Origin of "Visit the Villages" Idea

I was a language major in college and made my first trip to Germany and Austria in 1971, knowing that I was of German descent, but not knowing the regions. My Mom got into genealogy research in the 80's and 90's. We eventually met cousins from Switzerland who came here for a large Meyer reunion.



In the early 90's we visited those relatives in Switzerland and I may have become "hooked" then. Since then, I have helped Mom convert early genealogy manuscripts to current word processing versions and started to do additional research myself. I love maps and the stories of how/why our ancestors left their homes and how/why they landed in Kansas. I have often said that if I had lived in the 1850's - 60's, I would have been an easterner. I say that, but I do LOVE to explore, so maybe that statement is not so accurate.



In 2000, my husband and I spent a year in France, traveling on weekends in France and surrounding countries. So now we feel comfortable making our way around the European countryside, driving on country roads, taking public transportation when it gets us to our destination. As we spend more time in Europe, I began to realize that I want to see the places my ancestors left before moving to the U.S. all those years ago.



About four years ago, that became my goal. Now, opportunity is knocking. While attending an academic conference last May in France, we learned the 2010 conference is in Posen (Posnan), Poland. NO MORE EXCUSES! Let the planning begin!