2011 Pal-Am National Conference Come Back to Pennsylvania Again Kommen Sie wieder nach Pennsylvanien zurück!

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1 Volume 1, Issue Pal-Am National Conference Come Back to Pennsylvania Again Kommen Sie wieder nach Pennsylvanien zurück! J u n e 2, 3, 4, P i t t s b u r g h, PA S p e c i a l p o i n t s o f i n t e r e s t : Cruise the Three Rivers German dancing and singing Bus tour of Allegheny City Molly's Trolley ride to Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh PAL-AM Awards Banquet Lectures Vendor Exhibits I n s i d e t h i s i s s u e : Speakers 2 P A L - A M N A T I O N A L C O N F E R E N C E P I T T S B U R G H, P E N N S Y L V A N I A This year the National Conference of the Palatines to America will be held at the Sheraton Station Square in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Co-sponsor and local host of the conference will be the Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society. An array of eminent speakers with strong roots in German-American history highlight the conference program. Palatines to America Palatines to America (PAL-AM) is a German genealogy society dedicated to the study of ancestors from all German speaking lands. The society takes its name from the fact that some of the earliest Germanspeaking immigrants to the American colonies came from a region in present-day Germany known as the Palatinate and were called Palatines. The founding members of PAL-AM all had ancestors from this area of Germany. Kommen Sie wieder nach Pennsylvanien zurück Welcome back to Pennsylvania Again! Welcome to Pittsburgh Once known as the ' smoky city' where the streetlights came on at 3:00 PM., Pittsburgh has shaken that dismal image and is now famous as the City of Champions, with multiple trophies won by the Steelers and the Penguins. Beyond its sports fame, the city is a cultural zone anchored by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and the home of many nationally prominent universities, hospitals, research and technology centers. Events Schedule 3 Vendors 3 Hotel Information 4 W E S T E R N P E N N S Y L V A N I A G E N E A L O G I C A L S O C I E T Y C O N F E R E N C E C O - S P O N S O R S Points of Interest 4 Registration Insert The Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society is a non-profit organization of amateur and professional genealogists and historians who are dedicated to the study of the preservation of local and family history. Since its formation in 1974 WPGS members have helped to trace family roots and locate and preserve many documents and records that are an important part of the rich history of Western Pennsylvania. The geographic area encompassed by the society includes the 26 counties west of Centre County. Any WPGS member who can validate an ancestor who lived in any of the twenty-six counties prior to December 31, 1810, can be accepted into the First Families of Western Pennsylvania. Page 1

2 S P E A K E R S James M. Beidler writes Roots & Branches, an award-winning weekly newspaper column on genealogy that is the only syndicated feature on that topic in Pennsylvania. He is also a columnist for German Life magazine and is editor of Der Kurier, the quarterly journal of the Mid-Atlantic Germanic Society. He is Vice President for Development for the Federation of Genealogical Societies, Past- President of the Pennsylvania Chapter, Palatines to America, and is the former Executive Director for the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania. Keith Brintzenhoff is a schoolteacher by profession. He has taught the Pennsylvania German language to all ages. Brintzenhoff has also studied autoharp with some of the world ' s best and has researched the mountain dulcimer and its Pennsylvania German connections. Brintzenhoff plays guitar and old-time banjo as well. Whether by himself, in a duo, or with his band the Toad Creek Ramblers, Brintzenhoff performs extensively, from senior citizens' groups to festivals, both here and in Germany. He resides in Kutztown, PA. Marilyn Cocchiola Holt, MLS, is Department Head of the Pennsylvania Department of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and currently serves as Board Member and Program Chair of the Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society. She is also an Honorary Vice-President of the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania. Ms. Holt has worked with genealogical patrons for 27 years and has presented numerous programs on local and family history topics, as well as teaching courses on genealogy since John T. Humphrey, CG, is President of the Mid-Atlantic Germanic Society and Honorary Vice- President of the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania. Mr. Humphrey, author of the fourteen-volume set listing early Pennsylvania births, specializes in German research at the Library of Congress, the National Archives, and record repositories in eastern Pennsylvania and southwestern Germany. He lectures frequently at national, regional and local conferences. Barbara L. Jones, Chief Curator of the Westmoreland Museum of American Art, joined their staff in October With 16 years museum experience, she has overall responsibility for the permanent collection and exhibitions. She holds Masters degrees in both Art History and Museum Studies from Syracuse University with a concentration in the primary fields of the Museum's interests and has published research papers in the fields of American and regional art. Richard L.T. Orth is Assistant Director of the American Folklife Institute in Kutztown, PA. The Institute is dedicated to researching folk culture among the Pennsylvania Dutch people of southeastern Pennsylvania by recording their architecture, antiques, craftsmanship, customs, and religious folk life. He has lectured extensively on Pennsylvania Dutch crafts and folkways in Eastern Pennsylvania. Michael R. Shaughnessy, PhD, author of German Pittsburgh., is a German professor at Washington and Jefferson College, where he teaches German language, literature, and cultural history. He is an active member of the Society for German-American Studies and the author of numerous articles dealing with educational technology in the humanities. Page 2

