GRIP Day 5: Back to Reality

My brain was pretty done after 12 hours of lectures and talking and learning yesterday.  It is amazing how much information I have learned in such a short time.  Today (Friday) I woke up ready to take in as much as possible on my last day here, which was a good thing, as the records discussed today should lead to much genealogical success. 

Our first lesson today was on the German records held at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland.  These records, the Rasse und Siedlungs Hauptamt (RuSHA), were created in Germany by the SS in the 1930s and are full of Ahnentafel charts and other genealogical information.  These charts can go back to the 1600s in some cases, but always until ancestors born by 1800.  If you can find an ancestor or collateral relative, they will be tremendously useful to you.

I do not normally quote syllabus materials, as they are under copyright and one of the ways genealogists are able to make a living, but I feel that the following sentence about the SS records is important enough to break this rule; it is copyright of John T. Humphrey.  “These records, the activities associated with these records and the reasons for their creation demonstrate the role of genealogy in establishing racist policies during a tragic era in Germany and they serve as a warning for generations in other countries yet to be born.” 

I like to think that genealogists are less racist than others, as they see firsthand that everyone is connected/related, but as we can see, this is not always the case.  These records are useful for many genealogists, but when searching for them, remember why they were made and have a moment of silence for the victims of the policies that created them.

Our second lesson was on researching Germans in American repositories and libraries, particularly the Library of Congress.  The LoC has one of the largest German collections outside Germany.  By searching their catalog, you can find lineage books, information created by state societies and other books of interest to German genealogy, such as Marion Dexter Learned’s “Manuscript Materials Relating to American History in German State Archives.”  It is important to use both English and German spellings of items in order to see their full holdings.  In addition to the LoC, it is important to check the Family History Library, university libraries and public libraries.

Our day ended with certificates, goodbyes and long trips home.  Since one can never have to much genealogy, I am planning to stop in Eden, Erie, NY on my way to Buffalo to see what I can find on Joseph and Caroline Gress.

GRIP Day 4: So Many Sources, So Little Time

Today (Thursday) John said that genealogists have 3 jobs:

1. To identify sources
2. To find the information about your family in those sources
3. Write up our findings (they are of no use in a notebook)

He made sure to give a multitude of sources for us to look for.  Whether church records from the seventeenth century, compilations, maps or online databases, I now have dozens of items to look for while looking for my ancestors across the pond.

We began the day looking at maps and gazetteers.  In German research, the Meyers Orts- und Verkehrs-Lexikon des Deutschen Reichs is the most important gazetteer in German research.  There is a “how to” book by Wendy K. Uncapher that is very useful.

Our second session was on sources of information in Germany.  Published sources from Germany are much more accessible than archives in Germany.  It is important to look for civil records (especially family registers for those from Württemberg), land records, and house books, among others.

After lunch we discussed how to find your ancestors in those published records.  Although there will always be transcription and translation errors, these are still great sources to use.  Make sure to check the US first, both the Family History Center and WorldCat, before heading to Germany to look for them.

Our last course was on finding German ancestors on the internet.  John said that the internet has revolutionized the way we go about researching.  One of the most important things to remember in searching is to use German key words as well as English.  You can also search through Google.de for more German language hits.

Our evening sessions began with a Q & A with the instructors.  My favorite line from the entire week was when Josh Taylor was discussing Who Do You Think You Are? and mentioned that he had told producers “I don’t do southern Indian princesses.”  An amusing line with an important point: every genealogist has a different area of expertise; one does not have to know everything.

Our second session was by the creator/director of the Photo Antiquities Museum in Pittsburg.  He went through the history of photography complete with examples that he passed around.  He was tremendously passionate about the subject, which made the presentation even better to watch.  I look forward to visiting his museum in the future.

Only 1 day left!

GRIP Day 3: The Center of the Labyrinth

‘

Wednesday means we are halfway through the Institute, which is pretty hard to believe.  Our morning session was on the Pennsylvania Germans.  Although I do not have Pennsylvania ancestry, many of the records discussed would be useful to any research.  In the end, it is all about the research strategies and methodologies you use.  The second session continued this theme with case studies of immigrants to the area.

