Got German?

At last year's National Genealogical Society's Conference in Cincinnati, we were overwhelmed with attendees who specifically attended because of their interest in German genealogy. Cincinnati, among other areas of Ohio, was an area heavily populated by German immigrants during the 19th Century. Based on last year's demand, the OGS Conference organizers have made every effort to provide sessions to meet the needs of those interested in German and other European research.

F. Warren Bittner is giving three presentations. I had the opportunity to read Mr. Bittner's bio, and I can't wait to hear him speak. He is a nationally-recognized speaker who has presented at numerous genealogical conferences. I'm particularly intrigued by his talk on illegitimacy. He chose this topic for his master's thesis, and I promise you he discovered that this topic is not as cut and dried as you might think.

Ernest Thode is also scheduled for three presentations -- and what a bio he has. Mr. Thode has been manager of the Local History & Genealogy Department of the Washington County Public Library in Marietta, Ohio, since 1992. Mr. Thode has taught German, translated German documents for family researchers, authored books including German-English Genealogical Dictionary, and written an award-winning newspaper genealogy column.

Michel Lacopo returns to Cincinnati after presenting for the NGS Conference in 2012. His specialty is identifying and locating German records, including lesser-known records. Should you attend his presentation on identifying the German origins of American immigrants, you can expect to hear about the following:

• Overview of German immigration history and geography
• Utilization of lesser known published sources
• How to mine primary records for place names and hints of places of origin
• Indirect research to locate German origin
• Case studies

James M. Biedler, whose credits include serving as President of the International Society of Family History Writers and Editors,writes regularly for newspapers, magazines, and journals. He also serves as an Instructor for Family Tree University. His talks will include "Zigzagging through German Church Records" and "What's a Palantine Anyways?"

Finally, Thomas Jones will present a case study on how to plan and execute efficient and effective research. Elissa Powell will help participants learn how to make use of passenger lists. Barbara Bell, who specializes in northern German resources, will highlight the use of familysearch. If you have Eastern European ancestors, Lisa Alzo will discuss online resources that increasingly becoming available for researchers.

So get your calendars out. There's so much to do with so little time.