20 YEARS OF FRENCH GERMANY
French Germany? France is French and Germany is German, as a general rule, so how could you have French Germany?
Well, borders can be flu
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Stefan Israel
Oct 30, 20201 min read
Our Dutch (Speaking) President Martin Van Buren
The first U.S. president born in the United States (so after the country’s founding) didn’t even speak English as his first language.
1,106 views
Pamela Israel
Oct 6, 20202 min read
German-Americans Celebrated in October
The whole month of October is German American month. But wait! October 6 in particular is German-American Day. So many have contributed.
106 views
Stefan Israel
Sep 22, 20204 min read
Three Hansa Cities, Two Emigration Ports, and a History: Bremen, Hamburg, Lübeck
The largest emigration ports from Germany to the New World were the Hanseatic cities Bremen and Hamburg, Germany’s leading ports even today.
989 views
Stefan Israel
Jul 29, 20203 min read
Imperial Cities of the Holy Roman Empire
At various times, there were dozens of imperial cities, from towns of a few thousand people to some of the largest cities.
2,403 views
Stefan Israel
Jun 24, 20202 min read
Kaffeeklatsch
Kaffeeklatsch, a very gemütlich, cozy gathering. It translates as ‘coffee chit-chat’
709 views
Pamela Israel
May 24, 20203 min read
German-Born, Civil War Vet - Newspaper Help
I love scouring old newspapers. I hit the jackpot with Joseph Billman from Erie - German-born and Civil War veteran.
231 views
Stefan Israel
Apr 13, 20203 min read
DUTCH, not DEUTSCH: English, Dutch and German
English, Dutch and German are all related languages - the languages diverged - you can see it in how the same original words now differ.-
1,472 views
Stefan Israel
Mar 17, 20204 min read
Celtic father-names: Donaldson, McDonald, O’Donnell
The main Celtic traditions for genealogy are the Irish, the Scottish and the Welsh. Complicating matters, Irish settlers brought Gaelic from
800 views
Stefan Israel
Mar 2, 20204 min read
Understanding -Sen and -Son in a Name: Johnson, Janson and Jansen
Why do some family names end in -son and some in -sen?
8,859 views
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.
758 views
Stefan Israel
Jan 27, 20201 min read
Mozart and the Founding Fathers
In honor of Mozart's birthday on January 27th, we look to a curious Mozart connection or two crossing the Atlantic.
2,960 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
8,759 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
Pamela Israel
Aug 31, 20192 min read
Chicago. German Painter. White City.
It’s 1893. Chicago. Full of ambitious people eager to make their mark. Twenty-five year old Alois, trained in decorative carpentry and paint
84 views
Stefan Israel
Aug 5, 20193 min read
Dutchland? Germany?
The tribes that coalesced into Germans spoke 'the people’s/ popular language’ as opposed to Latin
7,550 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
6,535 views
Stefan Israel
Jun 24, 20192 min read
The Siegfried Idyll gift
In honor of his son's third birthday, Wagner wrote an Idyll. Learn the story behind its first performance.
104 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
625 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.
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