GRHS Convention 2009

Start Planning for 2010 – We Are!

2009-09-18T11:28:00.000-07:00

This will be the last blog post for this year. But we couldn’t wrap up this year’s convention without looking forward to next year’s!

Join us in Bismarck July 21-25, 2010 for International Convention of GRHS. We are excited that one of our featured speakers will be Al Neuharth, founder of the USA Today newspaper and a native of Eureka, South Dakota.

The theme of the 2010 convention is “Treasuring the Past, Preserving the Future.”

The Convention Committee is looking for speakers for this convention, and would love to include a mixture of past speakers and new presenters. Do you have suggestions? Do you have a workshop you could share with others? Contact us with your suggestions.

And watch for more announcements about the 2010 convention – in the Heritage Review, on the GRHS website, and of course, on our Facebook page!

A Very Big Thank You…from the Convention Program Chair

2009-09-15T21:28:00.000-07:00

A very big "THANK YOU" to our workshop presenters. Great job!

Drawing from a large field of knowledgeable, experienced quality presenters made scheduling the convention program relatively easy. It was helpful to have a number of individuals volunteer. That gave the committee more confidence. Also helpful were the recommendations coming from members who were not presenters but knew someone who was. Nearly every potential presenter, when contacted, said "Yes, I will."

The evaluations confirm what we believed about our presenters: It was an awesome lineup. We tried to balance each workshop time slot with a variety of topics: genealogy, history, human interest and special features. Another tribute to presenters was the fact that our members faithfully supported our program with their regular attendance throughout the full three days of workshops

We scheduled more sessions into this convention than any gathering I have ever attended and they were well-supported. Several evaluations said something like this: "Too many good workshops, can't get to them all…" I'll take that as a positive statement.

Presenters, you helped make convention ' 09 a great one. Thanks.

Del Beck
Program Chair

A Few Final Updates from the Convention

2009-09-15T21:00:00.000-07:00

Just a few final updates that were missed in the flurry of convention activities!

The Lane Alton Nusz award winners are:
Marlene A. (Kraft) Smith of Penn, North Dakota, and Brian Gefroh of Portland, Oregon for the one year’s free membership. Roger Haas has won the $50 Nusz award.

New Life members of GRHS are: Allan and Anne Strobel, Velma Jesser, Sundae Orwick, Mary and Richard Dunn, Patricia Current, Charles and Janet Weisser, Mark Weisser, Kristine Weisser, Jill and Kevin King, Randy Eresman, and Loretta Kaplan.

The Board voted to erect a new sign by the headquarters building in Bismarck to make it more visible and easier to find. A fundraising campaign is going to pay for the sign - $8,000 is needed in total and about $2,200 was collected at the convention.

The 2011 GRHS convention will be held in Spokane, Washington.

Sunday - Passing the Torch

2009-09-13T22:33:00.000-07:00

Our Sunday service opened this morning with joyous contemporary gospel music from a group from South Canyon Lutheran Church.

The Sunday morning service, in a mixture of English and German, was led by Reverend Theodore Bader. It concluded with a memorial to our GRHS members who have passed away during the past year, those who have been a vital part of the growth and fellowship of the organization.

With this memorial, we pass the torch on – both to next year’s convention committee, but also to the current members of GRHS to continue the good work of preserving our heritage.

Saturday - the Final Full Day

2009-09-13T08:26:00.000-07:00

Saturday…the final full day of the convention. A day jam-packed with workshops, entertainment, and announcements!

Kahlile Mehr, from the Family History Library, gave updates on the where the LDS is filming throughout Eastern Europe, especially as related to our Black Sea German research. Other workshops included Family Tree Maker, piecing together family information by translating old letters, the German-Russian villages of the Beresan area by Larysa Levchenko, leadership in chapter meetings and using parliamentary rules for running meetings, how to do research in Germany…and many others! And workshops were fueled by the afternoon kuchen break. Yum…rhubarb! (Okay, everyone has their own favorite…) Plus the Town Meeting talked about the many projects going on at GRHS to help further our family research.

