each, see the handout from this presentation. This month we discussed the history of civil registration in Germany. The earliest … Read more
In March we took a look at funeral guidelines and regulations, everything from a quiet burial to the so-called donkey’s burial. We’re using the same volumes as in February and November, so look there for … Read more
This month, we took a deep dive into German church records for marriage – why do they look like they do, how they change over time, and how they vary from place to place. There … Read more