DISCOVERING OUR GERMAN ANCESTRY & American Immigration Story

Like 7 million other immigrants, our families left Germany in search of a new life in America. But what happened before they boarded the boat? Who were they? And how do our families connect together in Ostfriesland? Come along with us as we rediscover our German #ancestry.

#lingoda202206

Episode 63 | #genealogy #germany and #dna in Ostfriesland, Germany | Filmed June 4-7th, 2022

👉Quick Jump to Your Favorite Topic:

00:00 Intro
02:19 Our Family Tree & German Ancestry
07:02 They left from... Bremen?!
09:11 Departure to Bremerhaven, Germany
10:44 An Important Tool for Ancestry Research
13:02 The German Emigration Center (Deutsches Auswandererhaus)
16:48 Family Research Center in Bremerhaven
17:48 What do we do now?
19:52 Breakthrough!!
22:21 We never do this....
24:19 On the Next Episode

GEAR IN THIS VIDEO:

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🛵 Our 101 TOP TRAVEL TIPS:

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Originally from the Midwest of the USA, we moved to the #blackforest in 2013 and quickly embraced #expatlife. As American expats living in #Germany, things weren't always easy, but we've grown to love our life in Germany. We started this #travelvlog​ to share our experiences with friends and family, and to help those who are interested in moving overseas! Whether you are interested in moving abroad, working abroad, studying abroad, raising a family abroad, or just want to #traveleurope, we're here to give you a first person look at what lies ahead. 😊🎥🌎

[TypeAshton]

Hi Everyone! We are BLOWN AWAY at all of the kind comments and heartfelt stories you have shared with us because of this video. Although we normally make a big push to comment back to everyone, we are in the midst of moving to our new home in the Black Forest (yay!) and life is a bit chaotic at the moment. Please know that we are reading 100% of your comments are so appreciative of you watching the video and then sharing your thoughts and stories with us in return. ❤

[doloresmey]

Was für eine faszinierende Reise und Geschichte. Sehr gut präsentiert. Gänsehaut pur. Sehr emotional und berührend. Geradezu schicksalhaft. Ich bin sehr gespannt auf den zweiten Teil.

[zellah]

Im sobbing! This series of videos you've made recently couldn't have come at a better time. I'm traveling to Germany in Aug '22 for the first time to visit my ancestral homeland. My last name is extremely rare and has always been a huge mystery to me. My grandfather was always very nonchalant and never shared much about our family history. I've always felt like a piece of me was missing. I got annoyed with the lack of help from my close family and last year i started researching on my own. I found out my 4th ggf immigrated to southern Michigan from Bavaria in the early 1850's with his 8 children. I found the small town where my last name originated and traced the line back to the 1500's in that area of Bavaria. There are a handful of people still living there with my last name and seeing this video has made me so hopeful that i too will be able to meet some of my distant relatives. I've done both lines of my family tree and every single connection on the ancestry map in europe is within Germany. The more i reseached the more my heart yearned to JUST GO FOR IT! I cant express how much joy this brings me and how fulfilling my ancestry journey has been so far.

[yvonnesokoll]

I live in Bremen....Bremerhaven belongs to Bremen, eventhough it is about 60 km away...As a child of the sixties one of my very distinct memories is that of waving Good- bye to a good friend of my parents who left Germany for good in order to immigrate to the US right there in Bremerhaven at that Port where you were was a very emotional experience with lots of people waving and on land and on the ship as well. Later on I learned that some of the siblings of my Greatgrandfather also left for America by ship in Bremerhaven....and I always found it fascinating that I would have some relatives overseas. As a youngster I spent my exchange-student year not far away from N.Y.city during the mid-seventies...Of course I went in a boats Trip around the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island with the view on Manhattan....how those passengers would have seen it...It got me emotional...As an adult I discovered the Museum in Bremerhaven ' das Auswandererhaus' where you went to, which is one of my favorite Museums here .. and ever since I went there already a couple times...every Single time there I get goosebumps walking through...Also registered on an ancestry site...I wanted to find relatives overseas....was not so successful yet....but maybe I should more effort to it like you did. You both did an amazing Job with this Video...Thank you!

[RobTheWatcher]

This is riveting stuff! Hope it gets renewed for a 2nd season! LOL No kidding, the production value here is off the charts for a little personal YouTube channel. Your filming, editing and moderating skills have reached a professional level. I work in media and it's exciting to see how content can look like this, if done by ordinary people who love what they are doing and are putting in the work to improve every day. Congrats, Jonathan & Ashton for reaching a new milestone in video production!

[gluteusmaximus]

One of my great-great-uncles joined the Ringling/Barnum Circus before 1900 in Munich. He could handle a giant bull/steer and i still have a photograph with him and his new workmates, including that giant animal. He is wearing Lederhosen and southern german Tracht. Last thing my family heard from him was boarding a ship to the US that sunk on its way and men and animals drowned. I tried to find more about this incident but could not find any. So the old photograph is the only remaining piece of his immigration. Have a nice sunday.

