Seeing “the homeland” is it on your radar ?

various attractive villages 2727

I think it depends on how much you're interested in genealogy and even more, how much you research your history before you go there. I love history and family history is even better. In 2022, I went to Germany and visited the town were my great-great-grandfather emigrated from in Germany. I did tons of research before I left, looking up old baptismal records, marriage records, and birth records. I also met one of the town locals who had kept track of the emigrants online, and we started communicating. When I got there, he and his wife spent the next four days showing me all over Ostbevern and taking me to many historic places that were relevant to me. His wife spoke a little English, but he spoke none. Luckily, my German was good enough for us to be able to communicate somewhat.

We visited the church where my great-great-great-grandfather was married and where my great-grandfather was baptized, the plot of land where their house was before they sold it and emigrated to the US, and then took me to see other historic areas in the town. I loved every minute of it, and at some point would love to go back again. He also told someone who worked on the local paper about me, and they interviewed me, and wrote an article about my research and how the older couple helped me while I was in town.

I also found out information there that I would never have gotten anyplace else. For example, he told me that the reason my great great great grandfather left with his five sons and wife was because the Prussians were conscripting boys as soon as they were old enough to fight, and they decided that was a good reason to leave the country.

And I discovered that my last name was not through my great-great-great-grandfather, but through his wife, who he married after his first wife died, leaving him with two sons (one of whom was my great-great-grandfather). The two of them then had three more sons. Back then, it was the custom for the name to follow the land where they lived, and since his second wife had been married before and they moved onto her farm, he took her name. So my last name comes from somebody that I was never related to by blood. 😊

Anyway, sorry for the diatribe but you got me started. 😂 I do think genealogy is fascinating and I love finding more out about my family!

I wish I had been as prepared as Mardee but I did go to Germany and drive through the area my family left to come to the US. I found a cemetery filled with people with my very unusual last name but no living relatives. I loved seeing the area and it made me wonder what prompted them to move seemingly all at once and not without Some significant effort. The locale reminded me of where I live today which made it seem relatable. Some day I would like to return armed with better research.

ls in various attractive villages and brings back to the older person a bottle of wine. Presumably from the “family” vineyard?303030

Many years ago, I had traveled to La Petite Pierre in Alsace as that was the village of my grandfather's grandfather. Planning on going back during a day excursion off a Viking River Cruise, I contacted the hotel where we had stayed to ask about our ability to get there for lunch from the boat in Strasbourg. I mentioned my family name and the owner said: We have a 'Stoeckel' still living here in the village." He connected me to him, and then I was connected to his sister. She did all the research, found our connection, AND found another relative living nearby that she didn't know about. By the time they met us at the ship, we were able to visit the home of that newly-discovered relative, and then we were taken by a family home, and all had a wonderful family meal at the hotel! We have been able to meet with my "cousin" and her husband several times since then! Location was special, meeting relatively, priceless!

Occasionally I see posts along the lines of, “my people are from XYZ place in Europe, therefore I want to see this place”. Is this something that resonates with you ?

No. I feel no familial connection, the States are my homeland.

One part of dad's family arrived in Virginia in 1649 from Norwich. One part of mom's were Mennonites from what is now Rhineland-Palatinate between 1750 & 1848 to Canada and then Chicago in 1903.