German Heritage
Venture into our array of blog pieces dedicated to digging deep into German family history, establishing ties between generations in Germany and the United States, and launching into exploring German family history research.
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Prussia Vs. Germany: A Tale Of Two Entities And History
When you embark on the family history research journey, it’s crucial to understand that national borders and political entities are not static; they change over time. A classic example of this fluidity is the relationship between Prussia and Germany. In today’s geopolitical landscape, Germany is a well-defined nation-state, but once a dominant European power, Prussia…
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Minden-Lübbecke, Germany History And Wehking History Explored
Minden-Lübbecke is a region located in the heart of Germany. Minden-Lübbecke is a beautiful area with a diverse cultural heritage and a fascinating past that many influences have shaped. We will look into this region’s history and take a closer look at the history of the Hummel family and this area of Germany. By exploring…
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German US – Immigration & History Of The City Of Erdmannhausen, Ludwigsburg, Germany
Johann Gottlieb Hummel, my great great grandfather, was born in 1829 in Erdmannhausen, Ludwigsburg, German. In the 1850s, he migrated from Erdmannhausen in Germany to The United States; he arrived in the United States just in time to fight in the US Civil. War. We cannot talk about the history of the United States without…
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What Did A Cellarman Do In 1700s Germany?
As I was working on some of my family genealogy, I discovered that I had a great-great-grandfather who lived in Germany in the 1700s, and his occupation was a cellarman. II wanted to understand a bit more what a cellarman might have done in Germany in the 1700s A cellarman in Germany in the 1700s…
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Why Are There So Many German Illegitimate Children (1700 and 1800s)?
I was doing some genealogy research and was quite surprised to find that a great German grandfather and grandmother had eight children but their first child was born before they were married and the second right after. I know this family was also strongly religious. When doing your German genealogy research, it can be quite…
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The Strecker Family Reunion in Hannover, Germany (1929)
As I was looking over some of the papers from R. Stuart Hummel located at Stanford University collection, I came across a very old German Newspaper clipping. The newspaper clipping talked about a Strecker Family reunion that took place in 1929. The Strecker family held a family reunion that in 1929 was news in the…
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Memoirs of Germany – 1952, From R. Stuart Hummel’s Round-The-World Trip
My dad’s cousin R Stuart Hummel (1915-2007) worked for the U.S. Government. He was also a great historian who kept many of his own records plus our family’s records. These records are now part of the Stanford University Collection. 1n 1952, R. Stuart Hummel was on a trip around-the-world for the U.S. State Department; he…
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What Does Swabia Mean? About Swabian German
We have many German ancestors from Swabia, so I have often wondered what Swabia means? Or where was Swabia? Swabia is a region in southern Germany; the people in this region speak Swabian German. Though the region is today part of modern-day Germany, historically and culturally, it was different. The name Swabia came from the…
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A History of Westphalia, Germany
I have great parents who came to the United States from the Minden area of Westphalia. Like many parts of present-day Germany, this area has a fascinating history. Westphalia’s history goes back to the times of the ancient Saxons. For a period of time, Westphalia was under the rule of Napoleon and the French. Later…