ROOTS & BRANCHES

I first encountered the encyclopedia of German genealogy knowledge that is Baerbel Johnson at the Family History Library in Utah when steered she me, as she has many times since then, to just the right resource to solve my problem.

To meet up with independent researcher and Anabaptist expert Michael Lacopo, it was listening to a lecture of his at a conference in Virginia.

And I became acquainted with DNA expert Diahan Southard in the Midwest, when I vended next to her and got a flavor for her knack for making genetic genealogy understandable.

But in just a few months, anyone who wants a German genealogy experience will be able see Johnson, Lacopo and Southard – and, oh, so many more! – present at the International German Genealogy Partnership’s conference in Sacramento, Calif., from June 15-17 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel.

Up to a thousand attendees – representing at least four continents – are anticipated for the conference, which is hosted by the Sacramento German Genealogy Society and a consortium of Germanic genealogy societies across the Golden State.

As a matter of fact, registration has been brisk and the conference may “sell out;” discounted “early bird registration” expires the end of the day Tuesday. To register, go to the URL, https://iggpartner.org/

The Partnership comprises more than 100 organizations around the world, with a mission “to facilitate German genealogy research globally as the internationally recognized federation of German genealogy organizations.”

This will be the second biannual conference held by the Partnership, following up on the enormously successful 2017 event in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The conference theme is “Strike It Rich! with Connections 2 Discoveries.” With FamilySearch and several DNA companies as sponsors – as well as nightly “Connections” social times, a translation room available and luncheon talks with marquee speakers – and many other exhibitors, there will be plenty of opportunities for the “discoveries” part of the title.

And on the “connections” side, every conference-goer should be able to find either a distant cousin or someone with a relative in the same area of Germany … perhaps even the exact village.

The program includes more than 60 individual lectures and workshops with an all-star of German genealogy and history experts from around the world – ranging from Brigham Young University Professor Roger P. Minert and military expert Michael Strauss to Fritz Juengling of the Family History Library and German genealogy consortium chief Dirk Weissleder.

No matter if your No. 1 priority is solving an ancestral brick wall through paper or DNA resources, learning about the culture of German forbears or merely hoisting a beer with kindred spirits, you will find the conference theme’s “connections” and “discoveries” right at your fingertips.