Welcome!
Our association is committed to supporting our members researching their ancestors from Ostfriesland and the events and culture that shaped their lives. We hope that you find the information on this site helpful. Additional resources are available to our members after logging in through our
Member Section page.
Please check our
What's New page for a summary of our latest updates and new resources. Several new pictures have been added to our
Photo Gallery if you want to check them out.
Please
contact us if you have you have any questions about our organization or recommendations for this website or future educational programs.
Tour the Lighted Ostfriesen Windmills!
The Rysum windmill was lit with colorful lights for a few days during the 2024 holiday season.
We thank Gisela Schmidt for this picture and several other pictures from Ostfriesland in the Krummhörn Region section of our
Photo Gallery.
Coming Events
Members may attend the webcasts on our
Events page as part of their membership benefits. Registration is required and seats are limited so please sign up in advance but please cancel your registration if you will not be able to attend. We hope that you enjoy these sessions.
Event times are based on the US Central Time zone.
We are planning our coming online programs now so please periodically check our
Events page for updates.
Members can access recordings or slides some of our prior on-line sessions on our
Webcasts page.
Our 2025 Research Conference is planned for July 24-26, 2025 and it will be great seeing many of our members to share stories, meet new relatives and share research. Please see our Events page for more information. We look forward to seeing you there!
The Ostfriesland Area
The Ostfriesland area of Germany is located in the northwest corner of Germany, bordered by the North Sea to the north, Groningen province in the Netherlands to the west, the Jeverland and Oldenburg regions to the east and the Emsland region to the south. This area is also referred to as East Friesland and is now part of the Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony) state of Germany.
A growing population coupled with challenging economic and social conditions in the mid-1800's led many Ostfriesens to look for new opportunities in a new land - America. The success of many of these brave emigrants led to thousands of their relatives following their path to the land of promises.
OGSA is committed to helping our members learn more about their ancestors and their lives. Please explore our online resources and log-in as a member for additional member-specific information.
Please see the About Ostfriesland page for more information about the area and its people.
Organization Summary
The OGSA a 501(c)3 non-profit, all-volunteer member-supported organization marking 26 years of helping our members find family connections and better understand the lives of their Ostfriesen ancestors in 2023.
During this time, our members have published quarterly journals, translated many resources into English, published numerous books, imported the Ostfriesen church community books stocked in several libraries around the US, conducted internationally attended conferences and helped many people with their research.
We maintain a collection many Ostfriesen reference books and documents for our members to research. We partner with the Minnesota Genealogical Society in Mendota Heights, Minnesota to provide access to Church records by community and other resources. Family histories and other materials are available at our conferences or by special request.
Please see our About Us page for more information on the Association.
Membership Benefits
Annual membership dues are the primary source of support for the OGSA's operations, research library and newsletters. Our members receive:
- 28-page quarterly journals containing a wealth of information about Ostfriesland, its people and the culture that shaped our ancestor's lives.
- Opportunities to participate in OGSA events, including educational programs, webcasts and conferences.
- Access to our research library which includes all of the published Ostfriesland Ortsippenbuchs (church family books) and images of many original records.
- An opportunity to support and access our Emigration database.
- Opportunities to connect with other researchers sharing interests in your families or ancestral communities.
- Discounts on research materials, many that have been developed by, or solely distributed in the US by OGSA.
