Understanding -Sen and -Son in a Name: Johnson, Janson and Jansen
Why do some family names end in -son and some in -sen?
top of page
Search
Stefan Israel
Feb 10, 20202 min read
Dutch and Deutsch: so similar, so dissimilar
We’d talked about how much the German dialects vary, looking at dialect forms of the Lord’s Prayer. Let’s compare High German and Dutch.
763 views
Stefan Israel
Jan 29, 20202 min read
AUGH! From German to English
AUGH! It’s not just a cry of distress, it’s an anglicization. Why do we see lots of names ending in -augh? Baugh, Grumbaugh, Brumbaugh?
1,030 views
Pamela Israel
Dec 12, 20193 min read
1960 Christmas Card Mystery
Why were there piles of Christmas cards from 1960 sent from around the world to a young girl in Virginia?
225 views
Stefan Israel
Oct 16, 20193 min read
Low German, High German, Upper German- what is all that?
Are German dialects really more extreme than American dialects?
Are they ever! The Old World dialects in general are far, far more extreme t
8,814 views
Pamela Israel
Sep 19, 20193 min read
Washing & Sewing: A Diary & Tins
Sewing, in addition to laundry, used to be a responsibility that almost every woman had. And yet it can be tough to get insights into this p
83 views
Stefan Israel
Aug 4, 20193 min read
Dutchland? Germany?
The tribes that coalesced into Germans spoke 'the people’s/ popular language’ as opposed to Latin
7,671 views
Pamela Israel
Jul 26, 20192 min read
Why Do We Say Germany (& Not Deutschland)?
Not long ago, a friend asked me why we say Germany when the Germans use the word Deutschland. The words aren't even related! Good quest
6,619 views
Stefan Israel
Jun 5, 20194 min read
The Mystery of the Old "S" Explained
What on earth is going on with those letters? The s looks like an f !It sure does. I hope you never need those last couple of sentences. Old
3,501 views
Pamela Israel
May 22, 20193 min read
Old German Writing Tips
Here are a couple tricks to help decipher old German handwriting, Kurrent or Suetterlin, especially important with old family letters.
2,161 views
Stefan Israel
May 8, 20193 min read
H- huh? Making Sense of German
German and English both mostly use h the same, as that puff of air at the start of a word:
hello/hallo, here/hier, horn
But what’s that h do
627 views
Pamela Israel
May 1, 20192 min read
Tips for Finding the Day of the Week
Figuring out the day of the week that something happened can be important in genealogy. Here are a couple approaches.
147 views
Pamela Israel
Feb 28, 20192 min read
Postcard Pals - Old Swedish Cards in Translation
A series of correspondence to and from the same people opens up a whole new understanding about them. Old Swedish postcards from greater
120 views
Stefan Israel
Jan 31, 20193 min read
Ack! Pronouncing German ei vs. ie
English can be all over the map in how you’re supposed to pronounce any given set of letters: you polish the Polish silverware, you wait for
823 views
Pamela Israel
Jan 23, 20191 min read
Christmas Letter in February?
We thought it would be fun to conclude our week celebrating
the magic of handwriting with a light-hearted Christmas note that arrived one F
45 views
Pamela Israel
Jan 22, 20191 min read
Joyous German Visit Home: 1925
Eliese Trede, my mother's grandmother, immigrated in 1908, leaving her loving parents on a journey across the Atlantic. This is her 1925
41 views
Pamela Israel
Jan 21, 20192 min read
Beloved Son, Hurry! 1843 Letter
1843 letter in old German handwriting from my 3x great grandfather, to his son telling him to hurry from the army before his mother dies.
85 views
Pamela Israel
Jan 20, 20191 min read
Why Write Notes on Photos?
I remember being flummoxed by my mom's handwriting. What could it possibly mean? How glad I am that I learned cursive and can now read h
56 views
Pamela Israel
Jan 19, 20192 min read
Surviving Manassas: Civil War Diary
Civil War 1862 Diary: Looking at just the week of August 26 highlights his experiences: rebels attacking, burning railroad bridges, fighting
84 views
Pamela Israel
Jan 18, 20191 min read
Handwritten Letters & a Postcard
Day 2 to highlight the Art of Handwriting and your Family through January 23rd, National Handwriting Day. Share a favorite family hand-writt
60 views
bottom of page