Presenter: Gail Blankenau

Gail Shaffer Blankenau is a historian, genealogist, speaker, and award-winning author. She serves on the boards of the Germanic Genealogy Society and Nebraska Historic Newspapers. Her history book, Journey to Freedom: Uncovering the Grayson Sisters’ Escape from Nebraska Territory, was released by the University of Nebraska Press in 2024.

When: Friday, 4th of April, 2025 from 12:30 to 2:30 pm Pacific Daylight Time (PDT)

Zoom Registration Required: https://tinyurl.com/5ab7ws8y
This presentation will NOT be recorded.

Topic: What’s in a Name? Deciphering German Given Names and Nicknames.
Genealogists often focus on surnames, but what happens when multiple ancestor candidates share the same name? German given names can be tricky—many individuals had multiple names but were known by a “Rufname” (call name).

Don’t let name confusion derail your research—discover strategies you need to ensure you’re barking up the right tree.
More information: Visitors are always welcome. Our website is:
https://egsgermangroup.wordpress.com/

Bridging the Divide: Italian Catholic Parish Records as a Cardinal Resource for Historical Demography and Genealogy

Bio: Suzanne Greco is the Founder & Director of Italian Parish Records, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and making accessible the Italian Catholic Parish Records. She is a current Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Edinburgh Divinity School in Ethical & Practical Theology, recently having graduated from Harvard Divinity School. Suzanne has researched Italian family lines and indexed civil and parish records for 27 years.

About our speaker: Peggy’s parents were excellent genealogists and instilled the same love of history and family in her and her sisters. A favorite picture is of her mother
doing cemetery research four days before her birth. Her roots run deep in the South. Peggy has been an active teacher and lecturer in the field and has written several Legacy QuickGuides and columns for Reminisce Magazine. She has received several awards in recognition of exemplary professionalism and continuing encouragement to other professional genealogists. Peggy and her husband are Family History Directors in Mansfeld, Ohio.

Presenter: Fritz Juengling,
Ph.D., AG®, AGL™
Doctor Juengling received his
Master’s and Doctorate in
Germanic Philology at the
University of Minnesota. He is an
Accredited Genealogist® through
the International Commission for
the Accreditation of Professional
Genealogists and certified by
the Verband deutschsprachiger
Berufsgenealogen. He runs a
successful genealogy research
and translation business

When: Friday, 7th of March, 2025 from
12:30 to 2:30 pm PT
Zoom Registration Required:
https://tinyurl.com/4fv9a9rk

Topic: Websites for German Research
This presentation will teach participants
how to use important websites, such as
FamilySearch, Ancestry, Matricula,
Archion, Genealogy.net, and Meyersgaz
to find records and jurisdictional
information for German research. As far
as possible, the presentation will include
a case study to find information on one
person as a case study. Participants will
be able to compare the advantages of the
different sites.

More information: Visitors are always
welcome. Our website is:
https://egsgermangroup.wordpress.com/

Using Social Security Records to Break Down Brick Walls

Roslyn Torella specializes in Italian and immigrant genealogy through her business, Mahoning Valley Roots. She wrote a monthly Italian genealogy column for La Gazzetta Italiana for many years and is treasurer and newsletter editor for the Mahoning County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society. She has published in the National Genealogical Society (NGS) Magazine. Roslyn enjoys conducting workshops and lectures on genealogy and is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists. She lives in Lowellville, Ohio, where she is known as her hometown’s “unofficial, self-appointed historian” and has written and published a book about her hometown’s wicked past.