Volga German Genealogy Workshop
1-2 April 2017
Bloomington, Minnesota
The Volga German Institute at Fairfield University will be hosting a two-day genealogy workshop in Bloomington, Minnesota, home of the Mall of America.
The public is invited to attend.
Registration
Early Registration: $95 per person if you register before 18 March 2017.
Regular Registration: $135 per person for registration received after 17 March 2017 or at the door.
To register & pay by credit/debit card, please follow this link for Online Registration.
If you prefer to pay by check, print the Registration Form, and mail it along with your check. To qualify for the Early Registration rate, payment must be received by March 1.
If you have questions, please call Jill at 203.254.4000 x2648.
[Note: There is no discount for partial attendance of this event. Notice of cancellation before 18 March 2017 will receive a full refund; after 17 March 2017 will receive no refund.]
Location
Registration and all workshop events will be held at the Courtyard Bloomington by Mall of America.
7800 Bloomington Ave. South
Bloomington, MN 55425
(Phone: 952.876.0100)
The Courtyard Bloomington is located approximately one mile from the Mall of America, the nation's largest shopping and entertainment destination featuring over 520 stores, 50 restaurants, and the indoor Nickelodeon Universe theme park, SEA LIFE Minnesota Aquarium, The LEGO store, American Girl Store, Theatres at Mall of America and Moose Mountain Adventure Golf are also fun-filled attractions available to our guests. Plus there's no sales tax on clothing or shoes!
Parking: free on-site parking
Speaker
Speaker for the workshop will be Dr. Brent Mai. Dr. Mai serves as the Dean of Libraries and University Librarian at Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut, where he also leads the Volga German Institute. Dr. Mai has spoken world-wide on many topics related to Volga German history and culture. Dr. Mai, whose father's side is Volga German, grew up in Western Kansas, graduated from Bethany College in Lindsborg, and continued graduate studies at George Washington University, the University of Texas at Austin, and Vanderbilt University.
Schedule for Saturday, 1 April 2017
| 8:30 - 9:00 | Registration & Visiting |
| 9:00 - 9:45 | Session 1: Introduction to the Volga Germans and their Heritage
Everyone starts on a different page when it comes to their knowledge of who the Volga Germans are and how they came to be in Russia. This session will bring all attendees to the same place in that understanding - and we'll carry on from there.
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| 10:00 - 10:45 | Session 2: The Geography of Volga German Genealogy
The trek of the Volga Germans around the world has created a challenging landscape for genealogical researchers. Each Volga German colony had many names during the past 250 years. The boundaries of the regions in which the colonies are located changed numerous times. Add in two languages (Russian & German) and two alphabets (Cyrillic & Latin), and more complications arise in understanding how one Volga German location relates to another. During this session we'll address these multiple geographic identities and how they affect research.
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| 11:00 - Noon | Session 3: The Western European Origins of the Volga Germans
When the Volga German colonies were founded (1764-1772), Germany did not exist. Rather, the ethnic Germans were living in a plethora of jurisdictions, kingdoms, duchies, and independent cities - many without contiguous borders. Today's Germany did not exist until these areas were unified in 1871 by Otto von Bismarck. Furthermore, not all Volga Germans were actually German. French, Italian, Polish, Dutch, British, Austrian, Swiss, and Scandinavian colonists also lived among them. During this session, we'll explore resources that are available to help determine the colonists origins before they became Volga German.
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| Noon - 1:00 | Lunch
Lunch will be provided. Those with special dietary needs should let Jill know during the registration process. Because this is a catered event, for those who sign-up onsite, lunch may not be provided.
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| 1:00 - 2:00 | Session 4: Volga Germans Censuses
Several censuses were taken during the 177-year history of the Volga German colonies. During this session, we'll examine those that are known to exist and how they work together to create a genealogical outline of Volga German families.
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| 2:15 - 3:00 | Session 5: Reading Russian and German Records
Most records pertaining to the Volga Germans while they were living along the Volga River are in either Russian (Cyrillic alphabet) or German (Latin alphabet). We'll discuss the challenges presented by these two languages and share some resources to make working with them a bit easier.
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| 3:15 - 4:15 | Session 6: Immigration, Emigration, & Migration Records
The Volga German colonies existed for 177 years. There was an immigration that brought them there; for some, an internal migration within Russia; and an emigration that dispersed them around the world. During this session, we will review those records that exist for these movements.
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| 4:30 - 5:30 | Session 7: Records of the Volga Germans Abroad
Beginning in the 1870s, Volga Germans emigrated from Russia to other parts of the world. This session will identify a variety of resources available for researching the descendants of Volga Germans who have settled in North and South America.
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Schedule for Sunday, 2 April 2017
Sunday's schedule will begin at 9:00 a.m. and conclude at 4:00 p.m. During this time, Dr. Mai will be available at the Courtyard Lobby to provide one-on-one assistance with using the resources that have been discussed on Saturday. On Saturday, there will be a sign-up sheet available to schedule your time with Dr. Mai. Bring the family information you have uncovered thus far, and he will help you formulate strategies to move beyond road blocks. Lunch is not included on Sunday.
Area Hotels
Courtyard Bloomington by Mall of America
Group Rate $99+tax (Book your group rate for Fairfield University)
7800 Bloomington Ave. South
952.876.0100
Comfort Inn Airport
1321 E 78th St
952.854.3400
Residence Inn by Mall of America
7850 Bloomington Ave. South
952.876.0900
Radison Hotel Bloomington
1700 American Blvd. East
952.854.8700