August 5 Carl and his wife Barbara started planning their trip to Germany with European Focus back in late August of 2013. Now, just shy of a year later, they have landed and are ready to begin their eight-day adventure to see some of Carl’s ancestral towns and villages in Germany. Here they are, fresh […]
Tag Archives: genealogy
Walk Where Your Ancestors Walked
Genealogy is the fastest growing hobby in the world. Millions of people want to see the places where their ancestors lived before emigrating. We have been leaders in this field since 1989, starting the world’s first professional photography service exclusively for family historians. That photography business mushroomed to include photography and tours combined. Now we […]
Germans Represent A Huge Slice of the American Population
October 9 It’s time to break out the bratwurst as the United States celebrates German-American Day on Oct. 6. Commemorating the founding of Germantown, Pa. in 1683, the holiday celebrates America’s largest ancestry group, with 49 million people claiming part or full German heritage. As President Barack Obama proclaimed a few years ago on this […]
A Visit to Soultz-sous-Forêts, Alsace, France
September 8 – from a visit on September 6 Gloria Temple’s ancestors named Bayer came from the small town of Soultz-sous-Forêts, now located in the Alsace of France. When Gloria’s ancestors lived here, this was part of the German Empire.
A Busy Day in the Black Forest
September 5 Genealogy enthusiast Ken Temple has researched his German ancestors back several centuries. One of his lines comes from ‘Baden,’ and he knows they lived in the ‘Weinland,’ but that is as far as his knowledge extends. Further research is possible but not really convenient. And so today, just to get the feel for […]
Willmandingen, Germany and the Roots of the Heinz Family
September 16 Today Suzanne Pellegrino and Beth Renney spent time with another side of the family, the Heinz side, which stems from the village of Willmandingen, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. Our visit started with church service at the Protestant St. Gallus, dating from 1903 but built onto the remains of a much older tower from at least […]
Visiting German Relatives in Hoinkhausen
(From a visit made to Hoinkhausen on September 12 and 13) When German relatives know you’re coming, the red carpet not only gets rolled out, it gets wrapped around you. Suzanne Pellegrino and her sister Beth Renney not only gave their relatives in tiny Hoinkhausen, Germany advance notice, they gave them nearly a year to […]
St. Pankratius in Hoinkhausen, Germany
September 15, 2012 The Catholic Church of Saint Pankratius is the ancestral church of Suzanne Pellegrino and Elizabeth Renney’s Mollerus ancestors, who settled in this village in the last years of the 18th century. The church was built as early as the 12th century. A stone triptych on the north entrance of the church dates […]