Programs > Past Events
Past Events
October 2024 - Donna, Marily, and Roz gave a rundown of the AHSGR International Convention that was held in Oklahoma City this summer.
September 2024 - Carole Hayden traveled to Germany this summer on a tour organized by Drs. Brent Mai and Mila Koretnikov. She walked us through the tour with lots of pictures and details. Keep an eye out for future tours at https://volgagermantours.com/.
August 2024 - Chapter picnic/potluck at Lela Miller's house.
May 2024 - Emily Schmidt: Grebble Cooking Demonstration
April 2024 - Carolyn Schott: Expanding Your German Research Beyond Ancestry and Family Search.
March 2024 - Showing of the film "A Light in the Darkness".
February 2024 - Showing of "Catherine the Great - The Enlightened Empress Documentary" available on YouTube.
December 2023 - Oregon Chapter Board Secretary, Marilyn Schultz, hosted a fantastic Christmas Potluck at her home.
November 2023 - Roger Burbank gave a wonderful presentation about his role as the AHSGR Village Coordinator for Norka. He also discussed the abundance of records he has for the village to help anyone researching their Norka ancestors.
October 2023 - Board of Directors Election followed by "Get to know you" roundtable.
September 2023 - Ellen Laubhan is the author of The Empress' Gift: The Volga Frontier. She discussed the journey of the original settlers from Germany to Russia and how she used that information in her book.
August 2023 - Chapter picnic/potluck at Lela Miller's house.
May 2023 - Lifetime Achievement Award presented to Bruno Reule in honor of his and Isolde's support and lasting contributions over the years. The presentation can be viewed on our YouTube channel here.
April 2023 - Laurel Smith from the Genealogical Forum of Oregon discussed the history and background of the GFO. How the organization works, their collection and resources. How to use the GFO facility, how to become a member, and what the benefits would be. She also discussed materials they have relating to the Volga Germans/Germans from Russia. You can view the presentation on our YouTube channel here.
March 2023 - In March, we had a research day featuring our mobile library of research materials.
February 2023 - Treffen Tuesday viewing of Allyn Brosz: "The Jacob Middlestedt Family at Ellis Island: An Iconic Photo Re-examined".
January 2023 - Steve Schreiber gave a fascinating presentation on the very first German-Russian immigrants to America and to Portland in the 1870's and 1880's. You can view the presentation on our YouTube channel here.
November 2022 - Carolyn Schott presented a walk-through of research for one branch of her family using church and KGB records. You can view her presentation on our YouTube channel here.
October 2022 - Donna and Steve Tetrault traveled to Germany this summer on a tour organized by Drs. Brent Mai and Mila Koretnikov. They walked us through the tour with lots of pictures and details. Keep an eye out for future tours at https://volgagermantours.com/.
September 2022 - Roz Rockweit gave a rundown of the AHSGR International Convention that was held in Lincoln, NE this summer.
August 2022 - Chapter picnic/potluck at Lela Miller's house.
April 2022 - Trudy Walter Carlson talked about her family's journey from Bessarabia to Germany and on to Portland after World War II. She also discussed the writing of her book, No Country No Home, documenting the journey from the point of view of several family members.
March 2022 - Herb Femling: DNA. Herb gave a great overview of using DNA testing in your family history research.
February 2022 - Steve Schreiber - “The Germans from Russia in Portland, Oregon”. Steve talked about the making of his DVD about the Portland German Russian community and answered questions after a showing of the video.
January 2022 - Michael Frank: Village Coordinator. Michael shared the how and why he became an AHSGR village coordinator and what to expect if you choose to take on the role for your own village(s).
October 2021 - Carolyn Schott: Discovering Your Black Sea German Ancestors. Carolyn presented a great primer on the history of all the different Black Sea German groups. She then explained where and how to find an assortment of records. Click here for the handout she provided.
September 2021 - After a long pandemic hiatus, Lela Miller graciously offered her yard as a location for us to reconnect and kick-start our return to regular programs.
February 2020 - Show and Tell. Members brought family mementos, etc to talk about.