After some excellent discussion at lunch (where I met Karen of Karen’s Genealogy Oasis blog), we came back to “Finding Places of Origin in Germany.”  Although I have a few ancestral villages, I do not have them for most of my German immigrant ancestors.  John reiterated that whole family genealogy (aka cluster genealogy or FAN research) is tremendously important in these cases.  Newspapers, particularly German language newspapers, can be very useful in this.  Even if you have the obituary from an English language newspaper, which is often just a short death notice, find the obituary in the newspaper of their native language for more information.

Continuing to the last session of the day, we learned about “Typefaces: Published Sources and German-American Newspapers.”  Finding those newspapers mentioned above takes work, as does being able to read them.  After learning German Gothic script yesterday, learning Fraktur, which is the typeface German newspapers use, was much easier.  Since it is typed, it is always the same, plus, you can cheat with it using a word program with the typeface installed.  Newspapers can also be used to bring your family history to life through items such as society notices, weather and passenger ship advertisements.  The advertisements shown were fantastic.  Check out the Library of Congress Chronicling America site.

After class we went to work on our “homework” deciphering an obituary typed in Fraktur.  It is much easier to decipher with 4 sets of eyes and a little help from a paper dictionary and the Leo online dictionary.  Then came dinner with more lively discussion, followed by reading the BCG certification examples.  I know I can get to that level someday, but I am definitely not anywhere close yet!

A few of us then went to explore the grounds of the college.  First we hiked to the cemetery, which is lovely.  I will post on that Tuesday.  From there we went to the labyrinth, which according to the brochure is part of the Keams Spirituality Center.  Although I have always wanted to, I have never walked a labyrinth before.  What an amazing experience!  One which I plan to repeat in the future.  The image above is of the center of the labyrinth.  I have to say that I am much more a fan of this than corn mazes.  There is a distinct path; it may be long and winding, but eventually you reach the center.  You can then take that relaxation/reflection/knowledge and head out, onto other paths.  In many ways GRIP is like that path.  We are given a roadmap toward the knowledge, rather than having to wander around aimlessly.  We stay in the center of knowledge for a while and then head out on our own following the recommendations given.

Tomorrow we look at maps and gazetteers, explore sources of information in Germany, learn about published sources in the US and then find our German ancestors on the internet.  I see lots of note taking in my future!

GRIP: Day 2

Another early start today (Tuesday) for breakfast and catching up online.  Our first session today was on German church records.  John discussed how church records brought the common man out of obscurity.  Prior to these, you can only research nobility or the winners of history.  With local parish records, every person has a name and a spot in the past.  These are the records that will help you put together families and the joining of families (through marriage).  They are the most important record group for German research.

After our church record introduction it was time to learn to read said records.  The Germans used Gothic script, which is what has kept me from ordering parish records from the villages I have identified as my ancestral home.  After a couple hours of reading words and paragraphs with his Gothic script font, I was a parish reading rock star.  Then came the copies of actual parish registers after lunch and it was like I had never seen these characters before.  As with anything, this will be a skill I learn in a slow and steady manner.  I intend to practice as much as possible on films from the FHL when I get back to Syracuse.

After dinner tonight, I purchased my pile of books which will make for some interesting reading for German research and narrative writing.  Then I headed to Rick and Pamela Boyer Sayre’s lecture on Google Earth for Genealogists: The Sequel.  This was one of the lectures I was not able to attend at the NGS conference, so it was nice to have a second chance.  I am amazed by all that you can create with Google Earth and all of the ways it can help in your research.  I have to admit that it is not a program I use frequently, but I will be ordering some introductory books on it when I get home.  The Sayre’s will be teaching a course on advanced land records at the 2013 GRIP which I am told is fantastic.  Deciding which course to take next year is going to be tough.

The lecture ended at 8:30 and after dropping off my belongings I took a walk around campus.  La Roche is a beautiful campus surrounded by the woods.  They have large statues of the Stations of the Cross that lead down a gravel path toward the woods which ends at a cemetery.  Since it was late, I did not make it all the way to the cemetery, but I plan on wandering around it tomorrow.  Only a genealogical institute would have attendees excited by a cemetery on the grounds.

Our lectures Wednesday will be the Pennsylvania Germans, finding places of origin in Germany and typefaces, published sources and German-American newspapers.  At night there is a public lecture on Pennsylvania Research, which I may not attend due to my lack of Pennsylvanian ancestry.  I do have a great-great uncle who randomly got married in Scranton, however, so maybe they can tell me why (he and his wife were from and living in Buffalo).

