Convention of Germans from Russia 2009

Last week, a friend and I attended the International Convention of Germans from Russia 2009 in Medicine Hat, Alberta. This is the annual conference of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia (AHSGR). I've blogged (and tweeted) about the conference and our trip already. but I did want to say more about some of the talks we heard.

This is a new area of research to me and I learned a LOT, no doubt about it. Having computer and library resources of the AHSGR right at hand was great, but hearing researchers speak about their projects and their families was amazing, as was the opportunity to speak with them and to discuss with other attendees the issues and ideas raised. A big conference like this always creates a 'buzz'. It gets you all enthusiastic - ready to run for the library or to a computer terminal for the night. Each session I attended was interesting - some were emotional, most were thought provoking.

The convention included several symposiums - focusing on folk-lore, genealogy, and on historical research and archives. There were a variety of other sessions, even food demonstrations. Just to give you an idea and to whet your interest for next year, here are my thoughts on three of the sessions.

Doris Eckhardt Evans presented "Bringing Archival Records to Life". For me, this was likely the most practical session as she went over very clearly the historiography of reseach about Germans from Russia, and then outlined what kinds of records are now available (and where they might be), showing examples from one particular village area - Frank. This included Internet sources, the AHSGR's own SOAR project, but also VolgaGermans.net, the Volga Germans website put together by members of the Rootsweb Volga German Mail List and the Center for Volga German Studies website from Concordia University in Oregon, USA.

Evans has been one of AHSGR's 'village co-ordinators' for over ten years. She has been on the Board, was Chair of the Research Committee and has been active in the SOAR project which aims to make the society's resources available on-line. She certainly does have a sense of humour too.

Paul Hofer, who is a teacher and a member of the Elkwater Hutterite Colony in Alberta spoke about "Roots of the Hutterites", an account of a trip to Austria in 2007 by himself, his wife, Susie Hofer, and several other Hutterites to explore their heritage and to meet with interested Austrians to "open up the dark chapter" of their mutual history, visiting, for instance, sites where early Hutterites, like Jakob Hutter himself, were imprisoned and executed.

They attended a ceremony in Innsbruk commemorating the year of Hutter's death [French link] and spoke to school groups and to adults. Later they saw a new Hutterite museum, near Vienna. [The link is to a Wikipedia article in English, with links to the German websites.] His was a very thoughtful and indeed, moving, talk.

One of the lighter sessions was the presentation of the winning entries for the Annual AHSGR Storytelling Competition.

The Adult Division winner was Anne Stang from Calgary, Alberta with her "Ode to Sauerkraut" - very funny! But it was her other entry, "New Year in Saskatchewan 1946" that I will long remember.

The Youth Division winner was Bailey Penner who read us her story about "My Great-great-great Grandma Justina Leppke".

The names of all the winners and some photographs are on the AHSGR 2009 Convention blog.

Each of the winning Youth entries dealt with family history. I was excited to hear that the 2nd place Youth Winner, Evelyn Elaine Gaunt, wrote that her grandmother was grooming her to be the family historian someday, and that she was already familiar with Ancestry.com. What a great way to get children interested early and to preserve family history.

The 2010 Convention of the Germans from Russia will be in Lincoln, Nebraska, USA, which is the headquarters of the AHSGR. In 2011, it will be in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. If you're already doing research on Germans from Russia, both of these venues will offer extra opportunities.

This post was written especially for
the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy hosted by Jessica at Jessica's GeneJournal. Watch for this Edition of the Carnival there soon.

Research Opportunities - 2009 Convention of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia

Heritage Hall, village research displays & more, ASHGR convention, 2009, Medicine Hat, Alberta

Research Opportunities - 2009 Convention of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada

One of the best features of this convention is being able to access research resources usually held at AHSGR headquarters in Nebraska. Many - file cabinets and all - were brought here for this week.

Family card files in one room have details on individuals and families. A volunteer searches for your family names - one at a time - and you can read the cards and transcribe the information.

In another room are computers and the helpful SOAR volunteers. SOAR is the AHSGR Saving Our Records project. Thousands of names have been indexed from a great variety of records and publications relating to the history and genealogy of Germans from Russia, including censuses, cemetery records, maps, newspapers, books, articles and the AHSGR's own surname charts, family card files and publications. SOAR is an on-line resource that's available with pay options or to AHSGR members with 'enhanced' memberships. I have a number of new references now to follow up on my interests (HOLLANDER, KAATZ).

