Dr. Wolfgang Grams. Professional Career
1996 – pres. Owner of the privately run institute "Routes to the Roots, Research and Travel in Oldenburg, Germany.
The institute emerged from a research project headed by Dr. Grams, then Professor at the Center for US Emigration / Department for Political Sciences at Oldenburg University from 1992 - 1996. RsRs carries out historical biographical research, designs emigrant databases, exhibits and cultural projects with focus on the migration experience and furthermore conducts field trips and excursions.
2012 – 3/2017 Senior Research Consultant, Project planer and Content Acquisitionist for Ancestry.de Deutschland GmbH, Munich
Introducing and implementing Ancestry.com in Germany along with projects (among others): State Archives Bremen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Hamburg, German Federal State Archives/Military Archives at Freiburg, Swiss State Archives at Bern, Federal County Archives Lübeck and many other state, county and municipal Archives in Germany. Contracts with over 30 archives in Germany. Publications and presentations for Ancestry on national and regional archival conferences.
1996 – present Workshops, Lectures, Projects in German American Studies
Among others:
May 2016 Deutsche Einwanderung in die USA. Symposium auf See, MS EUROPA von New York nach Hamburg
Nov 2012 Key note speaker at conference “Auf nach Übersee”, Bundesinstitut für Kultur und Geschichte der Deutschen im östlichen Europa Oldenburg / Kommission für deutsche und osteuropäische Volkskunde, Freiburg
Oct 2012 Panel chairman at conference “Die hanseatisch amerikanischen Beziehungen seit 1790”, US Embassy Hamburg
2009- 2012 Co-planer for annual German-American Plattdüütsch Conferences at Marysville KS, Nortorf Germany, Wausau WI and Aurich Germany
Feb 2011 Workshop: Heritage Travel and Museum, White Star Line Museum Antwerp, Belgium
Oct 2010 “The American Dream”, International Colloquium Levy Strauss Museum, Buttenheim, Bavaria
2009 Workshops Heritage Travel at Nürnberg, Berlin, Lutherstadt Wittenberg, Osnabrück, Heidelberg, Hamburg, Koblenz, Bremerhaven, Ministry
for Economic Affairs Germany, German National Tourist Office Frankfurt and New York and German Tourist Authorities / Deutscher
Tourismusverband
Sep 2008 Workshop: Heritage and the Travel Industry, German Nat. Tourist Board, New York NY
Sep 2009 Lecture: Heritage and the German–American Migration Experience, Goethe Institute New York NY
Sept 2006 Lecture: Museums, Heritage and the Migration Experience, Ellis Island Intern. Conference, New York USA
Sep 2003 Lecture Fact and Fiction in Emigrant Biographies, Association of European Migration Institutions AEMI, Portorocz, Slovenia
Jun 2003 Lecture The Pursuit of Happiness and the Migration Experience, Land records and genealogical conference, National Park Service USA
Beatrice NE
Sept 2011 Presentation and Lecture at German American Chamber of Commerce, Atlanta, GA with delegation City of Bremen
Oct 2000 Workshop: New Ways in Cultural Representation, People on the Move Conference, Stavanger, Norway
Sep 2000 Workshop: Brokerage of Culture, North American - European Networking Conference, Omagh, Northern Ireland
Aug 1998 Lecture: Migration History, Travel and Cultural Representations, European Commission: Cherbourgh, France
Sep 1997 Workshop: Heritage Travel and the Migration Experience,, Association of European Migration Institutions AEMI
Liverpool, England
1997 - 2007 Adjunct Professor and classes at Oldenburg University
1996 – present Cultural Heritage Projects and Museum Concepts
Among others:
June 2011 International Family History Meeting “The Tuteurs”, Bad Kreuznach
May 2011 Curator “Nach Kanada – Abschied und Ankunft”, exhibit and cultural projects at Cuxhaven and Halifax Pier 21, Canada
2000 -2005 Author, project planer, consultant for Deutsches Auswandererhaus / German Emigration Center Bremerhaven and researcher for
hist. biographical portraits in its exhibit
2003 - 2005 Author and producer Heritage Map Northwest, a Research and Travel Companion, Oldenburg
2003 Documentation of German emigrant databases, online resources, research tools. In cooperation with the German National Tourist Board
and the German Information Center, New York www.roots-in-germany.de
1998 - 2000 Author, project planer, curator for World Expo 2000 project “Abenteuer Spurensuche”, Bremerhaven 2000
1996 - 2000 Compiling online emigrant databases from archival resources in Germany: counties of Cuxhaven, Delmenhorst, Cloppenburg, Vechta
Oldenburg, Bad Laer
1999 Curator of Exhibit: "Germans in America" within "Deutsche in der Fremde – Fremde in Deutschland", Cloppenburg Nds. Museumsdorf
and Magdeburg
1999 Curator of Exhibit: "Abschied nach Amerika". Permanent exhibit in historic HAPAG buildings in Cuxhaven depicting the farewell of the
emigrants at this historic location
1996 – present International Cultural Tours, German American Travel Projects
Among others:
2007 - pres MS EUROPA, MS HANSEATIC, MS BREMEN, MS COLUMBUS
Hapag Lloyd Company
Transatlantic, East- and Westcoast USA, Hawaii, Mexico, Maritime Provinces Canada
Lectures and shore excursions for passengers
2010 – 2013 RMS QUEEN MARY II, Cunard / Carnival Cruises
Transatlantic east- and westbound, Hamburg – New York
Lectures and shore excursions
2002 and 2004 MS ASTOR, Transocean Tours
Bremerhaven – New York
Lectures and shore excursions
1999 and 2000 MS DEUTSCHLAND, Peter Deilmann Company
Cuxhaven – Ireland, Canada, New York
Lectures and shore excursions
1997 – 2013 Many incoming travel projects and family history tours for visitors (both group and individual travel) for visitors fom the US to German
ancestral places incl. pre-trip research
1997 – 2013 Many family history and historical biographical research cases for descendants of former German emigrants
Pre 1996 Professional Career
1996 Founding of "Routes to the Roots" as a privately run institute, operating under the name "Research and Travel R&T" in the USA since 2002
1993 - 1996 Founder and chairman of the European network "Routes to the Roots" (EU Commission, DG 23) developing research and travel programs
with museums, interpretive centers and museum in UK, Ireland, Netherlands, Germany, Greece, Norway, Iceland
1988 - 1996 Research Assistant and Professor at the Center for US Emigration / Department for Political Sciences at the University of Oldenburg. Fields
of research and teaching: German American Studies, Migration Studies, Rhetorics, Biographical Studies
1992- 1994 Adjunct Professor for German Literature at the University of Bremen
1985 - 1992 PhD / Dissertation "summa cum laude” on German Literature of the 18th century. Disputation: 8. Okt. 1990,
Publication: Opladen, Westdeutscher Verlag 1992.
Title: Karl Philipp Moritz. Untersuchungen zum Naturbegriff zwischen Aufklärung und Romantik
1981 - 1993 Publications on German Literature, Political Sciences, Teachers Education, Rhetorics, Pedagogy at the University of Oldenburg and the
Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung / Federal Center for Social Sciences at Bonn.
1981 - 1985 Teaching at various institutions in higher and continuing education
1981 Graduate and post-graduate studies at Oldenburg University (German Literature, Social Studies and Pedagogy), incl. teaching at
Gymnasium at Verden/Aller (Einphasige Lehrerausbildung). Teachers examination 1. und 2. Staatsexamen Deutsch und Politik