The Youth Essay award winners were announced at the noon meal. They are:
Debra Goranson - 1st place award university level
Elizabeth Koletzky - runner-up award university level
Marissa Stevens - Runner-up award university level
Rebeca Hulme - 1st place award senior high level
Stephanie Scheurer - runner-up award senior high level
Geneva Durand - 1st place award middle school level
Lindsey Amen - runner-up award middle school level

Alexandra Hoffman, a German-Russian AND Miss South Dakota, was to present the awards but was unable to be there due to college and athletic conflicts.

After dinner and a wonderful set of barbershop-style gospel and patriotic music by the Shrine of Democracy Men’s Chorus (which our own Del Beck is a member of), the new GRHS officers for the coming year were announced.

Newly elected are David Kilwien as President, Vince Humann as Vice-President, Carolyn Schott as Secretary. Re-elected to office were Don Heck as Treasurer and Val Wangler as Member-at-Large.

Music continued on into the evening for those who had the energy!

Convention is winding up today with the Sunday memorial service.

Business Meeting...Awards...Convention's in Full Swing!

2009-09-11T22:00:00.000-07:00

The convention is hummin’….lots of good info being presented in workshops…lots of good connections being made. It’s SO fun to sit down at lunch next to a stranger and say “My family’s from Lehr” and get the response “Wow, really? I grew up in Ashley!” Connecting with others is what it’s all about!

Of course, a convention is also a time to talk about the business of the Society. At today’s business meeting, the membership approved a dues increase for 2010 ($50 vs. the current $40). The discussion at the meeting was brief – as one member said “For all the great information I get from GRHS, $50 is a bargain!” There was also discussion that other genealogy organizations have much higher annual dues….and there can be an additional charge for access to research data. At GRHS, all of this is included in one low membership fee.

The members also unanimously agreed to support the revision of the bylaws, done with the intent to clarify the outdated language in the current version.

Elected to the GRHS Board of Directors for a three-year term were Gayla Aspenleiter, Rich Aspenleiter, Don Ehreth, Al Feist, and David Kilwien, Re-organization and the new officers will be reported tomorrow.

The Joseph S. Height Literary awards went to:
Ron Vossler – Essay “In the Baptist Prayer House”
Alex Herzog – Translation “The Ethnic Germans in Transnistria”
Carolyn Schott – Genealogy “Genealogy Research: The Basics”
Madeline Heer – Folklore “I Should Have Shot the SOB”

Family History Book winners were:
1st place - Anita (Heidt) Wagner "Heidt Ancestry"
2nd place - Elaine (Becker) Morrison "Two Fornfeist Brothers and Their Families”
3rd place - Ronald A. Pfeifer "Pfeifer: The Johannes and Christina Pfeifer Family from Güldendorf, South Russia: The First Four Generations and Beyond”

Convention Starts Up!

2009-09-10T22:19:00.000-07:00

Today's the first official day of the convention.

Exciting news out today – we’re in the process of signing an agreement with the Odessa archive, similar to the ones we have with Nikolaev and Simferopol, to get records out of there! This is fabulous news for many of our Black Sea GRs, as it has been very difficult to get information from that archive. Watch the Heritage Review for future updates!

In the morning business meeting, 7 candidates were nominated for the 5 open Board of Directors positions. The nominees are: Gayla Aspenleiter, Rich Aspenleiter, Deb Beick, Al Feist, David Kilwien, and Margaret Rehwalt. Elections will be at tomorrow’s business meeting.

Today was a big day for Regional Interest Group meetings with Bessarabia, Beresan District, Grossliebental District, Germans to Poland-Prussia to Russia, Crimea, and the Glückstal Colonies Research group all meeting to elect new officers and talk about new developments in research for those areas.

Lots of other workshops throughout the day…more reports on those over the next couple of days.

The Black Hills chapter entertained the lunch group with a skit in GR dialects. The evening program included a local sculptor who worked on a project to sculpt U.S. presidents’ statutes which can be seen throughout downtown Rapid City and Mylo Hatzenbuhler. No words to describe that one! J You missed out if you weren’t here!

The Day Before....

