Thursday, October 28, 2010

German Farm Names


November 16, 2010, 7:30 p.m.: He Took Her Name: Understanding German Farm Names.


Teresa Steinkamp McMillin will present the program of the Northwest Suburban Council of
Genealogists
to be held on November 16, 2010 at Forest View Educational Center, Room 100,
2121 S. Goebbert Road, Arlington Heights, Illinois. Program starts at 7:30 p.m.

In certain geographic areas of Germany, the custom of German farm names has been in
existence since about 1000 a.d. In this custom, a farm carried the surname and anyone who
inherited that farm assumed its name as his surname. Usually, this was a son of the farmer,
but if only a daughter existed, her husband would need to change his surname to hers. This
lecture explains some of the common pitfalls a researcher may encounter when researching in
one of these areas and how to overcome them.

Teresa Steinkamp McMillin, is a professional genealogist who specializes in German and
Midwest American research, as well as in reading German script. She has been interested in
genealogy since she was a child and has been actively researching her own German ancestry for
the past nine years, as well as her husband's Chicago Irish ancestry. Teresa has attended the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research and has taken college-level German courses. She was the 2007 recipient of the National Genealogical Society's Home Study Course, which she has completed. Teresa is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, the National Genealogical Society, and many local genealogical societies. She is the webmaster for
the Northwest Suburban Council of Genealogists.


Arrive at 7:00 PM, a half hour before the meeting, to join in an open discussion, or meet with members and share your research or experiences.


For more information, please visit our website at www.nwscg.com

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