Handout-March2000PM

WHAT'S NEW IN PALATINE GENEALOGY?

By Henry Z Jones, Jr.
Fellow, American Society of Genealogists

Post Office Box 261388
San Diego, California 92196-1388


I.  WHAT'S BEEN DONE SO FAR.

  A.  "The Pioneers:" Cobb, Goebel, Fritz Braun, Friedrich Krebs et al.

  B.  Walter A. Knittle and his groundbreaking work.

  C.  Strassburger & Hinke and Pennsylvania passenger arrivals.

  D.  The books of Annette K. Burgert, Henry Z Jones. Jr., and others.

  E.  The book reviews of Clara Harsh in The Palatine Immigrant.



II.  NEW PROJECTS & GENEALOGICAL SOURCES IN EUROPE.

  A.  Dr. Udo Krauthausen (Postfach 43 12 04, 55076 Mainz, Germany).

  B.  Friedrich R. Wollmershäuser and his Württemberg Project.
       (Herrengasse 8-10, 89610 Oberdischingen, Germany).

  C.  Dr. Bernd Gölzer's Alsace/Zweibrücken studies (Birkenweg 43, D-66539, Neunkirchen, Germany).

  D.  The Iskenius Letters: From Germany to New York 1726-1737, edited by Frank J. Sypher (Picton Press, P.O. Box 1111, Camden, ME. 04843-1111).

  E.  18th Century Emigrants from Baden-Durlach, by Brigitte Burkett.

  F.  Other works: Klaus Wust, Klaus Petry, Ernest Thode's and Werner Hacker's books, and others.

  G.  The BIG news: latest searches in Holland!



III.   NEW PROJECTS & GENEALOGICAL SOURCES ON THE NEW YORK 1709-ers.

  A.  Marilyn J. Cramer and the Sanders Ledgers (P. O. Box 7052, Silver Spring, Maryland 20907-7052).

  B.  Philip Otterness and his new study of the 1709ers (#5042 Warren Wilson College, P. O. Box 9000, Asheville, NC 28815).

  C.  Florence Christoph and upstate New York tax lists (181 Maple Ave., Selkirk, NY 12158).

    D.  Frank J. Doherty and the Beekman project (181 Freedom Road, Pleasant Valley, NY 12569).

  E.  William McDermott and the Livingston project.

  F.  Arthur C. M. Kelly (60 Cedar Heights Road, Rhinebeck, NY 12572).

  G.  Ken Johnson and Fort Plank (1206 Seminole Dr., St. Mary's, KS 66536).

  H.  The Governor's Island Project (Matthew Stanley, 421 E. 65th St. #9, New York, NY 10021).

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IV.   NEW NEW YORK-BASED FAMILY HISTORIES.

  A.  Nancy Wagoner Dixon's book, Palatine Roots: The 1710 German Settlement in New York as Experienced by Johann Peter Wagner.

  B.  David Kendall Martin's books. (Mouse Hill, West Chazy, New York 12992).

  C.  Herkimer County, N.Y. individual family histories (Herkimer County Historical Society, 400 North Main, Herkimer, New York 13350).



V.  NEW DISCOVERIES ON SPECIFIC FAMILY ORIGINS.

  A.  Embury.
  B.  Schertz.
  C.  Nellis.
  D.  Kilmer.
  E.  Demuth.
  F.  Jost Hite's home: the butcher's house.
  G. Grau

All will be included in my new two volume set: Even More Palatine Families to be
published in the Fall of 2000!


VI.   NEW PROJECTS & GENEALOGICAL SOURCES ON THE PENNSYLVANIA PALATINES.

  A.  Annette Burgert's latest books (AKB Publications, 691 Weavertown Road, Myerstown, PA. 17067).

  B.  Schuyler Brossman and his "Our Keystone Families" Column (P.O. Box 43, Rehrersburg, PA 19550). After his passing ...

  C.  Marianne Wokeck's studies on German emigration to PA: Trade in Strangers.

  D.  Rev. Frederick S. Weiser's transcriptions (55 Kohler School Road, New Oxford, PA. 17350).

  E.  Hopeful Journeys: German Immigration, Settlement & Political Culture in Colonial America 1717-1775, by Aaron Spencer Fogleman.

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VII.  NEW PROJECTS & GENEALOGICAL SOURCES ON OTHER REGIONS.

  A.  Maralyn Wellauer's Swiss work (2845 N. 72nd Street, Milwaukee, WI. 53210).


    B.  Germans in Maine.

  C.  Orangeburgh, South Carolina Germans.

  D.  Kenneth Smith and his books.

  E.  Dr. Arta Johnson and her books (153 Aldrich Road, Columbus, Ohio 43214).

  F.  The Nova Scotia Palatines (Nelson Wagner, 222 Libby Ave., Gorham, Maine 04038).

  G.  German-Acadian Coast Progenitors, Louisiana (P. O. Box 517, Destrehan, LA 70047).

  H.  Georgia Salzburger Society (P. O. Box 916, Rincon, GA 31326).

   I.  Irish Palatine Association (Rathkeale, Co. Limerick, Ireland).

  J.  Black Dutch Research Project (GeLee Corley Hendrix, FASG, 3 Acorn Court, Greenville, SC 29609).

  K.  North Carolina Palatines (Victor T. Jones, Jr., New Bern - Craven Co. Library, 400 Johnson St., New Bern, NC 28560).

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VIII.  BOOK PUBLISHERS & BOOK SELLERS WITH PALATINE MATERIALS.

