Weser River Project
Kenneth W. Heger, Ph.D. & Debra A. Hoffman, PLCGS
Ken Heger and Debra Hoffman continue the Weser River Project with additional entries from a miscellaneous record book created by the U.S. Consulate in Bremen. This installment includes records from 1803 and 1804 documenting American sailors, ship crews, passports, wages, inheritances, and other consular matters that can provide valuable biographical details about individuals traveling through German ports. The article also introduces MAGS’s new Destitute Seamen Database, which indexes 560 men found in records of the American Consular Agency in Bremerhaven, including stranded sailors from the 1890s and mariners from the early 1920s.
Immigrants Found in Multiple MAGS Datasets: The Christian and Friederike Völkening Family
Bob Greiner
Bob Greiner demonstrates how searching across multiple MAGS databases and other genealogical collections can transform a single record into a much fuller family history. A Trinity Lutheran Church marriage entry for Christian Völkening and Friederike Winter led to their earlier marriage contract at the U.S. Consulate in Bremen and eventually to passenger lists, German church records, census records, city directories, property records, and additional family discoveries. The research identifies the couple’s German origins, follows their lives in Cleveland, and untangles the surprising relationship of a young woman living in their household. The article illustrates the value of following clues across different record sets rather than relying on a single source.
Getting Started With War Department Correspondence, Part III: Correspondence of the Adjutant General’s Office, 1800–1890
Kenneth W. Heger, Ph.D.
This article continues Ken Heger’s series on War Department correspondence by introducing records created and received by the Adjutant General’s Office. These extensive files can reveal military service, birthplace, age, physical description, occupations, deaths, family relationships, pensions, back pay, discharges, and inquiries from relatives and foreign officials. Through examples involving Christian Meyer and Louis Schuppe, readers are shown how correspondence can provide details that may not appear in traditional military records and how handwritten notes on incoming letters can sometimes supply the key piece of evidence. The article also explains how the letters were organized and how researchers can access digitized copies through the National Archives.
Deutsch Sprache und Kulture: German Trade Cards
Dan Soller
This installment of Deutsch Sprache und Kulture continues the Hänsel und Gretel postcard series with another historic card illustrated by German artist Otto Kubel. The card is part of a six-card series depicting scenes from the Brothers Grimm fairy tale and provides readers with both the original German text and an English translation. In addition to offering a glimpse into German popular culture and illustration, the feature gives readers an opportunity to practice reading German while exploring the kinds of historic postcards and trade cards preserved and translated by MAGS. The accompanying list also documents cards previously published by MAGS.
Know Your German States: Saxony-Anhalt
Dan Soller
In this issue, Dan Soller explores the complicated political and cultural history of Saxony-Anhalt and explains why understanding Germany’s changing borders is essential for genealogical research. The article traces the region from medieval Saxony through the Reformation, Prussian rule, the German Empire, East Germany, and the re-establishment of Saxony-Anhalt after reunification in 1990. It also introduces the state’s major cities, geography, religious traditions, and historical territories. Most importantly for researchers, Soller provides an extensive collection of free and subscription-based resources, including archives, church records, gazetteers, maps, newspapers, and databases such as FamilySearch, Archion, and MAGS research aids.