2009-09-09T22:34:00.000-07:00

A bit of a slow news day, but the excitement for the convention is starting to build! People are arriving from all over the world…lots of greetings and hugs throughout the hallways of the Ramkota as friends and colleagues see each other.

As they arrive, people are checking in at the registration and gathering their name tags and convention booklets, scanning through to plan which workshops they’ll be attending. Volunteers are scrambling to make sure everything is in place….displays in Heritage Hall…the silent auction….workshops.

The research room and library was already in full swing, people arriving early to take advantage of the extra time available. One group took a tour of Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse…fabulous sights of the Black Hills.

And….new archives announcement coming tomorrow…but I promised not to reveal it by blog prior to the convention attendees hearing about it…so stay tuned tomorrow!

Let's Make Dumpfnudle!

2009-09-04T07:28:00.000-07:00

Here’s your chance to taste something as good as “Grandma’s.” With all of Valya’s cooking and food service experience, you may not want to miss this workshop session. Valya, with the assistance of Caroline Diede (who was born in the same village of Johannestal as Valya), will demonstrate how to make Dumpfknudle from start to finish. She will share her “tricks of the trade” with you. Once finished, you will taste them with an added topping of a little beef and gravy. Makes your mouth water, doesn’t it? Class will have to be limited to the first 30 people.

Valya (Valentyna) was born in Johannestal (Ivanovka) Ukraine. Johannestal is about 50 miles from Nikolaev, the city where she lived for over 30 years. When she was 17 years old she went to Nikolaev to live with her grandmother and attended high school. After high school she attended a university in Nikolaev for four years and earned a degree in food service engineering. Valentyna also earned a two year nursing degree from a university in Odessa. She was in the food service industry for about 30 years.

Along the way she found a love of genealogy and archival research. Valya has helped hundreds of people find ancestral documents from many different Ukrainian Archives. Her crowing achievement may have been finding the half brother and sister still living in Ukraine of our GRHS President Valerie Ingram. Valya has one daughter, Karolina, and one grandson, Kevin who still live in Nikolaev. She also has one “best husband,” she says, Milton Kramer and they live in Rapid City.

Being German-American During WWI and WWII

2009-08-26T15:27:00.000-07:00

Our German-Russian families found new homes in America and began to learn and accept new ways of doing things. But they were still considered different…and as the U.S. engaged in two world wars against Germany, their German language and customs made them a target of FBI surveillance, especially during the 1930s.

This information gathering, often on the basis of anonymous tips, led to immediate registration, harassment, arrests, internment, and relocation when the U.S. entered WWII. As a result, thousands of innocent men, women and children were subjected to suffering, while being denied their constitutional right to due process of law.

In a presentation titled “Anti German-American Agitation during World Wars I and II: Justice Denied and Internment 1941-48,” Bob Schneider will present this story of prejudice against German-Americans and their mistreatment as a result of government policies. In VANISHED: German-American Internment, 1941-48, Michael Luick-Thrams wrote:

“Their suffering cannot be justified, as no German-American internee was ever convicted of a war-related crime.”

Bob says, “This topic is of special interest to me because one of my brothers-in-law was arrested by the FBI and imprisoned for several months during World War II. My interest in this topic was sparked in 2008, when a traveling museum called “The Busseum” came to Spearfish and showed displays which highlighted the extent of the German-American internment during WWII.”

Kahlile Mehr from Family History Library to Speak in Rapid City

2009-08-20T10:26:00.000-07:00

You may not know his name, but you’ve probably benefited from his work. Kahlile Mehr is the Manager of the Slavic Collection Management & Cataloging for the Family History Library in Salt Lake City and was instrumental in acquiring the St. Petersburg Lutheran records.

Kahlile has been involved in East European genealogy since 1992 when he first visited archives in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kiev, and Minsk – and has made multiple visits to these archives as well as to Saratov, Odessa, Kherson, Nikolayev, Dnepropetrovsk, and Kishinev.