  A.  Picton Press, P. O. Box 250, Rockport, Maine 04856.

  B.  Genealogical Publishing Co., 1001 N. Calvert, Baltimore, Maryland 21202.

  C.  Family Line Publications, Rear 63, E. Main St., Westminster, Maryland 21157.

  D.  Southwest Pennsylvania Genealogical Services, P. O. Box 253, Laughlintown, Pennsylvania 15655.

  E.  Heritage Books, 1540 E Pointer Ridge Place, Suite 201, Bowie, Maryland 20716.

  F.  John T. Humphrey Publications, P. O. Box 15190, Washington, D. C. 20003.

  G.  Closson Press, 1935 Sampson Drive, Apollo, Pennsylvania 15613.

  H.  Kinship, 60 Cedar Heights Rd., Rhinebeck, New York 12572.

  I.  Olde Springfield Shoppe, 10 West Main St., P. O. Box 171, Elverson, Pennsylvania
19520-0171.

  J.  Ernest Thode, RR 7, Box 306 AB, Kern Road, Marietta, Ohio 45750.

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  IX. ORGANIZATIONS TO HELP.

  A.  Palatines To America, Capital University, Box 101, Columbus, Ohio 43209.

  B.  Immigrant Genealogical Society, 1310B West Magnolia, Burbank, CA. 91510.

  C.  German Genealogical Society of America, 2125 Wright Avenue, Suite C-9, La Verne, CA. 91750.

  D.  German Research Association, P. O. Box 711600, San Diego, CA. 92171.

  E.  Pennsylvania German Society, 440 Daniel Boone Rd., P. O. Box 397, Birdsboro, PA. 19508.

  F.  The Mid-Atlantic Germanic Society, c/o Deborah M. S. Brown, President, 8645 Tower Drive, Laurel, MD. 20723.

  G.  Irish Palatine Association, Irish Palatine Heritage Centre, Rathkeale, County Limerick, Ireland.

  H.  Institut fuer pfaelzische Geschichte und Volkskunde, Benzinoring 6, Postfach 2860, D-67616 Kaiserslautern, Germany.

  I.  Arbeitsgemeinschaft fuer Pfaelzisch-Rheinische Familienkunde e.V., Sitz Ludwigshafen, Rottstrasse 17, D-67061 Ludwigshafen/Rhein, Germany.

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X.  WEBSITES OF VALUE.

  A.  Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet:   http://www.CyndisList.com

  B.  German Genealogy Home Page: http://www.genealogy.net/gene/

  C.  Palatines to America Homepage: http://www.genealogy.org/~palam/

  D.  Kraig Ruckel's Palatine & Pennsylvania Dutch Genealogy Home Page:
        http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/3955/



XI.  RANDOM THOUGHTS FROM LESSONS LEARNED.

  A.  It Can Be Done!!! I don't believe in "blind alleys" in genealogy - only a few surmountable "brick walls."  This attitude has enabled me to document in their ancestral German homes over 600 of the 847 Palatine families who arrived in colonial N.Y. in 1710 and over 700 of the later arrivals 1717 - 1776.

  B.  Study The Neighbors: Rarely did anyone literally come alone to the new world. They came with their old friends from Germany and then interacted with them for generations after their arrival.

  C.  Use original sources, but be open to the possibility that even these sources may be "wrong." Microfilmed records never are as "good" as the originals.

  D.  Use all published genealogical materials with caution. Try to look at the original documents yourself! Beware of alphabetization - it destroys the "feel" of the groups!

  E.  Don't be a "selfish genealogist:" expand your searches and share your results in a permanent format.

  F.  Use the L.D.S. I.G.I. for clues to occurrences of a surname in a particular region. From then on when utilizing this particular source, use caution and verify everything yourself via firm documentation by trying to see the original sources themselves.

  G.  Use family traditions as guides, never, ever Gospel!

  H.  Be open to all spelling variants of a German name! There was no one "correct" way to spell a German name in the 18th century: your ancestor was totally at the mercy of whomever was writing down his name!

  I.  Names often transposed in German families of the 18th century.

  J.  Don't bring a 20th century mind to an 18th century problem!

  K.  The "middle initial" in a German name ca. 1780 - 1850 can sometimes afford a valuable clue to the ancestry of the individual (e.g. "Johannes C. Müller").

  L.  Don't be "hung up" on royalty: we are basically dealing with peasants and a few craftsmen who "took the risk."  It took more courage to come to America without the silver spoon!

