General Meeting

Thursday, January 3, 2013

1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Santa Cruz Public Library, Central Location
(2nd floor meeting room)
224 Church Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060

For more information, please call (831) 427-7707, ext. 5794

Speaker: Robert Jackson, PhD

Lecture Topic:
Crossing the Pond: An Introduction to Researching the Great Wave of German Immigration: 1830-1900

Lecture Summary:

The main question facing anyone studying German ancestry is, “Where did my ancestors come from?” But it’s not enough to know that they were from Prussia or Bavaria or Baden. Accessing the incredibly rich documentary archives in Germany requires that you know the name of their village.

Focusing on the great wave of German immigration from 1830 to 1900, this lecture will outline the numerous resources available that can help you narrow the search for your ancestors’ places of origin. We’ll also touch on the special challenges posed by the spelling of German surnames and place names and by the movable feast of German geography in the 19th century. Finally, we’ll glance ahead to the main issues involved in accessing archives and records in Germany.

Robert Jackson holds a PhD in history from Harvard University. After several years’ teaching at the college level, he pursued a professional career in banking and finance. Since retiring he has assisted several not-for-profit and community organizations and has enjoyed his hobbies of genealogy and tennis. He lives in Berkeley, is devoted to his wife, and is very proud of his daughter, now in her junior year at Bennington College in Vermont.