Tips & Tricks to Tracking Your German Russia Ancestors...Tip # 8 TRAVEL HAS ITS OWN UNIQUE REWARDS..Continued

Travel and family history go hand in hand. And, it's the connection with others that brings our research to life.  That said, travel may or may be on your bucket list and preconceived notions about countries can cause one to pause.  As I mentioned in Tip # 5 Community Counts...

• If I hadn't attended an Arizona Sun Chapter meeting in 2005...
• I would have never met Judy Gareis
• If I hadn't met Judy, I would not have been sitting next to her at the AHSGR Convention in Hays, Kansas in 2007 listening to Isabel Kessler
• And then Judy wouldn't have turned to me and said, "We need to go to Argentina!"
• To which I replied, "I'm not going to Argentina!"

Well, only a few short months later, there I was, seat beat buckled soaring my way on American Airlines to Argentina. It was not a quick decision, however Judy was passionate about the journey. She knew she had Gareis relatives there because her grandfather corresponded with relatives there.  With her magical ways of persuasion, Judy convinced me we would have an adventure. And it didn't hut when I remembered that Isabel Kessler mentioned that the Argentine village of Valle Maria was settled by families from Mariental, my paternal ancestral village. Adventure and potential relatives? I was hooked. There was no turning back. 

This tour was coordinated by AHSGR and led by Isabel Kessler and Jerry Siebert. From Buenos Aires to Rosario, from Paraná to Misíones, with visits to Gualaguaychu, Olivarrría, Coronel Suarez, we were welcomed with hugs and greetings we didn't always understand, but welcomed we were like long lost family. We sang German hymns, we danced, we ate, we shared Pleve charts,  and we connected. This trip surpassed my expectations, as I built friendships which continue today.

So, obviously, after such a fantastic visit, one trip was not enough. Details to follow in the next post of how I returned with a small group of friends in 2013. Stay tuned...

©2019 Anna Dalhaimer Bartkowski

Tips & Tricks to Tracking Your German Russia Ancestors...Tip # 8 TRAVEL HAS ITS OWN UNIQUE REWARDS

Germans from Russia have moved to every continent on the planet. North America, South America, Germany, and Australia are just a few of the places, and many stayed in Russia. Connecting with our relatives is a big, yet rewarding, step for those of us on the genealogical road to adventure.

If you choose to travel to learn more about your ancestors and your family, you can go it alone or go in groups. And, language skills help immensely, so the value of Tip # 7 goes beyond researching documents.

One of the best books to help you prepare for travel is Carolyn Schott's Visiting Your Ancestral Town.

Whether you are trying to go to your village in Russia, or connect with your German Origins in Europe, this book will help you efficiently plan and prepare yourself for what lies ahead.

Since preparation for travel is critical, and can be a great deal of fun, be sure to consider some of these highlights:

• Remember to KEEP CALM AND LEARN THE HISTORY
• Complete as much genealogical research as possible before the trip
• Pre-plan as much as possible, especially if you have specific genealogical goals.
• Determine what works best for you...group travel, custom plans or individual adventures

When it comes to group travel, there are lots of options, however there are two annual group trips to consider.

Brent Mai and Mila Koretnikov facilitate tours to the Volga colonies. There are options as to length and visits are targeted to the Wiesenseite or Bergseite, or for the truly ambitious, you can cover both tours.

And, the North Dakota State Library and Germans from Russia Heritage collection sponsors the Homeland tour which is an outstanding visit to Germany and Ukraine. Michael Miller is the host, and although the 2019 tour is full, new information on the 2020 tour will be available in July 2019.

Up next...we will continue Tip # 8 as I share some of my travel experiences soon.

©2019 Anna Dalhaimer Bartkowski

Tips & Tricks To Tracking Your German Russian Ancestors...Tip # 7 LEARN A NEW LANGUAGE...ANY LANGUAGE

Learn a new language...sunds a bit daunting, doesn't it? I think I can read your mind…you think you are too old to learn a new language…but hear me out...there are a lot of reasons why this tip is crucial to tracking your German Russian ancestors.

Many of the original records of your ancestors are written in a number of languages. And there will be times when you want to check the original records to verify your history.

Some original records will be in German and Russian, and when you add in South America, it can be a handy took to know Spanish, too.  Descendants of Germans from Russia relocated to countries around the world so any language skills are helpful.

Learning a new language doesn't happen overnight. And there are ways you can begin to learn by using tools to help you recognize key words found in records.  

Learning occurs over time and here are a few tools to help you ease into learning.

–German English Genealogical Dictionary by Ernest Thode

–German English Visual Bilingual Dictionary

–For additional vocabulary list, see: –Family Search

–For an article on German language, including numbers, see: – Wiki German Language

Once you feel comfortable with a few words, you may want to take your language skills to the next level.  There are any number of options including:

• Mesa Community College offers World Language classes in: 
• German
• Spanish
• Russian
• Phoenix German School offers Saturday classes
• Also, many online apps!
• Library Online Resources
• Maricopa County Library

As I mentioned earlier the thought of learning a new language can be overwhelming, however new evidence shows that our brain needs new challenges! We need to stretch our brain to increase its ability to grow and learn for the rest of our lives. Need proof? Check out the information about the plasticity of the brain and how to build your cognitive reserve at any age.

–Plasticity of the brain

–Cognitive Reserve

-You are never too old to learn a language

And, what better way to age well than to learn a language that will assist with tracking your ancestors. You never know, it may just help you when to implement Tip # 8 which is

TRAVEL HAS ITS OWN UNIQUE REWARDS.

©2019 Anna Dalhaimer Bartkowski