  M.  A sense of humor is absolutely essential to survive as a genealogist!

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SOME BASIC BOOKS TO HELP IN TRACING THE ORIGINS OF 18TH CENTURY GERMAN PALATINES:

1.  Carl Boyer, 3rd, editor, Ship Passenger Lists, series of 3 volumes (Newhall, Calif., 1977 - 80).

2.  Annette K. Burgert, Eighteenth Century Emigrants From German-Speaking Lands to North America, Vol. I: The Northern Kraichgau (Breinigsville, Pa., 1983).

3.  Annette K. Burgert, Eighteenth Century Emigrants From German-Speaking Lands to North America, Vol. II: The Western Palatinate (Birdsboro, Pa., 1985).

4.  Annette K. Burgert, Eighteenth Century Emigrants from the Northern Alsace to America (Camden, Maine, 1992).

5.  Annette K. Burgert and Henry Z Jones, Jr., Westerwald To America: Some 18th Century German Immigrants (Camden, Maine, 1989). {Available from Picton Press, P.O. Box 1111, Camden, Maine, 04843}.

6.  P. William Filby and Mary K. Meyer, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index (Detroit, 1981 and succeeding years).

7.  Werner Hacker, Auswanderungen aus Baden und dem Breisgau (Stuttgart und Aalen, 1980).

8.  Werner Hacker, Auswanderungen aus Rheinpfalz und Saarland im 18. Jahrhundert (Stuttgart, 1987).

9.  Werner Hacker, Auswanderungen aus dem früheren Hochstift Speyer nach Südosteuropa und Übersee im XVIII Jahrhundert (Kaiserslautern, 1969).

10.  Werner Hacker, Kurpfälzische Auswanderer vom Unteren Neckar (Stuttgart und Aalen,1983).

11.  Edward W. Hocker, Genealogical Data Relating to the German Settlers of Pennsylvania and Adjacent Territory From Advertisements in German Newspapers Published in Philadelphia and Germantown, 1743 - 1800 (Baltimore, 1980).

12.  Larry O. Jensen, A Genealogical Handbook of German Research (Pleasant Grove, Utah, 1980).

13.  Arta F. Johnson, Bibliography & Source Materials for Researching German-Speaking Ancestry (Columbus, Ohio, 1982).

14.  Henry Z Jones, Jr., More Palatine Families: Some Immigrants to the Middle Colonies 1717 - 1776 and their German Origins, plus New Discoveries on German Families Who Arrived in Colonial New York in 1710 (Universal City, Calif., 1991) {Available from P.O. Box 261388, San Diego, Calif. 92196-1388).

15.  Henry Z Jones, Jr., The Palatine Families of Ireland, 2nd edition (Camden, Maine, 1990). {Available from Picton Press, P.O. Box 1111, Camden, Maine, 04843}.

16.  Henry Z Jones, Jr., The Palatine Families of New York: A Study of the German Immigrants Who Arrived in Colonial New York in 1710 (Universal City, Calif., 1985). {Available from P.O. Box 261388, San Diego, Calif. 92196-1388).

17.  Arthur C.M. Kelly, Palatine Transcripts (Transcriptions of Colonial N.Y. Churchbooks), a continuing series (Rhinebeck, N.Y.).

18.  Walter A. Knittle, Early Eighteenth Century Palatine Emigration (Baltimore, 1965).

19.  Clifford N. Smith and Anna Piszczan-Czaja Smith, American Genealogical Resources in German Archives (New York, 1976).

20.  Clifford N. Smith and Anna Piszczan-Czaja Smith, Encyclopedia of German-American Genealogical Research (N.Y. & London: 1976).

21.  Kenneth L. Smith, German Church Books: Beyond The Basics (Camden, Maine, 1989).

22.  Ralph B. Strassburger and William J. Hinke, Pennsylvania German Pioneers: A Publication of the Original Lists of Arrivals In the Port of Philadelphia From 1727 to 1808 (Norristown, Pa., 1934).

23.  Michael Tepper, editor, Immigrants to the Middle Colonies (Baltimore, 1979).

24.  Michael Tepper, editor, New World Immigrants: A Consolidation of Ship Passenger Lists and Associated Data from Periodical Literature (Baltimore, 1980).

25.  Ernest Thode, Address Book for Germanic Genealogy - 5th Edition (Baltimore, Md., 1994).

26.  Maralyn A. Wellauer, Tracing Your German Roots (Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1978).

27.  Klaus Wust, The Virginia Germans (Charlottesville, Va., 1969).

28.  Don Yoder, editor, Pennsylvania German Immigrants 1709 - 1786: Lists Consolidated from Yearbooks of the Pennsylvania German Folklore Society (Baltimore, 1980).

29.  Don Yoder, editor, Rhineland Emigrants: Lists of German Settlers in Colonial America (1981).

YOU BE "WHAT'S NEW" IN PALATINE GENEALOGY!


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