January 2020 - Michael Amen shared some of the Amen family history with us before giving a very informative presentation about gathering family photos to create photo presentations.
December 2019 - Chapter Christmas Potluck with live entertainment and holiday treats. A recording of David Schultheiss describing Christmas in Kraft at the 1986 chapter Christmas program was played. If you missed it, you can download it here.
November 2019 - Video: "The Immigrant Woman". Norma Pipkin performs her one-woman show depicting the life of her great-great-grandmother, Anna Eva Spotter Rupp (1828-1902). This DVD program was written and produced as part of her master's degree completion at Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas. The DVD can be purchased through AHSGR.
October 2019 - Carole Hayden led a discussion reporting on the AHSGR national convention this summer.
May 2019 - We reviewed some of the interviews that were captured decades ago. The main attraction was a video interview of Katherine Weber Rudolph from 1985. She was a delight to watch. We also listened to David Schultheiss at the 1986 chapter Christmas program talk about Christmas in Kraft, Russia.
April 2019 - We watched a 25 minute video from Plaggenhacke about the Denmark settlers which included folk music performances of original music describing the journey of our ancestors' travel to Denmark and journey on to the Volga. We also explored how to access a treasure trove of German-Russian videos provided by Prairie Public Broadcasting at www.pbslearningmedia.org.
March 2019 - Lela Miller led us through the steps of writing our own obituaries.
February 2019 - Steve Amen gave a presentation about his years covering the news in Oregon and Washington and his many years working on OPB's Oregon Field Guide. Steve has VG ancestry from Norka and Frank.
January 2019 - Oregon Chapter member Marilyn Schultz provided tips and inspiration for writing our own memories down to pass on to the generations that come after us.
December 2018 - The return of our Chapter Christmas Potluck with live entertainment and holiday treats. Norm and Mary Metzler provided entertainment, with Norm on the accordion leading us in Christmas carols.
November 2018 - Board member, Carole Hayden, discussed some of the books in her personal collection about the German-Russian's inspiring and sometimes tragic heritage. Afterward, members in attendance shared some of their favorite books as well.
October 2018 - Journalist/author Fred Leeson gave a presentation on the life of local businessman Fred G. Meyer. Fred Leeson wrote a book, My-Te Fine Merchant; Fred Meyer’s Retail Revolution, based on his research of Meyer-related transcripts and memorabilia that had been kept at the Oregon Historical Society.
July 2018 - Professional genealogist Dr. Fritz Juengling from Family Search presented his class on thorough and efficient genealogy research, which is based on 30+ years of his own research and some years of working as a Research Consultant at the Family History Library.
May 2018 - Oregon Chapter members and CVGS volunteers, Roger & Mary Burbank and Steve Schreiber participated in a panel discussion highlighting strategies in researching Volga German family history and explaining in detail several of the valuable research materials available in the Concordia University Center for Volga German Studies library.
April 2018 - Oregon Chapter member Marilyn Schleining Schultz discussed the book she wrote about her early childhood. Growing Up on Borthwick is an account of Schleining’s life through fourth grade. This compelling book tells of the family’s struggles during the Depression and the impact of World War II on their lives.
March 2018 - Joint meeting with GROW at the German American Society for a special screening of the short film "Waiting For Waldemar" with special guest Eric Spoeth (the filmmaker). More information about the movie here: http://www.spoeth.com/wfw.html
February 2018 - Members of the board facilitated a discussion with members present about what sort of programs were most desired. Most members expressed an interest in hearing personal family history stories from other members as well as genealogical information. We also decided on a topic to ask genealogist Fritz Juengling to present on when he is here on July 7th.
January 2018 - Randy Woehl provided commentary during a viewing of the Prairie Public Broadcasting documentary "Gutes Essen: Good Eating in German-Russian Country". The documentary and accompanying cookbook are both available at www.grhs.org
December 2017 - Oregon Chapter AHSGR members were invited to the Christmas Program of GROW (Germans from Russia - Oregon & Washington) at the German American Society.