Get a GRIP on German Genealogy: Days 0-1

I arrived at the La Roche College campus Sunday afternoon for the inaugural Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburg where I am taking the German Genealogical Research track with John T. Humphrey.

After registration (where we received our course notebook and GRIP polo shirt) and unloading my car, we had a simple buffet dinner and a welcome to the institute.  Then it was back to the room to begin reading Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff, followed by an early bedtime.

Monday began with an early breakfast and then off to class.  We began with participant introductions and it was interesting to hear the variety of reasons people were taking the course.  We were then given an introduction of the course and a background of Germans in the US.  My biggest takeaways from the morning sessions was that genealogy is local, both in the US and in Germany and to find a document that your ancestor has signed, as it will give you their German surname.  This is a tactic that I imagine would work for any immigrant ancestor.

After lunch we were taught German language skills for genealogist and a primer on German history.  The language skills were similar to what I had learned in my German course in Hamburg.  The German history was interesting, particularly since it made me look at Germany differently, as Germany didn’t exist as a country in 1871.  He also said that jobs can be as important as surnames for German research, as they tended to be the same through the generations, even in the US.

After class ended, we had some downtime, then dinner and browsing through the books brought by Maia’s Books.  At 7:30, there was a public lecture by Pam Stone Eagleson on Telling the Tales: Writing the Family Narrative.  This was the type of lecture that you wish lasted longer than the one hour provided.  Pam showed her writing process, particularly how to add historical to your research to create a story.  After her workshop, I want to write, write, write (hence this blog post). 

Tomorrow will be church records and handwriting skills, which is rather daunting and one of the main reasons I took this course.

NGS 2012: Day 2, PM

My afternoon on Thursday began with the Palatines to America luncheon feating Marianne S. Wokeck on “Framing Genealogy: How Family Research Enriches the Ways in Which We See the World".” (If anyone has a copy of the syllabus, please let me know, I was not able to snag one.)  I really enjoyed her talk, particularly the idea that how a person remembers a place changes based on age.  If you moved away at 8, everything in your mind will be bigger due to your small size.

After lunch, I headed to

German Marriage Laws and Customs by Warren Bittner.  I wish I could go to the Palatines to America conference to hear more from him.  This was a fascinating presentation, full of great photographs on the power point slides.

My key takeaways were on “stands” in German society (similar to an Indian caste), to look for word "dispensation" on a marriage record, because the diocese may have much more information on the couple trying to get married and that there was a time when religious ceremony and civil registration dates varied greatly, making everyone involved wonder when they were “officially” married.  This is an excellent presentation to purchase on CD due to the tremendous detail Bittner went into.

My last session was Assumptions: A Genealogical Slippery Slope by Claire Bettag.  This was a very useful lesson on how our assumptions can mean we do not do the best research.  She focused on the importance of collaborating many sources to go the truth.  Surprising to some, even official records can be wrong and they can be wrong on purpose, for reasons of the person it involves (the one often cited is a man lying about his age to go into the military early).  She also mentioned that rejected applications can contain the most information, similar to the dispensations I had learned about in the prior session.

After this session ended, I went to purchase some things from the BCG booth, then headed for dinner with my husband.  After getting lost on very pretty back roads in Kentucky, we found a great Mexican restaurant.  The rest of the night was spent zoning out to Big Bang Theory, Grey’s Anatomy and HGTV.

Wordless Wednesday: Rostock, Germany

BallinStadt - Port of Dreams - Part 3

See Part 1 & 2 for the introduction and tour of building 2.

Building 3 offers a reconstruction of a sleeping hall from 1910.  Once the emigrants arrived in Hamburg, this was where they waited for their ship to arrive.  According to the museum, after the long trip the beds here were rather luxurious.

After walking through this room, you arrive in the gift shop.  For 6 Euro I bought a guide to the museum (they are available in German or English), which has a lot of information and many of the fantastic photographs you see at the museum.  I look forward to adding it to my collection of genealogy books when I get home.  There is also a cafe if the tour has made you hungry or thirsty.  I left the last building and walked over to the Elbe, trying to picture the giant steamships that once passed by.

I want to finish this blog series by giving my sincere thanks to Joan at Roots'n'Leaves.  She has been one of my air chair traveler readers and was the person who told me about this museum.  I am so glad, as the idea that they would have an emigration museum here never crossed my mind.  Thank you Joan, this was the most interesting place I have gone to on my trip this far!  Please check out her fantastic blog!

