Historical Special Interest Group - 12 Feb 2026

Historical Special Interest Group - 12 Feb 2026

The Historical SIG, new in 2026, explores historical events and their impacts on our genealogy. Our ancestors' lives were shaped by history, influencing where and how they lived and worked. This historical context also affected their religious practices, military service, commercial success, and political affiliations.

The CAGGNI Historical SIG will explore these important topics.

February topic: German migration to the colonies in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries

By 1800 about half the population of Pennsylvania had migrated from central Europe to the colony. This was a time when the territory that we now call Germany was undergoing a drastic political re-organization into the German Empire and away from the old Holy Roman Empire and Austrian empire. It was also a time of religious re-organization during the Protestant Reformation and Catholic Counter-Reformation. And, finally, there was a drastic economic transformation away from an agrarian economy into an industrial economy. These political, religious, and economic forces pushed some of the population out of central Europe to colonize America.

SIG Lead: Alan Wilson.

Alan is a CAGGNI past president and SIG leader.

CAGGNI SIGs are for members only. 

Meeting Style: The Historical SIG is Zoom only. Remote joiners can join using the link for the Historical SIG on the Zoom Links page. You will need to be logged in. When Zooming, please ensure your full name is visible. You may need to use the Rename function (at the upper right of the window where your face appears) if your full name is not shown.