November 2017 - Oregon AHSGR Treasurer, Jim Holstein and GROW President Adi Hartfeil presented a joint presentation on the founding and settlement of the Volga and Black Sea German colonies.
October 2017 - Volga German author and historian Dr. Richard Scheuerman presented pictures and stories related to his 2017 tour to Germany and Russia to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Volga German colonization.
June 2017 - Our talented Oregon Chapter member, Joan Porter, discussed her connection to the Volga German community in Portland and shared some of her beautiful artwork.
May 2017 - Sherry Loos Pawelko, Executive Director of AHSGR International in Lincoln, Nebraska, provided us with an overview of current and upcoming AHSGR projects.
April 2017 - Leah Duda shared the story of her Donau Swabian family history. Leah's family lived in the former regions of the Banat (now part of Serbia) and Bukovina (now part of Romania).
March 2017 - Tanja Schell presented “Letters from the Homeland: Analyzing Personal Letters to the Volga Russian Migrants in the American Midwest”.
February 2017 - Mary and Roger Burbank shared the story of their family history research and trip to their ancestral villages in Germany in the fall of 2016.
January 2017 - The documentary "A Passage in Time - The Norka Film" was shown.
December 2016 - Our annual Christmas program was cancelled due to snow and ice.
November 2016 - We celebrated our 45th Anniversary with a presentation of the documentary "From the Russian Steppe to the Pacific Northwest: The German-Russians in Portland, Oregon" and recognition of our Lifetime Achievement Award winners.
October 2016 - Oregon Chapter members Michael Frank, Carole Hayden, Doug Sharp and Doug Zier will share stories and photos of their visit to the former Volga German colonies in August 2016. The annual election of Directors and Officers was also held at this meeting.
June 2016 - Professional genealogist, Tricia Oberndorf, and Oregon Chapter member Rhoda Collier made a presentation titled "Germans From Russia to America: Connecting the Dots" and discussed their work tracing Rhoda’s family roots from Germany to Russia, Canada and the USA.
May 2016 - Roger Burbank and Herb Femling made a presentation titled "Shattering Brick Walls - The Harold and Loretta Kammerzell Story." Until recently, Harold and Loretta Kammerzell had very limited information about their ancestors. Utilizing their expert research skills and recently discovered sources of information, Roger and Herb shattered Harold and Loretta's brick walls and took them back as far as 11 generations (to the early 1600's) on their family trees.
April 2016 - Paula Garb made a presentation titled: My Journey toward Peacebuilding: Navigating Volga German, Russian Jewish Heritage.
After growing up in Colorado and California, and completing high school in San Francisco, Paula married a Russian and lived in the Soviet Union with her family (two sons) for nearly 20 years in the 1970s and 1980s.
On her mother’s side she is a descendant of the Burbach and Nolde families from Balzer and Norka in the Saratov region, and on her father's side, the Garb and Landy families, Jews from the neighboring Tambov region.
At the University of California, Irvine, she is a lecturer and researcher in conflict resolution, and co-director of the Center for Citizen Peacebuilding. For the past 25 years she has studied and facilitated reconciliation processes between citizens in several conflict zones of the former USSR, the Middle East, Cyprus, Northern Ireland, and Kosovo.
May 2016 - Roger Burbank and Herb Femling made a presentation titled "Shattering Brick Walls - The Harold and Loretta Kammerzell Story." Until recently, Harold and Loretta Kammerzell had very limited information about their ancestors. Utilizing their expert research skills and recently discovered sources of information, Roger and Herb shattered Harold and Loretta's brick walls and took them back as far as 11 generations (to the early 1600's) on their family trees.
April 2016 - Paula Garb made a presentation titled: My Journey toward Peacebuilding: Navigating Volga German, Russian Jewish Heritage.
After growing up in Colorado and California, and completing high school in San Francisco, Paula married a Russian and lived in the Soviet Union with her family (two sons) for nearly 20 years in the 1970s and 1980s.
On her mother’s side she is a descendant of the Burbach and Nolde families from Balzer and Norka in the Saratov region, and on her father's side, the Garb and Landy families, Jews from the neighboring Tambov region.
