Unlock Even More Secrets of Your German Ancestors
β Winter 2025 Registration Open
The Research Journey Continues β Our 3rd Summit in the Series
Featuring New Topics, Trusted Experts, and Proven Favorites!
Saturday, November 15, 2025 | 8:00 AM β 2:00 PM PT / 11:00 AM β 5:00 PM ET
Building on the incredible success of our May and September seminars, we're excited to bring you the third installment in our groundbreaking series!
Join us for Tracing Your German Ancestors - Winter 2025, featuring another exciting lineup of expert speakers and fresh insights you won't find anywhere else. This live half-day seminar continues our mission to bring together the world's leading German genealogy experts in one accessible online event.
This third seminar in our series is hosted by the German Genealogy Collective and features expert speakers from Germany and North America. It's an immersive experience that will equip you with powerful new strategies and overlooked research approaches to unlock your family history.
Here's what you'll get when you register:
5 expert-led sessions, each 45 minutes long, with 15-minute live Q&A
A 1-hour break for rest, refreshment, or networking with other attendees
Access to cutting-edge research strategies that most genealogists overlook
Advanced techniques for breaking through your toughest research barriers
Direct access to international experts who'll answer your specific genealogy questions
Speakers & Topics:
Barbara Schmidt (Frankfurt, Germany)
Counting Kin: Discovering Family in Surviving German Census Records.
Discover how to navigate and interpret German census records that can reveal crucial family details often missed by other researchers.
German census records can be a goldmine for family historiansβwhere they exist. In this session, Barbara Schmidt will introduce surviving collections with a special look at the MecklenburgβSchwerin and LΓΌbeck censuses, showing how these records can reveal names, households, and community life. Learn where to find them and how to use their details to unlock new clues about your German ancestors.
Barbara Schmidt is an enthusiastic genealogist and the President of the International German Genealogy Partnership (IGGP). With more than 25 years of experience in family history research, she specializes in German sources including censuses, records from Mecklenburg and LΓΌbeck, and corporate archives.
Based in Germany, Barbara works bilingually in German and English, helping researchers connect with their ancestral roots across borders. She is also co organizer of the virtual festival Genealogica, which since 2021 has brought together hundreds of family history enthusiasts from around the world.
Barbara shares her expertise not only through lectures and workshops, but also on her blog Die Welten verbinden (βConnecting Worldsβ), where she explores both historical records and modern digital tools for genealogy. Passionate about building bridges between the past and present, she is dedicated to helping others discover, document, and preserve their family stories.
James M. Beidler (Pennsylvania, USA)
German Genealogistsβ Guide to Maps, Borders and Gazetteers
Germany's historical borders are complicated by fractionalization.
This is particularly true during the thousand years of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, producing a βnon-linearβ history in which political units sliced and diced and repeatedly changed nobility jurisdictions, making it difficult to determine all of the archives in which materials of genealogical interest might be found. But all is not lost: There are many tools, both online and off-, that can help you break through the complications, and youβll get a chance to work with the presenterβs βHeimat Tic Tac Toeβ grid to help you track down all the records relating to your ancestry!
James M. Beidler is the author of four commercially published genealogy books as well as writing βRoots & Branches,β an award-winning weekly blog / newspaper column on genealogy. He is also a columnist for German Life magazine and is editor emeritus of Der Kurier, the quarterly journal of the Mid-Atlantic Germanic Society.
He was co-chair for the International German Genealogy Partnershipβs successful virtual conference in July 2021 and was a research-reports editor for Legacy Tree Genealogists from 2018 to 2021 (and remains an Affiliate with LTG). Since May 2020, he has been a regular on the βGenealogy Quick Startβ television program hosted by Shamele Jordon.
Beidler was also Executive Director for Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania from 1999 to 2003 and again from 2021 to 2024. He was the President of the International Society of Family History Writers and Editors from 2010 to 2012 and served as national co-chair for the 2008 Federation of Genealogical Societies conference in Philadelphia.
Beidler is also frequent contributor to other periodicals ranging from scholarly journals such as The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine to popular-interest magazines such as Family Tree Magazine. He also wrote the chapter on genealogy for Pennsylvania: A History of the Commonwealth, published jointly by the Penn State Press and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
As a lecturer, he was a part of the Pennsylvania Humanities Councilβs acclaimed Commonwealth Speakers program from 2002 to 2009, and has been a presenter at numerous conferences. In addition to being a member of numerous genealogical, historical, and lineage societies, Beidler also has sat on Pennsylvaniaβs State Historic Records Advisory Board as well as the selection committee for the Pennsylvania Digital Newspaper Project.
He is an Enrolled Agent tax preparer and owner of James M. Beidler Tax Concierge LLC and previously was a copy editor for 15 years for The Patriot-News newspaper in Harrisburg, PA.
Beidler was born in Reading, PA, and raised in nearby Berks County, where he currently resides. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Hofstra University in Long Island, NY, with a BA in Political Science in 1982.
Dr. Kenneth Heger (Maryland, USA)
Records You Can Research Easily at Home Online: The U.S. Department of Stateβs Numeric and Minor File, 1906-1910
Building on his popular previous presentation, Ken shares even more specialized techniques for overcoming challenging German research problems.
