Rabbit Rabbit...Happy New Year

Happy New Year! I hope 2008 finds you happy and healthy. If you haven’t already made (or broken) some New Year’s resolutions, I have five ideas to recommend to family historians.

1) Make plans to find a way to learn more about your ancestry. For me, it means attending the annual German from Russian conference. Make your reservations today! I plan to attend the AHSGR/GRHS conference in Casper, Wyoming from July 28 to August 3. This is destined to be a historic event as the two organizations join together for one fabulous event. For more details, visit http://ahsgr.org/convention.htm or http://www.germansfromrussia.net/2008_Convention/2008%20Convention.htm.

2) Celebrate your ancestry locally! I plan to attend the Arizona Sun Chapter 30 year anniversary meeting. Guest speakers, Lewis R. Marquardt and Dona Reeves-Marquardt, will present “Reminiscences,” highlighting the early years of the chapter as Lew remembers it, and a comparison of the Volga and Black Sea Germans. The meeting is at the Black Forest Mill German Restaurant, 4900 E. Indian School Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85018 at 11:30 a.m. on Feb. 9. All attendees will receive a complementary copy of our 30 year anniversary book entitled Thirty Years in the Desert. Our meal includes the following:
· Beverage including soft drinks, iced tea or coffee
· Caesar Salad or German Potato Soup,
· A choice of entree
o Smothered Chicken
o Jaeger Schnitzel (pork)
o Smoked Pork Chop
· Apple Strudel with Häagen-Dazs Vanilla Ice Cream.

Cost for the luncheon is $25 which includes tax and gratuity. Please send your paid reservation to Ed Bischoff before January 12th.

3) Resolve to travel to experience more of our world and to learn about our ancestors. For me this means to plan for a trip to Argentina this fall with the AHSGR. The 13 day trip is still in the planning stages. A tentative itinerary was in the latest AHSGR newsletter.

4) In preparation for future travel, resolve to spend an hour or two per week learning or brushing up on a foreign languager. For me, German, Spanish or Russian are natural choices. My plan is to refresh my Spanish skills. Language skills are a wonderful asset as we can help to translate documents and build bridges around the globe for our research efforts.

5) And, last but not least, resolve to track back one more generation of your family history. Retrace your previous steps and look for clues and hints which may not have been obvious the first time around. Recheck entire passenger lists, attend genealogical meetings for additional information, and talk to your fellow researchers. Links can come from any sources and let’s be open to all of the opportunities.

So, as we enter 2008, let’s make this year one of the very best for you. Ich wunsche euchgluckseeliges neujahr, langes leben und gesundkeit, frieden und einigkeit. Happy New Year!