At the University of California, Irvine, she is a lecturer and researcher in conflict resolution, and co-director of the Center for Citizen Peacebuilding. For the past 25 years she has studied and facilitated reconciliation processes between citizens in several conflict zones of the former USSR, the Middle East, Cyprus, Northern Ireland, and Kosovo.
March 2016 - Tanja Schell joined us for her third presentation to the Oregon Chapter of AHSGR. Tanja focused on her family’s experience in Siberia during the years following WWII. Because this year marks the 60th anniversary of the end of the Komendatur regime, a time period in the 1940’s and the 1950’s when all Soviet citizens of German ethnicity experienced great restrictions to their personal freedoms imposed by the Soviet Russian government while under a close watch by the Ministry of Inner Affairs (MVD). Tanja’s presentation will included archival documents from Russia, previously sealed and kept in military archives, and also recounting the memories of relatives and family friends, who, following the 1941 deportation of the German Russians to the eastern parts of the Soviet Union, spent the 1940s and 1950s in western Siberia and personally experienced the time during the Komendatur.
The presentation finished on a lighter note with a short video of a 100-year-old Volga German, whom Tanja had the privilege to interview last summer, and a small quiz about the Volga German dialect.
The presentation finished on a lighter note with a short video of a 100-year-old Volga German, whom Tanja had the privilege to interview last summer, and a small quiz about the Volga German dialect.
February 2016 - On 28 August 1941, a government decree abolished the Autonomous Republic of the Volga Germans and banished the German population to Siberia and Central Asia. Steve Schreiber has researched the journey of his relatives who remained in the colony of Norka, and shared their story.
January 2016 - A presentation of the recently released Prairie Public Broadcasting documentary titled We (Never) Don't Forget Germans from Russia in South America. This documentary examines the history, language, music, religion, foodways, and culture of this ethnic group and chronicles how these traditions are flourishing across generations.
December 2015 - A traditional German Russian Christmas program with live entertainment and holiday treats.
November 2015 - Prof. Hans Boas, from the University of Texas discussed his work studying and preserving Texas German dialects.
December 2015 - A traditional German Russian Christmas program with live entertainment and holiday treats.
November 2015 - Prof. Hans Boas, from the University of Texas discussed his work studying and preserving Texas German dialects.
October 2015 - Brent Mai, Director of The Center for Volga German Studies (CVGS), provided an update on the activities and plans for the CVGS over the next year and a report on his recent visit to Russia.
September 2015 - David Karber made a presentation titled “Digging to Find the Roots of My Family Tree: How I Discovered My Mother’s Paternal Ancestry.“ David is the Co-President and Treasurer of the Southern California Chapter of AHSGR.
August 2015 - Oregon Chapter Picnic hosted by the Bauder family at their Camp Emerald Forest.
June 2015 - Alex and Nancy Herzog, from Boulder, Colorado, discussed the impact on ethnic Germans of the 1941-1944 Nazi occupation of Southwest Ukraine.
May 2015 - Dr. Eric Schmaltz, Professor of History at Northwestern Oklahoma State University, discussed the Kaliningrad enclave of Russia and the debates over settlement of ethnic Germans there from 1990 to 2000. Kaliningrad was once the German city of Königsberg, founded by the Teutonic Knights in 1255. The city was largely destroyed during World War II and its ruins were captured by the Soviet Red Army in 1945. The German population fled or was removed by force and the city was renamed Kaliningrad on July 4, 1946. Dr. Schmaltz provided an overview of the efforts to relocate some of the displaced German Russian population to this area in the 1980s and 1990s.
April 2015 - Tanja Schell presented the research she has done on her family’s history in the 20th century, especially with regard to the 1930s and 1940s. Tanja also presented several videos of older Volga Germans who live in Germany and Russia. The videos are examples of oral history on topics ranging from folklore to personal memories about their life in Siberia after the 1941 deportation.
March 2015 - Bruno Reule told his incredible story of survival as a young man living in Eastern Europe during World War II. This story was published by the Oregon Chapter of AHSGR in the book titled "Bruno."
