German Naming Conventions
and other Oddities only a Genealogist would Appreciate
Are you among the 50 million Americans with German ancestry? Have you traced your line back to an immigrant? Take the next step and continue your research across the pond in your ancestor’s homeland. As in most European research, German church records are your most important source for tracing German ancestors—they could help you extend your tree as far back as the 1500s.
Doug Wilke, a member of the Doña Ana County Genealogical Society, will give a presentation on German naming conventions, or lack thereof, during the 18th and 19th centuries. Using old church records from Germany, Doug’s father and grandfather traced their roots back to the late 1600’s in Westphalia, a province of the Kingdom of Prussia, in today’s northern Germany. Their research documents numerous variations in names. Doug had the help of a 4th cousin in Germany who was keenly interested in their shared family history. The evolution of naming in Doug’s family along with the local customs and laws that dictated many of these “oddities” will be discussed.
The October 14th meeting of the Doña Ana County Genealogical Society will be conducted online remotely using the ZOOM application.
Without the ability to safely meet in person due to the Covid-19 situation, the October 14th DACGS meeting will be conducted digitally (over the internet) so we may safely observe from home. Members will receive an invitation to join the meeting by email.
If you are not a DACGS member and would like to participate, please send an email, including your telephone number, no later than Monday, October 12th, 2020, to:
dacgslc@gmail.com
with your request to attend the digital meeting. Attendance is limited to 300.
The meeting will begin at 2:00 pm on Wednesday, October 14th, 2020.