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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?
1,123 views
Stefan Israel
Jan 10, 20203 min read
German Dialects, Names & More
German has developed a lot of dialects. How different are they? Platt and Schwyzerdütsch differ from the standard High German the most.
977 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?
236 views
Stefan Israel
Nov 6, 20197 min read
Ancestors in the Internet
A Google search finds a family letter in an overseas archive showing Alois in San Francisco and corresponding with a well-known anarchist.
148 views
Stefan Israel
Oct 7, 20192 min read
German in English I
Gesundheit! Bless you? In the American melting pot, you hear bits of the various ingredients still in the mix. Here are a few examples of Ge
246 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
Feb 11, 20192 min read
From Genf to Geneva and other Translations
When learning about ancestors who immigrated to the US decades or centuries ago, you get a double challenge. Not only is there the translati
779 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
Stefan Israel
Nov 12, 20184 min read
Why burg, why berg?
Berg vs. Burg
These two words show up abundantly in family and place names across the Germanic languages (German, Swedish, Dutch, Englis
21,143 views
Pamela Israel
Oct 23, 20182 min read
German in the Cemetery
Some old cemeteries have gravestones written in German. Here are some tips to help translate some key words.
5,560 views
Pamela Israel
Sep 10, 20181 min read
When is October in September?
Beer lovers and German fans can likely answer this riddle in a second. We are talking about Oktoberfest! September brings a nip in the...
65 views
Pamela Israel
Jun 2, 20182 min read
Civil War Diary Translation?
I feel so very lucky that my family has saved and cared for both family photos and also diaries, letters and other family pieces. Reading...
312 views
Stefan Israel
Mar 14, 20184 min read
the FEMININE of FAMILY NAMES
The history behind some of those last names - many had a feminine meaning. In some languages, the end of names still changes!
1,875 views
Stefan Israel
Jan 18, 20182 min read
What’s with the -ch- in German?
German has two variants for ch, depending on whether the surrounding letters are ‘bright’ or ‘dark’. If you say “ee, ey” versus “o, oo, a
729 views
Pamela Israel
Dec 30, 20172 min read
Ticket to a Year of Happiness
One of the fun things about digging through old family papers is discovering the whimsical pieces that someone has tucked away. Here's
97 views
Pamela Israel
Dec 16, 20171 min read
O Tannenbaum (O Christmas Tree) & More!
Houses are adorned with festive lights, decorations and trees. We've some German translations to get you even more in the holiday spirit
102 views
Stefan Israel
Nov 15, 20172 min read
The Curious History of the German 'Doubled S' - ß
Ä, Ö and Ü are simple variations of familiar letters, but the fourth letter that German has that we don’t is the real kicker: ß Eszett
5,923 views
Pamela Israel
Oct 31, 20171 min read
Black Cat (schwarze Katze) Boo!
German words inspired by US Halloween
272 views
Pamela Israel
Oct 10, 20172 min read
Where is that in English?
When it comes to place names, getting from English to German and vice-versa can be challenging, but it's also loads of fun, and useful,...
111 views
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