ROOTS & BRANCHES

The last few months have been exciting ones in the German genealogy field.

And I say that as your “Roots & Branches” columnist of more than a quarter century, who has every reason to be jaded about announcements promising the latest and greatest thing … but turning out to be “more sizzle than steak.”

In June, the German Genealogy Resource Map went live courtesy of a couple of partner groups from the International German Genealogy Partnership, which is planning its fifth biennial conference next year in Columbus, Ohio.

Then a couple of top-notch people who are professionals in this space, Ute Brandenburg and Ursula C. Krause, joined together as the German Genealogy Headquarters, which offers bimonthly presentations, mentoring and research (“Roots & Branches” will be profiling their service in next week’s column).

And most recently, German researcher Andrea Bentschneider, who founded the research firm Beyond History 20 years ago, has been preparing to launch what she calls the “German Genealogy Collective: The Place for German Genealogy.”

Bentschneider, who has been president of the Association of German-speaking Professional Genealogists for a decade, is looking to debut the Collective with a free Masterclass on German-American Day (Sunday, Oct. 6 at 3 p.m. EDT).

The topic will be one that is of interest to virtually everyone researching genealogy: “German Emigration to America.” To register, go to the URL, https://germangenealogycollective.com/voyages-of-hope

“Even if you’ve heard one of my emigration talks before, this Masterclass is not to be missed!” Bentschneider said in her announcement. I’ll be taking a deep dive into the hardship and personal experiences of those who emigrated from Germany to America or anywhere else in the world for that matter, offering a new perspective on this important chapter of history.”

Indeed, “deep dive” could be the ultimate slogan for Bentschneider’s German Genealogy Collective. She’s offering a set of services to help today’s family historians tell the stories of their German-speaking ancestors. The Collective’s vision echoes this: “ … to provide each individual with the opportunity to learn their own family history, thereby gaining a deep knowledge as well as complex understanding of their own origins.”

Membership in the collective will include the following:

• Quarterly Masterclasses such as the one on German American Day.
• Monthly live Q&A sessions for personalized advice.
• A comprehensive community area with live discussion forums and networking opportunities for all levels of genealogists.
• Facilitated co-researching sessions to allow researchers to work alongside others with guidance.
• An extensive library of courses and resources for hands-on activities is planned.

The Collective will offer membership at a discounted “Founders Rate” of only $17 a month or $170 a year (after Oct. 31, the prices will go up to $27 a month or $270 a year). For more information about the Collective, go to the URL, https://germangenealogycollective.com/enroll

It’s an exciting time to be researching German genealogy with so many new options to get to the bottom of your ancestry!