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• PA Chapter Third Tuesday for March 2026

  • When
    17 Mar 2026
  •  
    7:00 PM
  • Location
    ZOOM

  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 March program:

  What's in a German Name?
  Tuesday, March 17, 2026

  Have you ever wondered whether a German surname in your lineage has some significance or meaning? What about how your ancestors named their children? This presentation will explore German naming customs of both forenames and surnames to help you better understand how your ancestors got their names, the importance of naming customs, and how names evolved over time.

  

  As a native Pennsylvania Dutchman, Ken Weaver can trace most every line of ancestors to an 18th century German-speaking immigrant, so it was only natural that he learned to speak German and did so in high school under the tutelage of an inspiring immigrant German teacher. Majoring in German at Millersville University, he also studied during his junior year at Philipps-Universität and upon graduation began a career as a German teacher. He went on to become a principal but continued his language studies by earning certification in ESL. Upon retirement from the public education, he taught at the university level until retiring to Florida in 2014. Now he works on his genealogy, and as a member of several different societies, spends considerable time teaching language tips to any genealogist who’ll listen, as well as transcribing and translating their old German records.

  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.

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• IN Chapter Spring Meeting 2026

  • When
    28 Mar 2026
  •  
    10:15 AM - 3:45 PM
  • Location
    Indianapolis Pike Branch Library & ZOOM

  in chapter spring meeting

  German Research Tchniques
  Featured Speaker Teresa Steinkamp McMillin CG®
  Saturday March 28 2026

  Registration 10:15 AM-10:45 AM EDT - Program 10:45 AM to 3:45 PM EDT
  Chapter Membership Meeting 3:15 PM to 3:45 PM
     Zoom or Pike Branch Indianapolis Public Library
  6525 Zionsville Rd, Indianapolis

  Three presentations:
  

  • Genealogy.net: Germany's Genealogy Mega Site
  • Discover the Holdings of German Archives
  • Hunting for Harry: A Case Study Using Collaterals

  Teresa Steinkamp McMillin, Certified Genealogist ®, author of the Guide to Hanover Military Records, 1514-1866 on Microfilm at the Family History Library, is the owner of Lind Street Research, a company dedicated to helping people discover their German ancestry. She has taught at the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR) and the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG) Academy for Professionals. She created and recorded courses for Ancestry Academy and Legacy Family Tree Webinars. Teresa conducts research on behalf of the U.S. Army to aid in repatriating soldiers missing from the nation’s past conflicts.

  The cost is $40 for PalAm members and $50 for nonmembers or registrations after March 14. For details and registration, visit inpalam.org or download the flyer. Please contact indianapalam@gmail.com with any questions. Attendees are eligible for LEU credit. This program is not sponsored by the Indianapolis Public Library.

  Don’t miss this opportunity to gain practical skills, connect with fellow researchers, and find your German ancestors. Mark your calendar for March 28th, and take the next step forward in your genealogical journey!

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• Colorado Chapter Spring Seminar

  • When
    18 Apr 2026
  •  
    9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
  • Location
    Highlands Park CO & ZOOM

  Colorado Chapter SPRING SEMINAR
  18 APRIL 2026
  Featuring Fritz Jeungling
  In-Person & ZOOM

  Registration is Now Open

  The Colorado Chapter of Palatines to America is pleased to announce that Fritz Juengling Ph.D., AG®, AGL™ Genealogist/Linguist has accepted our invitation to be the speaker at our Spring Seminar April 18, 2026. Visit www.copalam.us for more details. Visit www.copalam.us for more details.

  About Fritz Juengling:

  Doctor Juengling received his bachelor’s degrees in German studies and Secondary Education at Western Oregon University, his Master’s and Doctorate in Germanic Philology with minors in both English and Linguistics at the University of Minnesota. Germanic Philology is a highly specialized field of study, combining languages, linguistics, paleography and history.

  For his graduate degrees, Dr. Juengling was required to demonstrate competence in English, German, Medieval Latin and two other modern languages. He chose Dutch and Norwegian. He also took courses in Old, Middle, and Early Modern English, Old and Middle High German, Old Norse (Old Icelandic), Gothic, Old Frisian, Old Saxon, and Middle Dutch, history of the English, German, Dutch, and Scandinavian languages, Latin and Greek philology, Latin paleography, and Middle English paleography. He also took a number of courses on English dialects and wrote his dissertation on the formation of Southern Hemisphere dialects of English. He has taught German, English, Latin and Old English (Anglo-Saxon) at the high school and university levels.

  Dr. Juengling is an Accredited Genealogist® for Germany, Austria, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway, Denmark, and Sweden through the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists and certified by the Verband deutschsprachiger Berufsgenealogen. He runs a genealogy research and translation business.

  Fritz’s Topics:

  1. Historical Events: How they Affect your Genealogy Research
  2. Austro-Hungarian Empire Geography
  3. A History of the Low German Language
  4. Extracting Information from German Church and Civil Records, German Handwriting.

  The seminar will be a hybrid event.
  A recording will be made available for 30 days to those who register.
  In-person attendees who register by 4 April 2026 will be eligible for lunch with Fritz.
  There will be lots of door prizes for both in-person and virtual attendees.

  Online registration is now open: click here

  The seminar flyer and off-line registration form is available here.
  Questions on the seminar: contact Jennifer Bigham at president@copalam.us;
  questions on membership: Sandy Carter-Duff at registrar@copalam.us.

  
  

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• 2026 Pal Am National Conference

  • Start
    18 Jun 2026
  •  
  • End
    20 Jun 2026
  •  
  • Location
    DoubleTree Resort Hotel Lancaster, Pennsylvania

  

  Our German Ancestors: Building America

  The Palatines to America 2026 National Conference will be held
  

  June 18-20, 2026 at the DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Hotel in Lancaster, PA.
  Join us in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch Country near where many early Palatines settled.  Learn from local experts and nationally recognized speakers.  Celebrate our nation’s 250th birthday just a few miles from where it all started. Registration opens January 2, 2026.

  Planning to attend?  Save the dates!
  Coming up June 18-20, 2026: the Palatines to America 2026 National Conference - presented by us - the Pennsylvania Chapter!

  We're deep in the planning phase at the moment but here's what's real so far:

  • The conference will take place at the DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Hotel in Lancaster, PA. Registration will open January 2, 2026. (When you register for the Conference, we'll be sending instructions with your conference registration confirmation about how to get "Conference Pricing" if you choose to stay at the DoubleTree.)
  • There will be two days packed with (as yet unconfirmed) speakers / presenters on a variety of topics for anyone who is interested in their German Heritage.
  • We are planning for a variety of exhibitors and vendors with materials to support or enhance your German genealogy.
  • The schedule of events will be published here, so bookmark the page and check back often. Also, keep an eye out for more information in upcoming issues of the PennPal and Palatine Patter newsletters.
  • When confirmed, the speakers, exhibitors, vendors and activities will be published on this page.

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