How to Have a Successful Family History Trip to Europe

European Focus Private Tours provides the expertise, experience and guidance on the “Ultimate Experience,” visiting your ancestral villages or towns in Europe. Many family historians just don’t know where to start, and are not yet ready for that ultimate experience. Here are some tips from on how to get started on your quest. Begin with […]

The time to explore family history

Two-time traveler Jim Cooke of Virginia photographs a traditional Irish pub/store/hardware store in the town of Kingscourt, County Cavan, Ireland on October 11. Jim and his wife Betsy are combining a business trip with a pleasure excursion to see some of the areas where Jim’s ancestors lived before emigrating to New Orleans in 1850.

Sommerhausen, Germany and Francis Daniel Pastorius

The charming hamlet of Sommerhausen, Germany has a wall, towers, a castle and many very old houses nestled between steep slopes covered with vineyards and the Main River. The town is also home to the man who established Germantown, Pennsylvania. In 1683, a group of Mennonites, Pietists, and Quakers – like Abraham Isacks op den […]

Leifeste Family History in Broistedt, Germany

The preparations for this part of Jane and Rachel’s ancestral tour in Germany started in July, 2010 with a visit to Broistedt by James and Jenean Derheim during an extensive scouting trip they undertook between tours with other clients. A chance stop at the local newspaper stand and a helpful clerk led James to local […]

The Unique Lippische Farmhouse

We had some time to kill before our meeting on September 7th with the Grote cousins who live on the old farmstead, so we drove up to the hamlet of Evenhausen to see if we could locate the former farm Number One. All farm numbers have been changed with the advent of the modern postal […]

Alexander Church in Oerlinghausen, Lippe Detmold, Germany

The Alexander Church was built in the 1200s as a Gothic chapel, later enlarged in the 1500s to a large hall church with thick stone pillars supporting the roof. The church is relatively plain inside, in keeping with traditions of the Evangelical Lutheran (Reformed) Churches in this part of Germany. The organ at the rear […]

Grote Ancestral Farm in Mackenbruch, Lippe Detmold, Germany

An unforgettable visit to the Grote ancestral farmstead on September 7th resulted in new connections with cousins in Germany and a wealth of new information for family historian Jane Williamson of Waco, Texas. Jane and her daughter Rachel Hernandez visited Mackenbruch after a long planning process begun in July, 2010 when Jane discovered European Focus […]

Kersting Farm in Mackenbruch, Germany

Jane Williamson from Waco, Texas enjoyed taking photographs and walking around the old farmstead where her Kersting ancestors lived before the family emigrated to America in the 1840s. Detailed photographs of the inscription above the door into the house and barn combination can be seen below.