Penn Pal : newsletter sponsored by the Pennsylvania chapter Palatines to America
(Periodical)

Quarterly

Quarterly.

Vol. 1 no. 1 (Oct 1980) -

Indexed in PERiodical Source Index (PERSI) under PANL.

Some of the earliest German-speaking immigrants to the American colonies came from a region in present-day Germany known as Pfaltz, or the Palatinate area. Their people were called Palatines. The Palatines to America organization (Pal-Am) promotes the study of ancestral migration from the Palatine and other Germanic-speaking areas, such as Austria, France, Poland, and Switzerland. Some came to America indirectly, spending time (often generations) in Ireland, Russia, and elsewhere.

The Palatines to America German Genealogical Society was founded in 1975 by descendants of immigrants from the Palatinate (Pfalz) area of Germany. Its name was changed to National Society of Palatines to America (PAL-AM), as the Society now includes descendants of other German-speaking immigrants. The purpose of PAL-AM is to promote the study of Germanic-speaking immigrants to North America, with special emphasis on early emigration from the Palatinate in the 17th and 18th century. They also provide an exchange of historical information and genealogical research. National headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, at 611 East Weber Road is the site of their National Library which houses a unique collection of German resources. Regional Chapters are also located in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. The Pennsylvania Chapter has grown to over 1,500 members from 49 states, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Switzerland, and the Virgin Islands. This Chapter's quarterly publication is called Penn Pal. For further information see the web sites.