Search Interviews

Born in Germany in 1945, immigrated to the US

Jeffrey interviews his father, Donald, about how his family came to South Dakota, his childhood on a farm, and being a pharmacist.

Claire Wahrhaftig (84) interviews Maria Visinti (95) about her experience during the Holocaust, the concentration camps and their liberation.

Ralph Breding grew up in rural Idaho and, with his family, farmed land that his German grandparents homesteaded in 1912. Ralph’s daughter, Lesa, interviews him about the intersection of farming and flying airplanes beginning with his parents, Gilbert and Gertrude...

Jeffrey, 29, interviews his girlfriend, Cecile, 29, about her family’s German heritage and traditions; their relationship and their travels together; their common love of country music and dancing.

This effected her as a person knowing what it’s like to live in another place and how it can be harder.

I interview my father on his experience when the Berlin wall fell.

Vesterheim Museum immigration history questions

In this interview, on November 25 at my house in Birmingham, Alabama, I interviewed my mom about her family history and how certain historical events affected her. She shares how 9/11 affected her and what her favorite historical figures are....

I talked to my great uncle Daniel Pankratz about his life, loved ones, and memories in the city of Chicago.

Grandson Frankie Annerino (17) interviews Grandmother Marlene Annerino neé Gerber (82). They talk about her family and her life in Chicago.

Lori Bruggman Rausch, 67, tells husband, Jim Rausch, 68, about her life growing up in North Dakota and Minnesota. They discuss their decades-long marriage and the many moves the family made due to Jim’s career as a Kimberly-Clark executive. They...

Little girl in a big family grows up in Minnesota. Goes into nursing gets Married, moves to Richmond Virginia and gets a big family of her own.

Within this interview, conducted January 2018 in Boulder Creek, California, Samuel English (17) discusses life and the effects of immigrating to the United States as an independent German citizen with his mother, Andrea Rosa English (49). Mrs. English recollects some...

Mike, 32, interviews his father, Douglas, 58. Inspired by a sudden increase in their family through Mike’s engagement with a woman with a son, Douglas talks about his grandparents and about being a parent.

Walter R. Zurasky, born and raised in Pennsylvania, talks about his life from childhood, living on a farm, to meeting his loving wife at Clarion College.

I learned a lot about my Oma, I learned that she loves the out doors and nature, that might be where I got it from. She was born and raised in Ohio and went to 4 different schools from k-...

This was a 12 minute interview with my grandfather, Doug Witzigreuter. Papa is my Dad’s dad and he was born in 1944. We disused topics ranging from his childhood to his job history and his parents.

This is an interview about Hannah's history. She talks to her birth mother about her past and life.

My husband talks about his grandparents and parents and how their culture has influenced his own personal culture.

An interviewer interviews a German immigrant named Alice.

Eric Yoder interviews Marjorie Comer about her family's German immigration and her childhood in California.

In this interview, conducted in November 2018 in Egg Harbor Township, NJ, Michael Ormond interviews his Grandpa Helmut Rojewski after thanksgiving. Rojewski was from Poland then moved to Germany and finally the US. They discuss the struggles he had when...

Ellie Bryan (21) talks to her friend Jeanne Boutang Croud (59) about her upbringing in Minneapolis and her racial identity - her mother is white, her father is biracial. Ellie is usually assumed to be white by people.

In this interview, conducted on November 26, 2019 in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, Al Ziegler interviews his teacher and mentor Matt Guenther(52) and Matt's husband, Greg Ferree(51). The couple shares about fond college memories together, their friendship before they...