3 Sch e d u l e o f E v e n t s Thursday June 2, :00 AM: Pre-conference Registration 8:30 AM: PAL-AM National Board Meeting 12:00 PM - 9:30 PM: Admiral Room Closed - Vendor Set-up Post board meeting-6:00pm open time for lunch, pre-registered tours*, sightseeing or library research* * 1:00 PM: #1 Bus Tour of Allegheny City North Side *3:00 PM : #2 Bus Tour of Allegheny City North Side *11:00 AM - 5:00 PM: Research Trips to Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Department. Bus leaves Sheraton hourly beginning at 11 AM final bus leaves the library at 5 PM. * 6:00 PM: Palatines to America Awards Banquet, Sheraton Station Square 8:00 PM: Entertainment by Teutonia Männerchor / Damenchor Performance open to all conference registrants. Cash bar & Männerchor CD Sales Friday, June 3, :00 AM - Registration begins 8:15 AM- 4:30 PM Vendor Exhibits Open 8:45 AM -10:00 AM Seminar 1: Finding Your German Ancestor's Place of Origin Humphrey Seminar 2: Hex Signs of our PA Dutch Country (Central to Eastern PA) Orth 10:15 AM - 11:30 AM Seminar 3: What s a Palatine Anyway? Beidler Seminar 4: Resources for German Genealogy in Western PA Holt 11:35 AM -1:00 PM: Lunch in Station Square or downtown restaurants/ Vendor Shopping 1:15 PM - 2:30 PM Seminar 5: German-Language Newspapers: An Underutilized Source Humphrey Seminar 6: Pennsylvania German Music and Instruments Brintzenhoff 2:45 PM - 4:00 PM Seminar 7: Pennsylvania German Church Records Beidler Seminar 8: German Pittsburg(h) Shaughnessy *6:00 PM: Dinner Cruise Gateway Clipper Duchess Entertainment of German Folk Dancing Saturday, June 4, :30 AM - 9:30 AM: Walk-in Registration 8:00 AM - 8:30 AM: PAL-AM, PA Chapter Business Meeting 8:30 AM- 2:00 PM: Vendor Shopping 8:30 AM - 9:30 AM: PAL-AM National General Membership Meeting 9:45 AM - 11:00 AM Seminar 1 :Using Published Sources to Find German Ancestors Humphrey Seminar 2: Collectable Pennsylvania German Potters of Eastern Pennsylvania Orth 11:15 AM - 12:30 PM Seminar 3: Germany to Pennsylvania: 18th Century Odyssey Beidler Seminar 4: Western Pennsylvania Fraktur: A Folk Art Tradition Jones 12:45 PM - 2:00PM: German Lunch, Sheraton Station Square; Vendor Shopping 2:15 PM - 3:30 PM Seminar 5: Maps and Gazetteers: An Essential Resource for German Research Humphrey Seminar 6: Exploring Pennsylvania's State Archives and State Library Beidler 3:45 PM: Auf Weidersehen V e n d o r s & E x h i b i t s * * P r o j e c t e d l i s t s - a c t u a l v e n d o r s may v a r y AKB Publications Family Chronicle Lineage Charts Pennsylvania State Archives American Association of Family Tree Magazine Local History Company Retrospect Publishing Teachers of German McCrea Research Roots Magic Ancestor Tracks Genealogical Publishing Maia's Books & Misc Roots2Leaves Apgar Family Hofbrauhaus Masthof Bookstore & Press Thode German Maps Board for the Certification of Genealogists Heritage Books Max's Allegheny Tavern Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society Butler County Genealogical Historical Society of Palatines to America Society Western Pennsylvania Westmoreland County Penn Brewery Historical Society Closson Press James M. Beidler Research Pennsylvania Genealogy Westmoreland Museum of Art Creative Memories Jonathan Sheppard Books Books Page 3

4 H o t e l & P o i n t s o f I n t e r e s t Sheraton Station Square Hotel 300 W. Station Square Drive Pittsburgh, PA or Ask for PAL-AM/WPGS National Conference Conference Rate of $149/day + tax Greater Pittsburgh Visitors & Convention Bureau: Free visitors guide to download: Ride the Incline to the top of Mt. Washington for the 2nd Best City View in the United States as ranked by USA Weekend Magazine Page 4

5 REGISTRATION 2011 PAL-AM NATIONAL CONFERENCE Please complete the form below. All information must be submitted for registration to be processed. Payments Due: May 20, 2011 FEES: Full Conference: $75; Single Day: $40 Registrations after May 20th, including walk -ins $90 Cancellation Policy: All cancellations must be in writing and received by May 20, $15 administration fee will be charged for cancellations. No refunds after May 20, Accommodations: Sheraton Station Square $149/night plus tax. See page 2 for details. Special Parking Pass: $7/day payable upon arrival, no in/out privileges. Special Requirements: Registrants with special needs requirements as outlined in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) must notify conference organizers in writing of these special needs no later than May 3, Special needs hotel arrangements must be made with the Sheraton. Syllabus: All registrations include a Syllabus on CD. Printed Syllabus is available for $10 and paid with pre-registration by May 20, Optional Events: Thursday: Allegheny City Bus Tour; Hourly (10:45-5:00) Molly s Trolley rides to & from Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Department, PAL-AM Awards Banquet Friday: Gateway Clipper Dinner Cruise Saturday: German lunch NAME E _ ADDRESS A D D R E S S CITY City State STATE ZIP Zip PHONE Phone CELL C e lphone l P h o n e Fees: Early Registration $75 $ Post May 20th Registration $90 $ Single Day $40 $ Events: Allegheny City Bus Tour $20 $ Carnegie Library Trolley $30 $ PAL-AM Banquet $47 $ Gateway Clipper Cruise $49 $ Saturday German Lunch $29 $ Printed Syllabus $10 $ TOTAL PAYMENT $ Make Checks payable to: PAL-AM/ WPGS National Conference Mail To: PAL-AM/ WPGS National Conference 3148 Morningside Drive Allison Park, PA