[frauteacher]

I am first generation American with a German Immigrant mother from Niedersachsen. My husband is from Niedersachsen also. We now have a house in North Germany too. Our daughter is planning on going to University in Germany. We have my mother's family tree on her father's side back to 1642. We also have 2 sides of her fathers family tree back even farther. I loved the way that Jonathan's family tree was in a painting on the wall. I would love to have someone do that for us. I love the history segments, although all of your segments are good.

[PegaDH]

My close relatives live in Belgium for the last 200 years, but we are also from the Bremen area around 17th century. In that time, we started moving to build churches all around Europe. Verbeemen stands for “Von Bremen”, and you can find our last name in several different versions in The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France… my uncles traced back my family to the 14th century (1456). It took them the better part of 40 years in non digital time. Respect for your journey and the patience for taking the time to do so.

[kilsestoffel]

My parents met at university in Berlin (both also born in Berlin). When they married, they placed their grandmothers next to each other, because the old ladies were from the same region, Posnan, which is now in Poland. It turns out, they lived in neighbouring villages and knew each other when they were teenagers and young adults.

[andrep.]

Jonathan: "Jack is okay!" 😂 So funny...

[Danielka]

Great Video, I've enjoyed every minute . Thank you for sharing your family story with us.
My family has almost similar story. They immigrated from south of Germany Pfalz and Kurpfalz to Russian Empire in the 18th century. They settled first in Crimea und went later to the Charkiw Area, it is Ukraine today. During WW2 they were abandoned to Kasachstan, where I was born.
My family moved back to Germany in the 90s, so I live now 30 year in the Pfalz again, where my relatives came from.

Looking forward to see part 2.

[teardrop-in-a-fishbowl]

"Der Kreis schließt sich" and "Der verlorene Sohn kehrt zurück." we say in Germany. It's funny that you both are so much "related" to eachother and that Germany is one big part of your family history and your own future! I have a lot family parts in the US I don't even know, also in Argentina, according to my mom and grandmom (fathers side). Would be funny for me to find out where they live and who they are.
And thumbs up for this great video! I know that was a lot of work for you. Much appreciated!

[zaroxilphukiir]

Keep in mind: For 100+ year old documents in Germany (and much of Europe really), they had to survive 2 World Wars including bombing campains that erased entire Cities including their churches and archives, had to survive times were people tried to forget the past or the new political order tried to forget the past and times when it was just more important to get something to eat for your children (not neccessarily yourself) instead of caring for old papers in old buildings.
I wonder what generations past us, will think about us digitizing a lot of documents and not having or throwing away paper copies. Will they be able to open these file formats in 100 years? Do these hard drives even still exist?
And a BIG Thanks for sharing your experiences and stories not only tracing back your familiy roots but also your experiences relocating to Germany and pointing out all these things, that we as Germans so often take for granted.

[mixinitupNY]

Landed on your channel, so thankful! This is a beautiful connection to your lineage.

[NeuerAlias]

Brought me to tears from the very first minute…My father's hobby since his retirement was genealogy. He found out so much, we lived in Bavaria and our ancestors were from Baden-Württemberg. He also organized a meeting of all the family members who were still alive, there were dozens. Now he has been dead for six years, and I miss him. But through his granddaughter he lives on.

[alberthartl]

My father's family came from what today is the Czech Republic. They also departed from Bremen. They homesteaded in North Dakota. If you look at a map of North Dakota, in the north central part of the state you will find a small village named Bremen. My great grandfather name it after the last place he saw in Europe.

[Darkplayz]

In earlier days families had a "Familienstammbuch" (familyroots-book). Maybe you should vistit the Bakery in Bremen and ask if you can take a look at the Familienstammbuch. It could go much more back in time than you think...

[SlimShady_]

Wow. As a German I love the passion and the interest in your German roots and ancestors. I think many Germans also had a tough time in the US while the two world wars being a German or an American with german roots and many documents get lost. Keep up the good work and I would love to see more.

[Milkey]

Tolles Video, spannendes Thema, Emotionen und ein Cliff Hanger - 👍

[Tindome-ibel]

With frisian ancestors you chose the more complicated way of genealogy, due to their special way of building the last name. This is quite challenging to start with.

With quite a bit of ancestors, that are coming from Strackholt and the villages around, Jonathan a I might be related in some way. Which is exiting for me, because when I read about brothers and sisters of my ancesters leaving their homeland, I always was courious, if they made it, if eyerything turned well for them and if their descendants, my distance cousins, are doing fine. Perhaps one of them showed up by chance🙂

Can't wait for part two.