Downstairs there's the bookstore. Most of the AHSGR's extensive publication list is for sale here, along with some village census listings, maps, DVDs and even some novelties. I now have a bag full of new books to take home and a nice new lanyard for my flash drives.

And then there's the library, alongside the bookstore, with hundreds of family and local histories, maps, inventory lists, census listings, passenger list transcriptions and indexes and much more. There are files of articles and other material filed by village name, and there are guides to much of this material available, as well as some very knowledgeable volunteers. Again, I found a local history book here that I've been longing to read, and I found that a AHSGR member had already indexed that book too!

And, in addition to all this, there are displays of maps and guides for various geographical areas and many of AHSGR's Village Co-ordinators are here and ready to help. Thursday evening there was a special gathering, Village Night, when people could meet in groups with those descended from families in the same geographical areas.

And other related groups and booksellers are here with displays and publications for sale, for example, the Society for German Genealogy in Eastern Europe.


Next year's conference will be in Lincoln, Nebraska, AHSGR's headquarters, 1-8 August, 2010, so there will be even more opportunity for research then.

Day 1 - 2009 Convention - American Historical Society of Germans from Russia - Medicine Hat Alberta Canada

Day 1 - 2009 Convention of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada

Our first convention session was a wine tasting - and wasn't in Alberta. We travelled with a bus full of 'Germans from Russia' over the provincial border to Saskatchewan's Cypress Hills Vineyard and Winery, near Maple Creek. A very enjoyable time! For once, I did try all the wines offered - which included both grape and fruit wines. I enjoyed the saskatoon berry wine the best - seems very appropriate, doesn't it? Even the wine bottle labels are striking - all done by a local artist.

The winery is in a beautiful spot, just a bit protected, I think, from the very worst weather, and the grapes are grown closer to the ground than elsewhere. Maple Creek is apparently a bit warmer than much of southern Saskatchewan and Alberta but there was snow just recently though.

This is the only winery in Saskatchewan; it's been open since 2007. Well worth a visit if you are travelling in Saskatchewan or in southern Alberta.
Plan ahead if you'd like a tour. The owners are very busy - they've sold out of wine each year since they started and now have thousands of visitors each season.

After that, we all returned to Maple Creek where an excellent German style lunch awaited us at the Rockin’ Horse Cookhouse and Bar. Again, recommended if you're in the area.

Wednesday night, the Welcome session - a Saskatoon Berry Social - featured author Faye Reineberg Holt and musican Barry Luft in an educational and entertaining multi-media presentation on western history and song.

I did like the railway related songs the best - and am bringing home Barry's CD, "Songs of the Iron Trail". (We plan to listen to that in the car on our way west.)

Everyone in the room sung "Forty Below" with feeling, but, oh boy, did that song " He Likes Hockey Better Than Me" ever strike a nerve!

Our Travels to Medicine Hat, Alberta - International Convention of Germans from Russia 2009

Travelling to the 2009 Convention of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada

For the most part, we had a leisurely trip from the Lower Mainland of British Columbia to Medicine Hat, Alberta, stopping off on the way to see the sights, do some research and to visit friends.

Of course, there were some cemetery photography opportunities, as at Murray United Church in the Nicola Valley, British Columbia, built as St. Andrew's Presbyterian church, 1876. The cemetery, established in 1878, was originally a public cemetery, about 2 acres in size, "knowing no creed or nationality". This cemetery is now closed and the church has been made a heritage site. There is some information about its history posted on the cemetery sign.

Grave of the Reverend William Benjamin Cuyler.

In Memory of Rev. W. B. Cuyler Who Died Apr. 7, 1887;

AE 28 Yrs. & 3 Mos

Native of Bruce Co. Ont.

In blissful hope of a Glorious immortal city.

Death hath no more dominion over him.

[AE - abbreviation for aetatis - Latin, of age]

At Revelstoke, British Columbia, we took photographs of the grizzly bear statues in the civic plaza and visited the Nickelodeon Museum.

Later it was on to Calgary where it was time to get in some research at the Military Museums.

Then it was on to Medicine Hat, Alberta for the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia (AHSGR) convention. When we arrived, the hotel lobby was already decorated with chapter banners.



There are four Canadian AHSGR chapters. The Victoria, British Columbia chapter's banner is on your lower far right in this photograph.

The 'official' International Convention of Germans from Russia blog has other photographs of events and activities.