FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Release – Palatines To America, German Genealogy Society Forms NC Chapter
RALEIGH, NC (September 22, 2011) – Would you like to learn more about your German ancestors? A group of people from all across the state have come together to form a North Carolina Chapter of the Palatines To America, German Genealogy Society. It is open to all who are of German descent or who have an interest in German genealogy and history.
The national Palatines To America organization was founded in 1975 in Columbus, Ohio and has seven state chapters and over 2,000 members. The national society publishes a quarterly journal, “The Palatine Immigrant”, which focuses on research and a quarterly newsletter, “The Palatine Patter”, which focuses on the activities of the national and state chapters.
North Carolina has two areas that had significant German immigration during the 18th century: New Bern was founded by German Palatine and Swiss settlers in 1710, and the piedmont which had several German groups including the German Reformed, Lutherans, Moravians, and others who settled during the mid 1700s.
In succeeding generations, many families of German descent traveled down one of three branches of the great wagon road from Pennsylvaniato North Carolina and settled in the piedmont as well as others who settled along the coast coming from the coastal northeast. In the 1920s, a group of descendants of the New Bern German Palatines formed The North Carolina Society of the Descendants of the Palatines. Their group was active until the 1950s. During the last century, there have been many people of German descent who have moved to all parts of the state.
The inaugural meeting of the North Carolina chapter will be Saturday, October 1, 2011 at the Wake County Southeast Regional Library, 908 Seventh Avenue, Garner, NC 27529. The meeting will be held in a seminar format from 10:15 am to 3:15 pm.
Three speakers will be featured: Mr. Jerry Miller, President of the Palatines To America NC Chapter who will make a presentation about the Palatines To America organization and conduct a short business meeting; Mr. Victor T. Jones, Jr., Special Collections Librarian at the New Bern-Craven County Public Library, Kellenberger Room, and President-Elect of the North Carolina Genealogical Society, will make a presentation about the “Early Settlers of New Bern”, and Mrs. Bonnie
Everhart, Past Chairman of the Palatines to America Immigrant Ancestor Register and former PalAm National Librarian and Historian, will make a presentation about “Researching the Holt Family Line Into North Carolina.”
There will also be a panel discussion about the resources available to Palatines To America members by Mrs. Everhart, Mr. Jones, and Mr. Miller. The Inaugural Meeting/Fall seminar is open to the public with a $10.00 registration fee. Registrations at the door are fine, please call or email to confirm your attendance.
For more information about the society, North Carolina charter membership, and to register for the Fall seminar, please visit www.PalAm.org, or email ncpalam@palam.org, or call 919.744.0219.
Contact:
Jerry Miller, President, Palatines To America, German Genealogy
Society, North Carolina Chapter
www.PalAm.org
919.744.0219 (President’s Direct Telephone)
NCPalAm@PalAm.org (President’s Email)
David French, NC Chapter Publicity Director (Media Contact)
919.480.2011 (Media Telephone)
PalatinesToAmericaNC@gmail.com (Media Email)