On his first visit to the St. Petersburg archives, he discovered the St. Petersburg Lutheran Consistory and requested it be filmed. Those records have long been a critical source of information for Lutheran German-Russian researchers! The images are now online at the FHL website, and Kahlile has been instrumental in getting GRHS permission to post our indexes for these records online. (See St Pete indexes on Clearing House page, Bessarabia St. Pete index on Odessa)

Kahlile has long worked with German-Russian researchers (such as Gwen Pritzkau) and has been a wonderful support to GRHS in learning more about the records being made available and making our GRHS rack cards available to researchers at the main FHL.

The depth of his knowledge is hard to beat – he’s written 2 books and 41 articles on topics related to genealogy. His B.A. was in Russian; he has an M.L.S. in Library Science and an M.A. in Family and Local History. Kahlile has worked at the Family History Library since 1980 and has presented papers and been a speaker at numerous genealogy conferences.

We are truly fortunate to have him speak at the GRHS convention in Rapid City! Look for his workshops on Saturday, September 12 at 8:30 and 2:30.

Bridges of Friendship

2009-08-15T11:17:00.000-07:00

Larisa Levchenko, head of the State Archives of the Mykolaiv region in Ukraine, will be one of our featured speakers in Rapid City. Larisa will be doing a workshop based on research trips she’s taken to former German villages in the area, taking photos, visiting cemeteries, and talking to current residents about the remnants of German life in these villages, often still in use today.

Even more impressive is Larisa’s dedication to this workshop by diligently studying English to get ready for her presentation!

The connection between Larisa and GRHS goes back to 2003, when a team visiting ancestral villages in Ukraine made a visit to the archive. Valya (Fromm) Kramer brought out archive documents related our German villages, making it apparent this archive had some records that would benefit our GRHS members.

At that time, the archive had no equipment to make copies of records, so GRHS started our partnership with Larisa and the Mykolaiv archive by purchasing digital photography equipment in exchange for copies of German records. This agreement has led to many valuable records for GRHS researchers….and became a model for a similar agreement recently signed with the Simferopol, Crimea archive. Larisa has been instrumental in GRHS contacts with other archives in Ukraine.

As her work with GRHS increased and Larisa became more interested in the life of Germans in Ukraine, her enthusiasm spilled over to her daughter, Maria, who entered the Youth Essay Contest a couple of years ago, using information from the archive for her essay. Maria has recently been accepted as an exchange student in the U.S. for the next year.

Larisa is looking forward to her first trip to the U.S., and will be spending time in Washington D.C. prior to coming to the convention.

Larisa is a graduate of the Moscow State Historical Archivist University, has a PhD in history for her dissertation “The Mykolaiv and Sevastopol Military Governship (1805-1900)” and has written more than 30 articles and books on the history of Ukraine.

From Mass Murder to Hope

2009-07-29T14:47:00.000-07:00

From “Wascht” (aka German Wurst) to pig spleens to Soviet prison camps and mass murder, Ron Vossler’s writings make us feel emotions ranging from humor to horror in describing our German-Russian heritage and history.

Many of his books (Lost Shawls and Pig Spleens or Dakota Kraut) and articles take a humorous look at such topics as our fascination with sausage (“The Fellowship of the (Sausage) Ring” in the Heritage Review).

Officially he’s an “auto-ethnographer.” That means this native of Wishek, North Dakota, looks at German-Russians from the inside, poking fun at our quirks as only “one of us” possibly could.
Ron will be the featured speaker at the convention’s Saturday night banquet. His talk, titled “Voices from the Valley of Hope,” is a set of readings illustrating the inner landscape—both humor and tragedy—of the lives of our German-Russian forefathers. It should be a topic that will capture the interest of everyone attending

During the convention, he will also be presenting a workshop called “Context of Mass Murder,” which will delve into the darker and more complex topic of persecution, heroism, and victimization. Ron’s exhaustive research into the history of our German-Russians allows him to weave a tapestry of events where German-Russians were themselves oppressed and subjected to great suffering, where they became heroes in saving some Jews from extermination, but where some were also involved in executing Jews.

This topic will be a hard one for many to hear. No one wants to think of our people involved in such crimes. But Ron makes the point that there is no need for “collective guilt.” We can be proud of heritage, at the same time being honest about our history.

