Class Descriptions Germans from Russia Track

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Classes available online and/or pre-recorded (in-person classes are listed further down)

Time Travel Using Historical Maps

Wander through time and explore your ancestral villages on geolocated maps. In the past decade, efforts have been made to scan and georeference historical maps that have been sitting in archives for hundreds of years. You will learn how to use information from the Germans from Russia Settlement Locations map to travel back in time and find your ancestral colonies on period maps using their GPS coordinates. You will learn where to find repositories of detailed maps online, how to overcome language issues with technology, and how to capture images and cite your findings. Summary (general focus): Wander through time and explore your ancestral villages on geolocated maps. In the past decade, efforts have been made to scan and georeference historical maps that have been sitting in archives for hundreds of years. In this presentation, you will learn what information you will need to travel back in time and find your ancestral villages on period maps using their GPS coordinates. You will learn where to find repositories of detailed maps online, how to overcome language issues with technology, and how to capture images and cite your findings.

The Germans from Russia Settlement Locations Project

It started with the same questions we’ve all had. Where was my ancestor’s village? Does it still exist? What is it called today? Was it far from other villages? Is it still in Russia? How do I find it on these old maps? Where is it on today’s map? This presentation introduces the Germans from Russia Settlement Locations project, a geographic genealogy tool built using Google MyMaps that plots the locations of German colonies across the Imperial Russian Empire. We’ll review the history of the project and the research methods, tour the map, and discuss what’s coming next.

“Die Eureka Post” Newspaper: Connecting Worlds Apart - A Case Study

Germans from Russia as well other German speakers connected through German language newspapers circulated in the US and other countries. Discover which German language newspapers may yield genealogical information, as well as records to substantiate family connections and add historical context to your ancestors narrative.

Classes available only to conference attendees in Salt Lake City

The Tiedes in Poland, Ukraine and America: A Germans from Russia case study

A case study on following a family on their migration to America.