ROOTS & BRANCHES

There are a bunch of things in today’s world that seem to shrink – how far a dollar goes or that most elusive of concepts known as “spare time.”

But this installment of “Roots & Branches” is all about expansions.

In a few columns last year, we’ve talked about the partnership organization putting together a German genealogy conference in Minnesota.

Well, with registration now live for that conference, it seems appropriate to give some updates – about the partnership as well as the conference.

First, the partnership itself has transitioned to a new, world-spanning name.

Founded as the German-American Genealogical Partnership with leading roles by the Minnesota-based Germanic Genealogy Society and the Deutsche Arbeitsgemeinschaft genealogischer Verbände (an umbrella organization of genealogical and heraldic associations in Germany), societies from around the world have sought to join – making the “German-American” name seem limiting.

The organization is now known as the International German Genealogy Partnership.

The upcoming conference of the partnership has also grown in the telling.

Originally scheduled to have a leadership day and two days of presentations and vendors, the conference will now run a total of four days, with the leadership day scheduled for July 27 and presentations / vendors from July 28 to 30 (and, yes, your “Roots & Branches” columnist will be one of the presenters and vendors).

The conference, titled “2017 International Germanic Genealogy Conference” and carrying the theme of “CONNECTIONS: International. Cultural. Personal,” will be held in the Minneapolis suburb Brooklyn Park at the Marriott Northwest Hotel.

Pre-registration interest has been so keen that the conference hotel is already fully booked, but additional room blocks have been obtained at several alternate hotels in the area of the conference.

The conference will have more than 70 presentations by Germanic genealogy experts worldwide, including such luminaries as Baerbel Johnson, Timo Kracke, Roger P. Minert, Shirley Riemer and Dirk Weissleder.

Attendees will be invited to be part of a conference surname and locality database to match up with others attending.

Study rooms with computers and expert personal assistance will offer help with German script, language and research. The conference also will feature impromptu gatherings by region or special interest and a large field of vendors and exhibitors.

On the evening of July 27, the conference will sponsor a “Biergarten at Germanic-American Institute” in St. Paul, providing shuttle service to the participants.

The upshot is that no matter where in the world you are or where your German-speaking ancestors settled, Minnesota will be the place to be at the end of July!

Further information about registration for the conference and booking a hotel can be found at the partnership’s website, http://www.iggpartner.org.