Migration Patterns of Germans within America

This is a virtual webinar put on by the Florida State Genealogical Society for free. Any AIGS member can attend. The GoToWebinar link to register is here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2978814905850037262

We’ll explore how historical events channeled Germans into certain areas and how chain migration drew allied families together. Many migrated from NY/MD/PA down the Shenandoah Valley into VA, NC and SC. Accessible rivers and railroads led to the establishment of the German Triangle between Cincinnati, Milwaukee and St. Louis. The National Road and German-language advertisements channeled them to Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Wisconsin and points west. The 1848 Revolution led them to the Texas German Belt. Knowing where your ancestors settled in the mid-1800s can often lead you backwards by considering the migration routes of other Germans, particularly allied families.

Presenter

Sharon Cook MacInnes, Ph.D., CG, is a former member of the Board of Directors of the National Genealogical Society. She specializes in Pennsylvania land records, colonial research, and methodology. Her 35-year chase over Pennsylvania for elusive ancestors revealed the importance of land to our ancestors and led her to publish the series “Early Landowners of Pennsylvania: Atlas of Township Warrantee Maps of *** County.” To date, she has compiled and published 8 volumes of county atlases pinpointing the original tracts and their owners. Sharon is the CEO of Ancestor Tracks (http://ancestortracks.com) which is dedicated to publishing online free, downloadable 19th-century maps of every county of Pennsylvania to be used with census records and published county histories.