ROOTS & BRANCHES

Coming up in less than a month will be a conference catering to those with German ancestors in Maryland.

That’s because the Mid-Atlantic German Society’s spring conference will feature Malissa Ruffner and Michael G. McCormick from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. March 18 at the Double Tree by Hilton in Laurel, Maryland.

Ruffner worked as an archivist before heeding the call of genealogy. She was a volunteer at Baltimore City Archives for several years and has conducted personal and client research onsite. She currently serves as an at-large board member of the Maryland Genealogical Society and launched its Facebook page in April 2013.

Her topics for the society’s conference are “Finding Family History at the Baltimore City Archives” and “A Federal Family Tree.”

In her first topic, Ruffner will give a brief history of the Baltimore City Archives – from the earliest days to its current association with the Maryland State Archives – as well as an overview of its holdings. She will describe the kind of genealogical information you might find, how to prepare for a research visit, and what to expect when you arrive.

Her second topic will stress that only a small portion of federal records are online. She will share textual record finds that have shed new light to her family tree and prepare you for a first-time visit to the National Archives Building in downtown Washington, D.C.

McCormick will present a “Guide to Government Records at the Maryland State Archives” as well as “Immigration and Naturalization Records at the Maryland State Archives”

His first presentation teaches how to locate and use catalogs to access record indexes and records. You will learn how to understand the record and series organization of the Guide to Government Records and Special Collections catalog.

The second lecture by McCormick hones in on the complex topic of naturalization, including a discussion of laws governing the process that changed across the years. It also delves in their implications for records, and how to locate documents relating to naturalization at the Maryland State Archives.

The society’s conference will also include a hands-on workshop from 1 to 4 p.m. March 17 on “Working With the Meyers-Orts Gazetteer,” presented by Debra Hoffman and Gunter Schanzenbacher

The Meyers-Orts und Verkehrs Lexicon des Deutsche Reiches will be examined in detail. The workshop will cover the history of the gazetteer and discuss the fraktur typeface. Hands-on exercises will be provided and discussed to provide the attendees with a working familiarity with the gazetteer. Self-study examples will also be provided. Additionally, the latest tools for using Meyers-Orts will be covered. Attend this workshop and learn how to effectively use one of the most important gazetteers for German research and learn the exciting new developments in how to effectively use it.

More information on registration for the conference is available on the society website at www.magsgen.com.