Palatines to America, Indiana Chapter, Spring Meeting

Palatines to America, 

Indiana Chapter

Spring Meeting

April 24, 2021

9:45 AM – 4:00 PM [EDT]

Virtual via Zoom

Featured Speaker: James Beidler

Topic 1— Pennsylvania’s Launching Pads into the Midwest o Many Midwestern families spent a generation or more in Pennsylvania before migrating throughout the region as it grew in the 1800s. Hear details on major spots they came from in—and routes they took from—the Keystone State.

Topic 2— Researching German Families in Pennsylvania o Applying genealogical basics to the peculiarity of searching for the rich records relating to America’s first large ethnic minority population – especially highlighting church registers and immigration documents – as well as the Second Wave Germans who joined them in Pennsylvania.

Topic 3— Digging Pennsylvania Roots from Your Desktop o It’s estimated that one in four Americans has “Keystone State” roots. Much Pennsylvania research – from church records to land documents to courthouse filings – can be done remotely. Learn to get much of your genealogy done without setting foot in Pennsylvania by using FamilySearch, Ancestry.com, Pennsylvania State Archives and other sites

Topic 4— Go with the Flow: Finding All the Newspapers You Need! o There’s been a huge increase in accessibility of newspapers to genealogists due to digitization but keeping up with the many services—ranging from free to paid to publisher-sponsored sites—offering content is difficult. Learn the ebb and flow of finding historical newspapers onand offline, as well as finding and utilizing other newspaper resources such as abstracts and clipping files, and learn through a couple of case studies _________________________________________________________