I registered for the Western European Conference sponsored by the Family History Library and FamilySearch, 15 May 2017-19 May 2017. Choices included attending in person or attending online. WOW!
First, there are more than 225 people online and 30 persons attending in person. The instructors include degreed university people–some who are not well-known outside of Utah. After three classes, I am really glad that I signed on–it is free.
Classes:
Spelling variants–using the way vowels and consonants are actually pronounced and how their pronunciation often determines the spelling. Knowing the sounds and which letters are interchangeable enables you to predict what spelling variants you might encounter in the records. interesting and ingenious.
The new Meyers Orts website is a marvel–making the discovery of where your ancestor originated in Germany much easier and more productive. http://www.meyersgaz.com
The entries are abstracted and the jurisdictional levels are identified for each place. The entries are being toggled to maps of the German Empire–the same time period as the gazetteer–and toggled to Google so you can determine what the same places are called today.
A special city application allows you to drill down to the specific street address where your ancestor resided when he left for America which we had already learned how to find the place or the street address from both American and German sources. This feature is just being added and Dresden is the first city available. Check it out.
Handouts are available for download–also for free–from the Wiki on Family Search.org.
Your favorite genealogist, Arlene Eakle
PS Stay tuned for other installments–which I expect to be as good or even better. This is a real “take you by the hand” series.