Ohio Chapter - Palatines to America - German Genealogy Society

05/05/2026

16 May 2026 Ohio PalAm German Community Forum Series - "Sifting Through Ohio Records."

PalAm-Ohio’s German Community Forum Series resumes on Saturday, May 16, 2026 at 10:00 AM ET, as a FREE ZOOM only event. Our facilitator this month is Nancy Ottman, a retired Director of Human Resources and Loss Prevention for JCPenney Co. She has been involved in genealogy research and cemetery studies for more than 30 years. A member of PalAm since 2006, she is a former treasurer for our society and was instrumental in moving our collection to the Columbus Metropolitan Library.

Nancy is also a member of the Association of Gravestone Studies and the Ohio Genealogical Society. She has spoken to numerous genealogical and historical societies and fraternal organizations in Ohio and Pennsylvania on topics ranging from beginning Genealogy, tombstones and their meanings, the Immigration of Germans to America, and the migration of Germans throughout the United States. A current member of the Ohio chapter board, she has presented at numerous PalAm, national and Ohio genealogical conferences.

This talk is free, and we hope to see you online. To register, e-mail [email protected], and put “GFS” on the subject line. We get so many emails; please be sure to use that specific title so that you can be sure to get registered and receive your ZOOM link. Any Zoom questions or problems, please email Lori Poch at [email protected].

02/22/2026

German Community Forum Series (Free on ZOOM)
Saturday, Feb 28, 2026 10am to 12 Noon Bring your questions? We will try to help with your Brick Walls. Also bring interesting facts about your ancestors – funny, strange … anything interesting to others.

German Community Forum Series, Ohio Palam – at 10 am to around or before 12 noon – Our facilitator this month is Carol Swinehart, who holds a Master of Education and has been researching German roots in Hesse, Westphalia, Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, and Niedersachsen since 1975.

Registration:
To join this ZOOM only event Zoom, please Email [email protected] with “GFS” in the subject line. We receive a high volume of emails, so we might miss yours if it doesn’t include “GFS” in the subject line.

10/30/2025

PalAm-Ohio’s German Community Forum Series resumes on Saturday, November 8, 2025 at 10:00 AM ET, as a FREE ZOOM only event. Carol Swinehart, who coordinates our series, will lead a discussion on "AI and Genealogy."

Topics to be discussed include, but are not limited to: 1. New features in RootsMagic 11 that enable the generation of an AI biography for your selected ancestor; 2. AI transcription of German handwritten, fraktur, or old newspaper records using Handwriting OCR, ChatGPT, and Transcribus; 3. Which AI programs are best without cost or low cost, with examples of genealogical results from some AI programs (those deemed best by the speaker).

Carol Swinehart has been researching her German families for 40+ years. An educator, author, and web designer. Carol Swinehart has researched her family since 1977 in Baden-Wuertemberg, Schleswig Holstein, Hannover, Nieder Sachsen, Hesse, Bavaria and North Rhine-Westphalia. She has both Lutheran and Catholic ancestors, and extensive experience in finding actual records from the churches that her family attended. She loves to help others find their family records.

This talk is free, and we hope to see you online. To register, e-mail [email protected], and put “GFS” on the subject line. We get so many emails; please be sure to use that specific title so that you can be sure to get registered and receive your ZOOM link.

10/18/2025

10/18/2025

FREE German genealogy webinar from Katherine Schober at Germanology Unlocked! She's offering this webinar on 3 different dates. Sign up below!

https://shop.germanologyunlocked.com/referral/webinar/LhVDPGvbhJwgAmau



Germanology Unlocked

03/31/2025

From Citizenship to SerfdomTying the Knot and Cutting the CordIGGP Conference 2025 Columbus Ohio

03/31/2025

IGGP Conference 2025 Columbus Ohio

03/31/2025

IGGP Conference 2025 Columbus Ohio

03/31/2025

Hidden Gems in German ArchivesOnline Records of German Genealogy SocietiesUsing CompGen's Historical DatabasesIGGP Conference 2025 Columbus Ohio

02/13/2025

PalAm-Ohio’s German Community Forum Series resumes on Saturday, February22, 2025 at 10:00 AM ET, as a FREE ZOOM only event. Carol Swinehart, who coordinates our series, will speak on "Finding your Ancestors in Hesse – A Jump Start."

Carol Swinehart has been researching her German families for 40+ years. An educator, author, and web designer. Carol Swinehart has researched her family since 1977 in Baden-Wuertemberg, Schleswig Holstein, Hannover, Nieder Sachsen, Hesse, Bavaria and North Rhine-Westphalia. She has both Lutheran and Catholic ancestors, and extensive experience in finding actual records from the churches that her family attended. She loves to help others find their family records.

This talk is free, and we hope to see you online. To register, e-mail [email protected], and put “Ohio PALAM GFS” on the subject line. We get so many emails; please be sure to use that specific title so that you can be sure to get registered and receive your ZOOM link. Send your questions when you register so we know what you are most interested in. Also, when you sign in, put your German families of interest in the chat.

We also want to remind you that the premier German genealogy conference, the IGGP Conference, will be held in Columbus, Ohio June 13-15, 2025. PalAm will be having its 50-year anniversary celebration during the conference. Save $50 by registering now – this Early Bird discount ends at the end of the month! For more information, see the conference home page at https://iggp.org/2025-iggp-conference/. We hope to see all of you at the IGGP event!