An international perspective of the Homestead Act's influence on migration to the United States is the newest topic to be added to a two-day Land Records and Genealogy Symposium to be held next month in Beatrice.
Wolfgang Grams of Oldenburg, Germany, will present a program titled "From Homelands to Homesteaders," which will examine living conditions in 19th-century Germany, and the longing for land among rural Germans that led many to travel to America.
Grams is the head of a German research and travel company called "Routes to Roots." He often brings tour groups to the United States to visit places to which group members' ancestors migrated. In fact, he previously visited Nebraska and Homestead National Monument of America in summer 2002.
Beatrice, Southeast Community College-Beatrice Campus and Homestead National Monument of America are co-sponsoring the Land Records and Genealogy Symposium on June 11-12.
The event will be held in the Truman Center Building at SCC-Beatrice and will focus on the research and genealogical value of homestead case files and other forms of land records.
Keynote speaker for the symposium is Roger Welsch, a former college and university faculty member in English and anthropology. A short time after he began his second career writing and living on a Dannebrog, Nebraska farm, Welsch joined Charles Kuralt as part of the CBS prize-winning show, "Sunday Morning." His special Nebraska brand of humor is revealed in his best-selling books, including "It's Not the End of the Earth But You Can See It From Here."
In 1992, Welsch was presented with the Distinguished Nebraskan Award at the Washington, D.C., Press Club and in 1994 received the Nebraska Library Association's Sandoz Award for contributions to plains folklore, history and literature.
Other speakers to appear and their topics are:
n Birdie Monk Holsclaw, professional genealogist: "Neighborhoods: Correlating Land and Census Records."
n John Matzko, college professor: "The Homestead Records Project: An Update."
n Justin Dragosani-Brantingham, Kansas State Historical Society: "1854 Opened a Door: How and Why People Populated Land In and Around Kansas."
n Mary Clement Douglass, professional genealogist: "Reading Deeds for All Their Worth."
n Pamela Boyer Porter, professional genealogist: "Some Real Research Sites on the Internet."
n Richard Fusick, archivist, National Archives and Records Administration: "Land Records Holdings of the National Archives."
n Roberta "Bobbi" King, president, Colorado Council of Genealogical Societies: "The Homestead Act: America's Gift to Itself."
n E. Wade Hone, partner, Heritage Consulting and Services: "The Name Game!: Understanding Name Equivalents, Naming Patterns, and Other Related Topics."
Cost for the two-day genealogy symposium is $89, which includes all presentations. Tuition for a one-day participant (either day) is $69. The cost of one dinner meal and book signing event on June 11 is $12.
To register or for more information, contact Kelly Schwisow, Continuing Education, 402-228-3468, extension 244 or 1-800-233-5027, extension 244; e-mail is kschwiso@southeast.edu.
Interested individuals may also visit the SCC Web site at www.southeast.edu. The Continuing Education link on the home page will provide access to the symposium brochure and registration form and enable Web site visitors to print both.