Calendar

Our "German Roots 2008" programs:

The nine monthly programs offered represent a wide variety of opportunities for German family historians who seek help in the search for their German ancestors.

Continuing the popular series of the last six years, SGGS offers programs by experts from across the nation and closer to home. Our April seminar provides learning opportunities for attendees who will choose their specific areas of interest from the many sessions offered. We do not have a program meeting in April (due to our seminar) and we do not meet in November and December.

Everyone interested in German family history is welcome to attend any of the nine monthly programs free of charge.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2008

Presenter: Baerbel Johnson, AG

Topic: "Where are they really?" Strategies and hints for locating those elusive German ancestors

An International Reference Consultant at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Baerbel Johnson's head is packed full of ideas for solving ancestral problems. With more than twenty years' experience in European family history, with emphasis on Germany, she offers tools, including many websites, for finding 18th and 19th century ancestors.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2008

Presenter: Kay Cayler

Topic: "What do you know, don't know, wish you had known or never even considered when doing genealogical research?"

With her long-time interest in genealogy, Kay Cayler, active in our SGGS Study Group and in the Ostfriesen Genealogy Society, has collected through the years some off-the-wall observations that can benefit us in our family history pursuits. She is a past president of the Solano County Genealogical Society.

TUESDAY, MARCH 25, 2008

Presenter: Larry O. Jensen, AG

Topic: "Using encyclopedias, dictionaries, biographies, surname books, bibliographies and other research tools to determine places of origin, locate records, and resolve research problems."

Larry Jensen returns to Sacramento this year by popular demand, after having visited us last summer, when he impressed the membership with the knowledge and the information he left us with. A specialist in German family history for many years, and acting now as the director of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City as well as a reference consultant on the International Floor, Jensen will present information on a topic that he has found few researchers understand.

TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2008 - NO PROGRAM MEETING IN APRIL

SGGS's 25th Birthday celebration will be held on Friday evening, April 25th at the Sacramento Turn Verein. A German buffet, German band, folk dancers and songs is free to all who register for the seminar on Saturday. (Those not registering for the seminar may pay a fee of $25 to attend the birthday celebration.) The Annual Seminar will be held on Saturday, April 26th, and will feature two popular speakers, Dr. Roger P. Minert, AG, and Marion Wolfert, AG. For additional details click here or visit the seminar page by clicking on the Seminar/Workshop tab on the homepage. [The Seminar page is not updated yet but will be soon.]

TUESDAY, MAY 27, 2008

Presenter: Marianne Hilburn

Topic: "Writing your family history"

Having been a genealogist for more than forty years, Marianne Hilburn has become immersed in teaching the techniques of writing family histories—to both children and adults. The emphasis of her instruction is to make the writing flow naturally, and to make use of a number of techniques that help the memories flow out onto the paper. Her goal is to teach you to write about your family so that your story sparkles.

TUESDAY, JUNE 24, 2008

Presenter: Kory Meyerink, AG

Topic: "Locating places in Germany: Gazetteers — Necessary tools for successful research"

Kory Meyerink is known in just about every high-level area of German research. (Besides Germany, he is also accredited in Midwest, Eastern, and New England United States research.) Those who attend national and state conferences will have heard him speak there, as one of the most highly respected and knowledgeable presenters. Meyerink is the founding director or the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, sponsored by the Utah Genealogical Association and held each January in Salt Lake City, Utah.

TUESDAY, JULY 22, 2008

Presenter: Lynn Brown

Topic: "All that's new — and more — at the Sacramento Regional Family History Center"

Lynn Brown, a specialist in genealogy computer research, has an extensive background in computers, genealogy and administrative research. She began her career at the National Archives and Records Administration in San Bruno. Here's our chance to learn all about the very latest resources offered by our Family History Center, some of which by this date will be very new indeed.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2008

Presenter: Shirley Riemer

Topic: "The search for an Ortssippenbuch that could prove key in your research"

Our own Shirley, an expert German researcher in her own right and author of The German Research Companion, will discuss a resource that can be a valuable asset for German research. Having searched out a number of sources for finding Ortssippenbücher (now commonly referred to as Familienbücher), as well as having studied the contents of many of them, Shirley will discuss how you might find on of these gems and learn how to use this resource from your German village or one near it.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2008

Presenter: Ingeborg Carpenter

Topic: "All about the German farm family's everyday life in the 18th and 19th centuries"

Ingeborg, born and raised in Germany, has for years been fascinated by the operation of German farms, and the lives of farm families. Her knowledge of German ways, German households, and German farming traditions through the ages will surely amaze you.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2008

Presenter: Roger P. Minert, PhD, AG

Topic: "The development of German church and civil records through history"

Dr. Minert, returning once more my popular demand, will identify and locate church and civil vital records for towns and cities in Germany (with borders as of 1871), and will explore the types of records available in specific provinces during various periods of German history. Church and civil records, a mainstay of German family history research, are often the most valuable of all records for German genealogists.

A professor of German family history at Brigham Young University in Utah, Dr. Minert served for many years as a professional researcher in German family history. One of our most popular speakers, he has spoken at many SGGS events. Accredited for research in Germany and Austria, Dr. Minert has logged more than 1,000 hours in European archives. A student of German for more than 35 years and fluent in the language, he has authored numerous books related to the field of German family history. He has proved himself not only an expert in German research, but as a teacher skilled at delivering information in an arresting and useful manner.

SGGS does not meet in November and December. Happy Holidays!! See you in January 2009 for a continuation of our informative series of presentations.

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