BallinStadt - Port of Dreams - Part 2

For the the introduction to BallinStadt, please look here.

Upon leaving building 1 with ticket in hand I headed to the main exhibition, located in building 2.  The photographs and documents to look at were numerous.  Many items had English explanations, which was very helpful, and there were "telephones" you listened into to hear an "emigrant" tell their story.

I was most interested in those that were near the years my ancestors left Germany.  Hearing of the trials and tribulations faced and the courage shown was amazing

There were a bunch of advertisements from the eighteen and nineteen hundreds on going to America and New York.  I bought a couple postcards featuring these and there are also posters available in the gift shop.

The "ship of dreams" is the next portion of the building.  Questions are on poles on either side of the ship, with answers written on the ship.  My favorite answer to "What are you taking with you?" is hope.  People left their homelands, family, friends, all they had ever known with the hope of a better life in America.  It was not easy.  Even getting to Hamburg from where ever they were from was an adventure.  They then had to wait in the emigration halls until their ship arrived, take a multiple week boat ride across the Atlantic, pass the examinations in New York City and, possibly, take a train to their final destination further inland in America.  We complained over the 7.5 hour flight with 2 layovers.  I cannot even imagine the fortitude and determination these people had.  Hope would be the only way you could survive.  After walking around the boat you enter building 3, which I will talk about in my next post.

BallinStadt - Port of Dreams

As I walked the two blocks from the Veddel S-Bahn stop to the BallinStadt Emigrant Museum in Hamburg, I stopped in from of the first sign and felt tears welling up in my eyes.  As I stared at the boats and other signs along the past to the entrance of emigrant families, it hit me: this is where, in 1859, John and Dorothea Passel and their 5 children, ages 3 - 19 left for a new life in America and where, in 1884, Maria Strassheim Tross took her 6 children, ages 11 months - 9 years, and 3 pieces of baggage and set off to meet relatives in Buffalo, New York.  I was standing in the place where they last saw their homeland of Germany, filled with hope, but nervous about the strange new land they would soon embark upon.

BallinStadt is a set of three reconstructed buildings, located on the Elbe River's Veddel Island, where the Emigrants Halls once sat.  Although what my ancestors would have seen would have been much different, since these buildings were not build until 1896 - 1907, the exhibit has information from 1850 until the present day.  Building number 1, actually the last building you come upon, is the entrance and also holds a multitude of computers with free access to Ancestry.de.  This allow patrons to search for their ancestors in records which include the Hamburg passenger lists.  Being in German, I could not do any research, but I did get a shot of the passenger list with the John Passel family.

I will post part 2 of this, on the main exhibit building, shortly.

Tombstone Tuesday - Miniatur Wunderland

One of the coolest places I have been in Hamburg is Miniatur Wunderland.  They even have a cemetery, complete with a funeral and a crypt with caskets and ghosts.  

52 Weeks to Better Genealogy - Week #7

Amy Coffin at the We Tree blog is challenging bloggers to become better genealogists, with a new prompt each week through her 52 Weeks to Better Genealogy:


Week 7:  Play with Google Maps. This is a helpful tool for determining the locations of addresses in your family history. Where your ancestral homestead once stood may now be a warehouse, a parking lot or a field. Perhaps the house is still there. When you input addresses in Google Maps, don’t forget to use the Satellite View and Street View options for perspectives that put you were right there where your ancestors once stood. If you’ve used this tool before, take sometime and play with it again. Push all the buttons, click all the links and devise new ways it can help with your personal genealogy research. If you have a genealogy blog, write about your experiences with Google Maps, or suggest similar easy (and free) tools that have helped in your own research.


I learned about the miracle of Google Maps for genealogy, particularly for timelines, while at the Genealogy Reference Desk Institute.  I have been meaning to play with them ever since and this weeks challenge gave me the perfect opportunity.  I recommend looking at the help articles, as they are very clear and concise and helped my greatly.



View German Ancestral Villages in a larger map


This is my map on my German (with a couple in the Alsace Region of France) ancestral towns.  I will be living in Hamburg - way up at the top if you scroll the map up - and hope to visit these places over the next five months.  If you click on the map, I listed each ancestral line who lived in each town so that I remembered who was where.  This is also one of my GeneaBloggers Games entries.

Surname Saturday: Fink/Finck

Each Saturday this year I am posting one of my surnames, going in alphabetical order.  This weeks surname is Fink/Finck.  The names in red are my direct line ancestors.