In mid-1906 the Department of State modernized its clunky filing system and began organizing all documents on the same subject together in case files arranged by a numerical filing scheme. The result was the Numerical and Minor Files.
Because the Numerical and Minor Files filed all incoming and outgoing correspondence on a topic in the same file, regardless of the documentβs source, e.g., consulate, embassy, private citizen, local government, etc., these records are a great source of information for genealogists. An importation addition to the new filing system was the creation of a comprehensive name index to the records. No longer do you have to slog through thousands of pages searching for your ancestor, you can start with an index. This class will teach you about the records and demonstrate how to use the index to tackle your research. It will also tell you how to access the index and the records online.
Dr. Kenneth W. Heger is an experienced researcher and lecturer with a Ph.D. in history, specializing in archival processing and digital curation. A retired senior lecturer from the University of Marylandβs iSchool, he directed the Archives & Digital Curation specialization and the Digital Curation Innovation Center. Dr. Heger is the principal investigator of the Global Journeys, Local Communities Project, focusing on the migration of people and Americaβs wounded warriors, and continues to work on expanding the project. He is also the president of the Mid-Atlantic Germanic Society and a vice president of the International German Genealogical Partnership.
Dr. Katja WΓΌstenbecker (Hamburg, Germany)
Finding the German Hometown: Tracing Your Ancestors' Roots From the U.S.
Learn why starting your German research with American records can be the key to unlocking your family's European story.
Discover practical strategies for identifying the German hometown of your immigrant ancestors β without leaving the United States. This session introduces a variety of U.S. sources that often contain vital clues about German origins. Step by step, youβll see how small details can lead you back to the place your family once called home.
Dr. Katja WΓΌstenbecker holds a PhD in History and has published widely on German immigration. She has taught at several universities and is passionate about helping people connect with the lives and stories of their ancestors. As the founder of βMy German Ancestors,β she uses her YouTube channel to share the fascinating historical backgrounds of German emigration, making history come alive for anyone curious about where their familyβs journey began.
Timo Kracke (Ganderkesee, Germany)
Beyond genealogy.net - Discover the Online Records of German Genealogy Societies
Unlock Hidden Heritage: Exploring Germanyβs Regional Genealogy Societies and Free Online Database
In addition to the large genealogy.net databases, a large number of genealogical societies offer individual databases specifically related to their field of research. Discover what is available specifically in your research region.
There are more exciting sessions to be announced soon, covering a variety of regions, record types, and unique research challenges in German genealogy.
The lecture gives an overview of the genealogical societies in Germany, grouped according to North, East, South, West and Germany as a whole. In addition to a large number of genealogical societies, their online services, which can be used free of charge by anyone, will be presented. For all databases there is a profile with detailed information and how to research them.
Timo is a family historian, speaker and author, who has more than 25 years of experience in genealogy. Timo volunteers for several German societies, is the vice president of the Oldenburgische Gesellschaft fΓΌr Familienkunde e.V. and director at-large technology for the International German Genealogy Partnership. Since 2012 Timo is the voice of the German genealogy podcast "der Genealoge" and in 2014 he started the Kids-Genealogy project "die Familienforscher" where he publishes guides and ideas about involving Kids in Genealogy for the field of Kindergarten, School, Societies and gives tips for literature and excursions.
Timo is a tech guy who is available in several social networks and loves to share his knowledge with the community.
Event Details:
π Date: Saturday, November 15, 2025
β° Time: 8:00 AM β 2:00 PM PT / 11:00 AM β 5:00 PM ET
π» Location: Live on Zoom (In English)
Canβt Attend Live? Weβve Got You Covered.
If you're unable to join us live, don't worry - recordings of all sessions will be made available to all registered attendees after the seminar.
Pricing Information:
ποΈ $147
Why Attend This Third Seminar?
All-New Expert Insights from renowned specialists covering completely different topics
Advanced Research Strategies including the powerful "reverse research" approach
Geographic Mastery with maps, borders, and gazetteers that solve location puzzles
Census Record Secrets that most researchers never discover
Live Q&A for all your burning genealogy questions
Networking Opportunities with fellow genealogists from around the world
Access to Recordings if you can't attend live
This is the third event in our exclusive series-building on the success of our May and September seminars with fresh perspectives, new approaches, and innovative strategies for German genealogy research. Whether you attended our previous seminars or you're just joining us, this event will expand your research toolkit with specialized knowledge you can't get anywhere else.
Ready to Continue Your German Family History Journey?
ποΈ Mark your calendar for Saturday, November 15th, 2025 and register now to secure your spot. This is your chance to learn from a completely new lineup of leading experts and get personalized insights into your research challenges.
π€ Hosted by the German Genealogy Collective
The German Genealogy Collective (GGC) is an exclusive community for those passionate about uncovering their German roots. Founded by renowned professional genealogist Andrea Bentschneider, the GGC offers masterclasses, co-researching sessions, research tools, and a vibrant forum where members support each other on their family history journeys.
This seminar continues our groundbreaking series - bringing together researchers, experts, and enthusiasts across continents in one accessible space. Once again, you'll hear voices from Germany and North America side-by-side, offering diverse perspectives and specialized approaches to German genealogy research you won't find anywhere else.