February 2015 - Screening of the award winning film titled “Dryland” which features two young farmers of German Russian ancestry who are trying to save a threatened way of life in the Palouse country of Eastern Washington.
January 2015 - Panel discussion about life in the Portland's German Russian neighborhood in Albina with Harold and Loretta Kammerzell and Jerry Schleining.
November 2014 - German Russian cooking demonstration by Heather Arndt Anderson, author of "Portland: A Food Biography" and "Breakfast: A History."
October 2014 - Presentation by Herb Femling on the migration from Germany to Denmark and later to the lower Volga region of Russia.
September 2014 - Presentation by Jewell Dunn on German genealogy
August 2014 - Oregon Chapter Picnic at Camp Emerald Forest
May 2014 - Robert Wagner, AHSGR International President, Lincoln, NE
April 2014 - Yulia Tsymbal, AHSGR Archive Research Coordinator, Lincoln, NE
March 2014 - Tour of the Door of Hope Church (former Zion German Congregational Church) on NE 9th and Fremont
February 2014 - Robert Manicke, Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany
January 2014 - Panel discussion on growing up in the Albina neighborhood with Jerry Schleining, Harold and Loretta Kammerzell and Kris Zelinka.
September 2015 - David Karber made a presentation titled “Digging to Find the Roots of My Family Tree: How I Discovered My Mother’s Paternal Ancestry.“ David is the Co-President and Treasurer of the Southern California Chapter of AHSGR.
August 2015 - Oregon Chapter Picnic hosted by the Bauder family at their Camp Emerald Forest.
June 2015 - Alex and Nancy Herzog, from Boulder, Colorado, discussed the impact on ethnic Germans of the 1941-1944 Nazi occupation of Southwest Ukraine.
May 2015 - Dr. Eric Schmaltz, Professor of History at Northwestern Oklahoma State University, discussed the Kaliningrad enclave of Russia and the debates over settlement of ethnic Germans there from 1990 to 2000. Kaliningrad was once the German city of Königsberg, founded by the Teutonic Knights in 1255. The city was largely destroyed during World War II and its ruins were captured by the Soviet Red Army in 1945. The German population fled or was removed by force and the city was renamed Kaliningrad on July 4, 1946. Dr. Schmaltz provided an overview of the efforts to relocate some of the displaced German Russian population to this area in the 1980s and 1990s.
April 2015 - Tanja Schell presented the research she has done on her family’s history in the 20th century, especially with regard to the 1930s and 1940s. Tanja also presented several videos of older Volga Germans who live in Germany and Russia. The videos are examples of oral history on topics ranging from folklore to personal memories about their life in Siberia after the 1941 deportation.
March 2015 - Bruno Reule told his incredible story of survival as a young man living in Eastern Europe during World War II. This story was published by the Oregon Chapter of AHSGR in the book titled "Bruno."
February 2015 - Screening of the award winning film titled “Dryland” which features two young farmers of German Russian ancestry who are trying to save a threatened way of life in the Palouse country of Eastern Washington.
January 2015 - Panel discussion about life in the Portland's German Russian neighborhood in Albina with Harold and Loretta Kammerzell and Jerry Schleining.
November 2014 - German Russian cooking demonstration by Heather Arndt Anderson, author of "Portland: A Food Biography" and "Breakfast: A History."
October 2014 - Presentation by Herb Femling on the migration from Germany to Denmark and later to the lower Volga region of Russia.
September 2014 - Presentation by Jewell Dunn on German genealogy
August 2014 - Oregon Chapter Picnic at Camp Emerald Forest
May 2014 - Robert Wagner, AHSGR International President, Lincoln, NE
April 2014 - Yulia Tsymbal, AHSGR Archive Research Coordinator, Lincoln, NE
March 2014 - Tour of the Door of Hope Church (former Zion German Congregational Church) on NE 9th and Fremont
February 2014 - Robert Manicke, Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany
January 2014 - Panel discussion on growing up in the Albina neighborhood with Jerry Schleining, Harold and Loretta Kammerzell and Kris Zelinka.
Last updated October 27, 2024.