<!--[if supportFields]>xe "FINCK:John " \f A<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->1-John FINCK
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "Germany " \f B<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->b: , , , Germany
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "KILLSTER:Barbara " \f A<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->+Barbara KILLSTER
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "Germany " \f B<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->b: , , , Germany
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "FINK:Gottlieb (b. 1838) " \f A<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->. . . . 2-Gottlieb FINK
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "Germany:Baden-Württemberg:Bretton " \f B<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->        b: 1 October 1838, Bretton, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "USA:New York:Erie:Buffalo " \f B<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->        d: 7 April 1910, Buffalo, Erie, New York, USA
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "FLEEMAN:Barbara (b. 1846) " \f A<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->. . . . +Barbara FLEEMAN
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "USA:New York:Erie:Buffalo " \f B<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->        b: 13 February 1846, Buffalo, Erie, New York, USA
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "USA:New York:Erie:Buffalo " \f B<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->        d: 1 January 1929, Buffalo, Erie, New York, USA
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "FINK:George (b. 1865) " \f A<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->. . . . . . . . 3-George FINK
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "USA:New York:Erie:Buffalo " \f B<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->                b: 26 May 1865, Buffalo, Erie, New York, USA
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "FINK:Elizabeth L. (b. 1867) " \f A<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->. . . . . . . . 3-Elizabeth L. FINK
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "USA:New York:Erie:Buffalo " \f B<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->                b: 6 July 1867, Buffalo, Erie, New York, USA
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "USA:New York:Erie:Buffalo " \f B<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->                d: 24 April 1957, Buffalo, Erie, New York, USA
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "GRESS:Jacob J. (b. 1869) " \f A<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->. . . . . . . . +Jacob J. GRESS
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "USA:New York:Erie:Buffalo " \f B<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->                b: 26 January 1869, Buffalo, Erie, New York, USA
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "USA:New York:Erie:Buffalo " \f B<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->                m: Buffalo, Erie, New York, USA
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "USA:New York:Erie:Buffalo " \f B<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->                d: 11 August 1932, Buffalo, Erie, New York, USA
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "GRESS:Chester E. (b. 1888) " \f A<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->. . . . . . . . . . . . 4-Chester E. GRESS
                        b: June 1888
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "GRESS:May (b. 1890) " \f A<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields
]><![endif]-->. . . . . . . . . . . . 4-May GRESS
                        b: 19 September 1890
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "USA:New York:Erie:Buffalo " \f B<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->                        d: 11 June 1970, Buffalo, Erie, New York, USA
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "GRESS:Walter L. (b. 1891) " \f A<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->. . . . . . . . . . . . 4-Walter L. GRESS
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "USA:New York:Erie:Buffalo " \f B<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->                        b: 6 December 1891, Buffalo, Erie, New York, USA
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "GRESS:Elsie (b. 1894) " \f A<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->. . . . . . . . . . . . 4-Elsie GRESS
                        b: 13 May 1894
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "GRESS:Howard J. (b. 1896) " \f A<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->. . . . . . . . . . . . 4-Howard J. GRESS
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "USA:New York:Erie:Buffalo " \f B<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->                        b: 18 March 1896, Buffalo, Erie, New York, USA
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "GRESS:Beulah (b. 1898) " \f A<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->. . . . . . . . . . . . 4-Beulah GRESS
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "USA:New York:Erie:Buffalo " \f B<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->                        b: 27 January 1898, Buffalo, Erie, New York, USA
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "USA:New York:Erie:Buffalo " \f B<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->                        d: 7 May 1968, Buffalo, Erie, New York, USA
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "GRESS:Vera Julia (b. 1900) " \f A<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->. . . . . . . . . . . . 4-Vera Julia GRESS
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "USA:New York:Erie:Buffalo " \f B<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->                        b: 11 January 1900, Buffalo, Erie, New York, USA
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "USA:New York:Erie:Cheektowaga " \f B<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->                        d: 2 February 1976, Cheektowaga, Erie, New York, USA
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "FINK:Ella (b. 1869) " \f A<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->. . . . . . . . 3-Ella FINK
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "USA:New York:Erie:Buffalo " \f B<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->                b: 18 September 1869, Buffalo, Erie, New York, USA
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "FINK:Edward (b. 1871) " \f A<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->. . . . . . . . 3-Edward FINK
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "USA:New York:Erie:Buffalo " \f B<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->                b: 23 December 1871, Buffalo, Erie, New York, USA
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "FINK:Ida (b. 1873) " \f A<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->. . . . . . . . 3-Ida FINK
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "USA:New York:Erie:Buffalo " \f B<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->                b: 16 August 1873, Buffalo, Erie, New York, USA
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "FINK:Emma (b. 1875) " \f A<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->. . . . . . . . 3-Emma FINK
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "USA:New York:Erie:Buffalo " \f Ban><![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->                b: 9 June 1875, Buffalo, Erie, New York, USA
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "FINK:Lydia (b. 1877) " \f A<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->. . . . . . . . 3-Lydia FINK
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "USA:New York:Erie:Buffalo " \f B<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->                b: 3 May 1877, Buffalo, Erie, New York, USA
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "FINK:Louis A. (b. 1879) " \f A<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->. . . . . . . . 3-Louis A. FINK
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "USA:New York:Erie:Buffalo " \f B<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->                b: 16 July 1879, Buffalo, Erie, New York, USA
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "FINK:Frank (b. 1882) " \f A<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->. . . . . . . . 3-Frank FINK
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "USA:New York:Erie:Buffalo " \f B<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->                b: 16 October 1882, Buffalo, Erie, New York, USA
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "FINK:Edna (b. 1884) " \f A<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->. . . . . . . . 3-Edna FINK
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "USA:New York:Erie:Buffalo " \f B<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->                b: October 1884, Buffalo, Erie, New York, USA
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "FINK:Walter T. (b. 1887) " \f A<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->. . . . . . . . 3-Walter T. FINK
<!--[if supportFields]>xe "USA:New York:Erie:Buffalo " \f B<![endif]--><!--[if supportFields]><![endif]-->                b: April 1887, Buffalo, Erie, New York, USA