Ron sees the discussion as a way to open dialogue and resist the dishonesty of keeping silent about this piece of history. “…an honest discussion of events from our ethnic history, including the darkest portions…will allow a better understanding of the incredible suffering of the ethnic Germans in the past century.”

Looking for dead people?

2009-07-19T07:54:00.000-07:00

A new genealogy research tool that will be featured at the GRHS Rapid City convention is the Genealogy Database. This is one of the fastest ways to find those dead ancestors and connect with live researchers! You simply search on the surname…or location….or cemetery you’re interested in. Your search results can show other researchers working on that surname, specific data with source notations about your ancestor that someone else may have submitted, photos, and headstones related to your family.

If you find another researcher’s data is in error, you can submit a correction. If you find another researcher you want to connect with, you can e-mail them directly.

This new database has so many capabilities that a display workstation will be featured at the convention for demos of the database features and for you to get help with your questions about how to use it.

Of course, the value of this compilation of German-Russian family information grows with each new person willing to share their data and photos.

“GRHS members have a history of freely sharing data with each other,” explains Rich Aspenleiter. He and his wife Gayla, with technical assistance from Murray Gauer, implemented the database. “We just wanted to find a way to make it easier for all researchers.”

From just a few thousand individuals, the database has grown to several hundred thousand names. It is growing each day as more researchers send in GEDCOMs of their personal family or village files to be shared. Recently the ability to include photos of people and headstones was also added. We are just starting to add photos of headstones from small Dakota and Canadian country cemeteries and cemeteries in Ukraine – a way to visit them virtually if you can’t make it there yourself!

Some of the comments from GRHS members:
“The Genealogy Data Base project is wonderful!”
“It is great to see all the family information being made available to other genealogists.”
“It is really nice to see it growing!”

Can’t make it to the convention for the demo? The handy online guide will help walk you through how to use to the database and how to submit your GEDCOM to be included. And you can also see examples of some of the search windows.

But if you’re coming to Rapid City, be sure to B.Y.O.G. Bring Your Own GEDCOM!

First timer? What to expect at a GRHS convention

2009-07-10T07:21:00.000-07:00

Never been to a convention? Wondering whether to come or what to expect?

This year’s convention promises a jam-packed set of events to interest both first-timers and veterans!

My experience with conventions in my professional life (technology & writing) is that most yield only one or two new ideas out of several days of workshops. So I was absolutely overwhelmed by the first GRHS convention I went to nine years ago. Every single workshop I went to gave me some new information that helped my family research. I got so many new research clues that my genealogy to-do list kept me busy for several years!

So – what can you expect at a GRHS convention?

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"....you're bound to fill up your schedule whether your interest is piqued by Dampfnudle, Dakota immigrants, mass murder - or all three!"
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Each day includes 4 – 6 workshop sessions. But with several different workshop topics offered during each session, you’ll have to make some decisions which to attend. Even though several of the workshops are offered at multiple times, there are about 35 different topics to choose from, so you’re going to have some tough choices! With so many options, you’re bound to fill up your schedule whether your interest is piqued by Dampfnudle, Dakota immigrants, mass murder – or all three!

If research is your passion, don’t miss the workshop for your Regional Interest Group (RIG) to get tips on the resources available for the region of your ancestral village. Other workshops offer the inside scoop on the latest records available, with speakers coming from the Mykolaiv archive in Ukraine and from the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Heritage Hall will contain displays on the regions and villages where our ancestors came from.

And while the workshops can keep you busy, be sure to leave enough time to explore the GRHS library, much of which will be transported from the office in Bismarck. The books, maps, obituaries, and pedigree charts in the collection put loads of family data at your fingertips. Village Coordinators are often available in the library to help you with your research. Get a peek at GRHS’ newest research tool, the Genealogy Database, which will also be featured. The library is open 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday. It closes at 4 p.m. on Saturday to get ready for the trip home.

If a full day of research and history wears you out, there are also lots of social opportunities. One of the best things about a GRHS convention is the chance to connect with those you’ve e-mailed with all year but have never met! There are also daily kuchen breaks, a couple of sing-a-longs, entertainment during the meals, and pre-dinner social hours.

