It has been a while since I've posted to this blog or updated maps. Last year, I wrote a lot, but I didn't post much of what I wrote. This project has been dormant for a few months, so I thought I'd take a moment to explain what's going on and what to expect this year.
2020 was intense in both local, national, and global events. You all were there, so you know. It was also intense in work on this project, in particular, the Germans from Russia in America map. It was full speed ahead for months on end with a backdrop of chaos in the form of a global pandemic, unrest in the United States, and local and nearby wildfires. The shadows that were cast were long. It was one gut punch after another. It was exhausting. Toward the end of the year, I found I needed to step back from everything for a while to reflect and re-evaluate.
I'm fortunate to have the time to work on things in which I'm interested. I want to make sure to use this time wisely as long as I have it.
I'm involved with several volunteer activities in the Germans from Russia community. This month I took over as the editor of the Germans from Russia Heritage Society's quarterly journal Heritage Review after being its proofreader for six years. The editing work will occasionally take precedent over working on this project since a physical journal needs to be produced four times a year. I'm also working on the website for the Glückstal Research Colonies Association, a small but important organization that isn't represented well in the larger German-Russian historical societies. The Glückstal colonies are also some of my ancestral colonies.
The Germans from Russia Settlement Locations project will continue as planned. Maybe not at the speed it has been going in the past, but it will continue. Instead of focusing entirely on the research into the maps on which I'm working, I'll be posting other maps, too. Since I am an avid collector of historical maps, I will be sharing more of them on this blog. Hopefully, they will be some food for thought and maybe help you illustrate your family history or other research projects. I will also post what I write more often rather than let the drafts pile up and go stale.
Stick with me while I work out my new schedule in the coming months and find my new groove.
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