Class has Started

The winter break is over and it is time for me to start semester number 2.  I am only taking a one-credit course currently, titled Sustainable Libraries.  The professor, Steven Carr, is one of the first LEED accredited librarians, which should make for a very educational class.  This goes until 22 February.  After that, I am signed up for a second class, Services for Older Adults, which is also a one-credit, one month course.

On 27 February, I leave for Hamburg, Germany, where I will be studying at HAW Hamburg in their information science module from 1 March - 16 July.  I am tremendously excited about this opportunity, as the classes are very technology based and have practical, hands-on assignments.  I will also be studying basic German, which I hope to become conversational in by the time I leave.  In addition to taking classes, I have been using Mango which I love!

Goals for the New Year

In 2010, I hope to accomplish the following:

• Interview my grandmothers, parents and great aunts, uncles and cousins on video ASAP!
• Goal is to do this by the end of February for my grandmothers
• Update each of my lines sideways and forward.
• I usually do well with my information about my ancestors siblings, but I have not done so well finding cousins in more recent generations.
• Focus my search for my German lines so that I can visit their hometowns while I am in Germany for 4 1/2 months
• I will therefore focus on the Eichhorn, Gresz, Fink, Weiss and Tross lines for the next two months
• Stay in touch with my relatives searching my fathers side of the family.
• I research my mothers side as I have great aunts and uncles who research my fathers.  I will be helping my Aunt Dottie with her search in Poland for the Karpinski's (my great-grandmother's line)
• Complete Dear Myrtle's finally get organization checklist from 2009
• Start researching my fiancé's line (at the very least, get the information he knows into my file)
• Blog: Participate in Surname Saturday each week in order to get my surnames out there and find new cousins!  I plan on going alphabetically though all my surnames.

Semester 1 Completed

I have completed my first semester of graduate school! It went by much quicker than I had anticipated. My favorite class with my introductory class, which featured numerous alum who spoke on their career path and current position. Nearly every week I would have a different idea of what type of librarian I wanted to be.

The most disappointing class was my management class, as it focused only on theory and mostly theory in the IT world (as the class is mandatory for all iSchool students, not just MSLIS). I would have much preferred a class on managing a library, hiring, HR, etc. Basically a "what do I do as a library director/team leader/department manager." As such, I have taken out numerous books on library management to read over winter break.

Overall, this semester was a success. Working full-time and going to school full-time was easier than expected, though I am looking forward to a few weeks of just work without classes.

Next semester I am taking a few online classes, then off to Hamburg, Germany for a semester abroad!