And of course, the convention is also the time to take care of some of the important business of the Society. You can expect (short!) speeches from those running for the board, a business meeting and election, and the installation of new officers. This year we will be voting on several important issues, including a major revision to the bylaws and a dues increase.

The convention will close on Sunday with our traditional worship and memorial service.

At my first convention, I got more research tips than I had time to work with and learned a lot of new things about the history and culture of my ancestors. Others use the convention to connect with distant cousins. One person I know even met his wife at his first GRHS convention!

Come to Rapid City – you never know what may happen!

Carolyn Schott is on the GRHS Board of Directors, Bessarabia RIG spokesperson & webmaster, and co-editor of the Heritage Review.

Crocheting in cemeteries supports the Youth Program

2009-07-02T10:09:00.000-07:00

So what do you do when your husband is an avid German-Russian researcher and you’re not? You take up crocheting to pass the time while he’s prowling through cemeteries!

Debbie Kilwien’s interest in crocheting is actually part of her own family history. Twenty years ago, an 80-year-old aunt got her started, teaching her the basic stitches and how to read the crochet patterns her mom hadn’t been able to help her with.

And now she’s using her expertise to help the GRHS Youth Program by donating an afghan to be raffled off during the Rapid City convention. “I believe in the youth program,” Debbie says. “That’s where your new members will come from.”

She also saw this as a way to get involved and participate in GRHS activities, alongside husband David’s in-depth involvement. But this is only one of the projects she participates in. She’s become a regular volunteer at the convention registration desk. And she’s a tremendous support to the Dale Wahl Collection Project as she cheerfully hosts a full team of weekend guests every couple months, keeping them fed while they work to organize Dale’s big collection.

One year she even became the impromptu tour director on a bus tour to Strasburg and Hague, North Dakota (the day before a Bismarck convention) – making sure the churches to be toured were opened and the food got served promptly. That role was a bit of a challenge, though. “Have you ever tried to herd a bus of Germans around? They don’t listen!”

Now Debbie’s an active participant at conventions; her favorite part being greeting people during registration and reconnecting with the friends she’s made over the years. But her first convention wasn’t such a positive experience.

At that first convention, she couldn’t get a hello or even a smile out of the GRHS people in the hallways and elevators. “Even the nuns [from another convention] were friendlier!”

But once she put on her “Debbie Kilwien” name tag, people recognized her as “one of us” and began to smile and speak to her. Perhaps that shows just how clannish we German-Russians can be!

The afghan that will be raffled off is a rich burgundy color, created using a two-strand crocheting technique in an exotic shell pattern. Raffle tickets will be available from the Youth booth at the convention for $2 (or 3 tickets for $5). The winning ticket will be drawn during the dinner on Saturday night of the convention.

The more tickets you buy, the better chance you have to win! And the more support you provide for the GRHS Youth Program. This year we had 38 entries in our essay contest (from 16 states and from Chile), the most we have ever had!

Head for the Hills!

2009-06-26T15:15:00.000-07:00

The Black Hills of South Dakota is the place and the GRHS Convention at Rapid City will provide the attractions – everything from interesting workshops to professional entertainment. Best of all, it is the opportunity to meet friends and discuss our common heritage that makes the convention a special event for GRHS members.

Larisa Levchenko, head of the State Archive in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, will be our honored guest. Her presence at the convention provides an opportunity for members to meet this archive administrator, who has been instrumental in helping GRHS obtain records from these archives, and ask your questions concerning the archive.

A bus tour will be available on Wednesday afternoon and evening for those who would like to visit the Mammoth Site, Crazy Horse Monument, and Mount Rushmore, in addition to seeing some of the scenic beauty of the Black Hills.

Mylo Hatzenbuhler, aka The Strasburg (ND) Superstar aka The Original Rock N Roll Farmboy, will highlight Thursday with an evening performance of humorous monologues and parodies of popular songs.

The convention program provides a variety of workshops, entertainment, delicious food, award presentations, and kuchen breaks. Also, the GRHS Library and Bookstore will be available for research and browsing. A new addition to the convention, Heritage Hall, will house a variety of displays set up by GRHS & RIG chapters in convention hallways.