PA chapter Third Tuesday Zoom PROgram

The Pennsylvania Chapter’s series of Third Tuesday Zoom programs continues. Presented at 7:00 PM ET, they are free and open to all. Join us for our October program:

From the Old World to the New:
German Immigration & Emigration Records Across the Centuries
Tuesday, October 21, 2025

Millions of German-speaking immigrants crossed the Atlantic to build new lives in America, leaving behind valuable records on both sides of the ocean. This webinar explores immigration and emigration sources from the Colonial Era through the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. We'll examine why Germans left, where they settled, and—most importantly—what records document their journeys. From Pennsylvania oaths of allegiance and Hamburg passenger lists to Ellis Island manifests and German emigration permissions, you'll learn how to locate and interpret the records that trace your ancestors' paths. Real-life examples and case studies for each wave of immigration will show you how to put these resources into practice. Whether your German ancestors arrived in the 1700s or the early 1900s, this presentation will give you the strategies and tools to follow their journey from the Old World to the New.

Gail Shaffer Blankenau is a historian, genealogist, author, and speaker with expertise in uncovering hidden family histories and analyzing complex records. Her book Journey to Freedom—the story of Celia and Eliza Grayson's 1858 escape from enslavement in Nebraska Territory—was a Midwest Book Award Finalist in Nonfiction History and the 2025 Winner of the Nebraska Book Award. Gail has contributed research to the award-winning book, A Question of Freedom by William G. Thomas III, serves as genealogist for the Nickerson Family Association, sits on the Nebraska State Historical Advisory Board for Digitizing Newspapers, and is a board member of the Germanic Genealogy Society.

Register here to join us for this program. If you have a question that you want to ask, feel free to email us in advance at info@pennpalam.org or pennsylvaniapalatines@gmail.com.