The International German Genealogy Partnership is thrilled to announce that the 2021 International German Genealogy Conference will be held virtually from 17 July to 24 July 2021 with the theme of “Researching Together Worldwide / Weltweit Gemeinsam Forschen”. This new format allows both passionate genealogists and expert speakers from around the world – including many from our partner organizations in Germany – to attend and participate. Will you be one of them?
European Theater with 5th Division, Company “M” 411th Infantry
William T. Rettammel, MP
Private 1 st Class:
Joined – Enlisted in U.S. Army-May 16, 1941
In U.S. Service for 7 Months and 8days (trained in Fort Custer Michigan)
Inactive Status ERC November 24, 1941 to January 21, 1942
Date of Recall: January 22, 1942 at Fort Sheridan, IL.
Service Outside of U.S. and return dates:
Date of Departure: April 7, 1942 to Europe Theater, arrived on April 18, 1942
Departed Europe: September 1, 1945 and arrived in U.S. on September 11, 1945
Military Occupation and Specialty Number: Rifleman 745
Military Qualification(s): Exp. Infantry Badge and Combat Infantry Badge
Battles and Campaigns: Normandy, Northern France, Ardennes, Rhineland and Central Europe
Decorations and citations:
American Defense Service Ribbon,
European African Middle Eastern Theater Ribbon w/1 Silver Battle Star,
6 Overseas Service Bars,
1 Service Stripe,
Good Conduct Medal GO 61 Hq 1612 SCU 1945 Ft. Sheridan IL.
William T Rettammel – early 1945 Germany.William T. Rettammel, 3rd from left – with follow soldiers in Germany, early 1945.Left photo – William T. Rettammel in Germany 1945. Right photo – William T. Rettammel (left) with Army buddy in 1945.William T. Rettammel – Left photo – second from right in Germany early 1945. Photo Right – William T. Rettammel, MP with German soldier prisoners in Germany early 1945.
Next week is the 51st Anniversary of the Grateful Dead Sound Storm concert in Poynette, Wisconsin. The first Wisconsin outside rock festival. Thanks Irene York for placement on her farm.
Break down the objectives into smaller, focused mini-goals.
Sources you want to Search
List Record Groups that may help answer your research question.
List specific sources to search within record groups.
Locate Repositories holding the sources, are they at the archive or library?
Search the Source
Have a research log – Note all results – positive and negative.
Copy raw information or obtain a copy (certified?) of the original document.
Record the source citation data (very important to due at time of research!).
Review and Analyze the Information
Evaluate the Information (you need to do this).
Record the findings in notes or a database or excel sheet.
Determine next Steps (there is always more we can do, plus new sources open up).
Oh the possibilities
Repeat the Steps above.
Don’t forget to also look at those experts in the field that have been able to answer research questions with thoughtful analysis and evidence. They are our guides to being successful.
The Milton House was supposedly a part of the Underground Railroad during the Civil War. The house was built in 1845 by Joseph Goodrich and turned into an Inn. The frame house and log cabin behind the Inn were also built by Goodrich, along with the Milton House Tavern. The Milton House was later taken over and turned into a museum.
Today is the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau on January 27, 1945 by the 60th Army of the First Ukrainian Front. Visit http://auschwitz.org/en/
In 2014 I visited Berlin and went through the “Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe”, called Holocaust Memorial by most Berliners. Opened in May 2005, the memorial in Berlin-Mitte is located near the Brandenburg Gate. It took 17 years for the Memorial to be completed in Berlin. Its foundation stone was a Bundestag resolution passed on June 25, 1999 to erect a Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. This was followed by years of discussion and deliberation, until the Monument was completed on May 8, 2005. US architect Peter Eisenman conceived the winning design consisting of 2711 rectangular blocks of concrete laid out in grid formation, recalling tombstones.
I came across this reminder today as I organized my business files. I was given credit for working on the TV Show for “Who Do You Think You Are?”, Season 8 and the episode where Jessica Biel appeared in April 2017. I received a copy of the tape of the show in 2017 and noticed at the end that I was given credit or acknowledgment for the research I did (and was used in the show), I am 5th person listed. So I thought by now I can show it.
The year started out normal but by start of March news and events of the virus now known as COVID-19 changed everything. Here are some of things that I was able to accomplish during this year for my business and endeavors in Genealogy.
In early April I participated in the Wisconsin Historical Society’s COVID-19 Journal Project. The Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections sent out a request for people to participate in a journal project to document their daily activities, views, and thoughts on personal events during the beginning stages of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Individual participants could document in various formats, textual journals in digital format, traditional writing, video, web-based journals, blogs, and other formats that meet the needs of those participating. I did a daily journal for 2 and half months or April through June 2020, with various thoughts of my day, world events and other personal insights I felt were relevant to share. My hope was that some of my words would offer future researchers some insight into how one citizen viewed the world and events during very changing world of 2020. If I am lucky, some future historian or genealogists in 100 yrs might review my journal and see something they thought was interesting or funny. I enjoyed the experience and it felt like I was also giving back to an institution I highly respect and use today – Wisconsin Historical Society.
I was fortunate that I had a few clients established for work in late 2019. I was able to work steady on several genealogy and history projects with the Pope Farm Conservancy and Friends of the Pope Farm Conservancy for 8 months this year. A link to some of the work is included in their final project entitled “The History of Pope Farms: Owners, Settlers, and Farmers” is a product of the Friends of Pope Farm Conservancy Education Team. See https://www.popefarmconservancy.org/stories-of-the-land/the-history-of-pope-farms/ Rettammel Genealogy Service is given acknowledgement on page iii. I thank Mel Pope, Chair of the Friends of Pope Farm Conservancy for his request of my service. It was great to learn from him and also research the historical families that came from Germany and settled on farms in the Town of Middleton area in the 1850s and 1860s.
On the continued education in the genealogy field I am in the process of taking steps to become a certified genealogists through the Board of Certification of Genealogists (BCG). To actual start the clock in early 2021, I am currently busy being involved in a monthly Certification Accountability Group via Zoom. The participates are those currently on the clock and those who plan to submit the BCG Application in 2021. The group has met a couple times and we all indicate what we are working on, what we accomplished in the past month and what we plan for the next month. So far it has focused my efforts on the requirements for becoming certified by 2022. I have a good start on my chosen Case Study requirement, I am nearing my completion the Development Activities requirement, I have a Research Report Prepared for Another Person requirement picked, and an idea for the KDP Project requirement (Kinship-Determination Project). So that is keeping busy and a better genealogist for the future.
Looking forward to 2021 and better times for all genealogists doing interesting work
November 11th is a day first remembered as the day WWI ended since that time many Men and Women have been called or volunteered to be in a branch of military service. I did not serve however I grew up with my father and many uncle’s who did serve.
Below is one example of 3 of my uncle’s, Art, Arnie and Ed Rettammel who were part of the 32nd Division, 121st Field Artillery who served in WWII. They eventually were sent to Australia, then New Guinea, Phillipines fighting against Japan from 1942-1945, over 3 yrs overseas. They did come back but I am sure they were affected by the horror of war. So I salute their service and the stories of those who served next to them but never came back.
Rettammel Genealogy Service 