GCGS Upcoming Events -- Meetings & Field Trips
Meetings are held at the Monroe, WI Public Library at 10:00 a.m. on the first Saturday of the month in the Community Room on the upper level. The library is located at 925 16th Ave, Monroe, WI. For more information call 608-328-7436.
WINTER HOURS at Research Center: Appointment Only from Christmas through January
January 5, 2019 - NO MEETING
February 2, 2019 - Adventures with Ma & Pa - Immigration Program by Tom Kleist & Sandy Fisher
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Tom Kleist & Sandy Fisher bring history alive with humor and historical props. This program demonstrates the difficulties of our early immigrant ancestors as they traveled across the ocean from Europe in the 1800's. What would you pack if you were coming to Wisconsin from a different country? If you had to pack only one trunk with everything you would need to survive in a strange place, what would you pack? The many questions surrounding the hardships of travel and resettlement are covered along with the joys of discovery. The audience will help unpack the trunks they brought. This family program is open to all ages, bring your children along with you. Kleist is a former school teacher and auctioneer and raises goats on his farm near Elkhorn. Fisher, who lives in Waukesha, was an accredited education coordinator and worked at Old World Wisconsin before retirement.
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March 2, 2019 - History of the Civilian Conservation Corps by Mark Peterson
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Learn about the public relief program in the U.S. for unemployed, unmarried men ages 17-28. The CCC was the most popular of the New Deal programs and led to greater public awareness and appreciation of the outdoors and the nation's natural resources. Enrollees planted nearly 3 billion trees and constructed trails, lodges, and related facilities in more than 800 parks nationwide among other tasks.
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April 6, 2019 - Coming to Green County on the Erie Canal by Duane Freitag
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Duane Freitag of Green Dale WI will present a program on how the famed canal was used by European Immigrants in the 1800's as they traveled form New York City to Milwaukee and on to Green County. The program will include a discussion of building the canal as well as some of the families who came from Switzerland in 1846, went west on the canal, and settled in New Glarus. Freitag, a retired reporter and editor for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, is a native of New Glarus and has written several books about the Swiss of Green County.
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May 4, 2019 - Women's Clothes Through the 18th and 19th Centuries by Nancy Sorchy (Annual Meeting)
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Have you ever wondered how women got into their clothes through the 18th and 19th centuries or why did women all have the same shape? Nancy Sorchy will return to discuss and show us what the clothing looks like close up and what's underneath what you can see. Come to the May meeting and find out.
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June 1, 2019 - The Role of Our Ancestors in Building a Great State by Ken Germanson
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Ken Germanson, president emeritus of the Wisconsin Labor History Society in Milwaukee, will present the story of how workers struggled to create better lives for their families and for generations to come that has long been overlooked. Hear how workers organized into unions and struggled and even gave up their lives to win equity while their labors helped to make Wisconsin. There will also be discussion of the resources available for probing ancestral backgrounds.
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July 6, 2019 - Did Grandpa Go Fishing? Collecting Old Wood Fishing Lures by Jerry Pardus
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Jerru Pardus, retired Stephenson County Sheriff, has been collecting antique fishing lures about 18 years. His collection consists of, but is not limited to, what is referred to as the "Big 5" lure companies - Creek Chub, Heddon, South Bend, Shakespeare, and Pflueger. He also has lures from other companies including some made in Wisconsin. He is now trying to locate lures made in Rockford, IL by the J.L. Clark and Fred Keeling companies.
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August 3, 2019 - History of Photographic Formats: Date and Identify Images by Simone Munson
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Simone Munson, archivist and Librarian at the Wisconsin Historical Society has worked closely with the Society's photographic collections for over 10 years. A picture is worth 1000 words, but often those words are difficult to read. Simone Munson will present tips and tools for photo identification. She will provide a brief history of photographic formats and a deeper examination of resources, tools and strategies for dating and identifying photographs. If you have inherited a collection of unidentified family photographs, this presentation will provide information for tackling this daunting project.
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September 7, 2019 - WORKSHOP with Lori Bessler (time, cost and other details TBD)
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Lori Bessler, Reference Librarian at Wisconsin Historical Society, will present two programs:
Organizing and Analyzing Your Research - Whether you have been researching 1 year or 30, this program will provide guidance on how to document, store, file and digitize your genealogical materials. You need to know what you have and easily access your research to make the most of your time. Otherwise you may recreate the wheel over and over again. This lecture will help you simplify your record keeping and show how to analyze documents to uncover more stories. Meet Mrs. George H. James: Writing a Biographical Sketch - If you have had fun "hunting" your ancestors, you will have even more fun sharing those stories through writing. many researchers are intimidated at the prospecto of writing when it turns out to be a lot easier than they would think. This program shows you how a few documents on an ancestor could put a lot of story together by following a few simple steps. We owe it to our ancestors to tell their stories. Following lunch there will be discussion on various ways to share your family history and stories through self publishing and smaller projects. Examples of self-published books will be available to view. |
October 5, 2019 - Searching through the Windows of Your Ancestor's Home - by GCGS member Linda Schiesser
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Ever wonder who built your house or your ancestor's home? What existed on this land before? What can I learn about the property? These questions can be answered by you if you have the right tools. This talk will give you some of the tools and clues to start you on your way.
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November 2, 2019 - Using FamilySearch Wiki to Research English Ancestors and Others - by GCGS member Sharon Mitchell
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Member Sharon Mitchell will show us how to find those elusive British (and other) ancestors with help from FamilySearch.
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December 7, 2019 - Women's Suffrage video and discussion
Other Upcoming Events
February 2, 2019 - American Indian Ancient Artifacts by Dennis Fox
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LCGS - LCHS Joint Program 1:30 pm
Town Bank Meeting Room (Lower Level) 15815 Hwy 81 Darlington, WI |
March 29-30, 2019 - Wisconsin State Genealogical Society 2019 Gene-A-Rama
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The conference theme this year is:
Uncovering Resources I Wish I Had Known About Sooner Friday’s Agenda: Discovering new record resources Saturday’s Agenda: Locating the “right” relative Location: Stoney Creek Hotel and Conference Center 3060 S. Kinney Coulee Road Onalaska, WI 800-659-2220 Featured speaker is Amy Johnson Crow. Amy is a certified genealogist with over 20 years of experience helping people to uncover their family histories. She will be giving five talks over the two-day conference that include topics on census substitutes, other census schedules, records that made her do a double take, “how do I know that’s my ancestor,” and using social media to grow your family. Seven additional speakers will round out the conference, speaking about church records, newspaper research, naturalization, DNA, and creating a Google Toolbox. New this year is Ask A Genealogist, sponsored by The Society of Mayflower Descendants in the State of Wisconsin. Bring your questions and reserve your free ten-minute private brick wall consultation. Consultations will be based on a first come – first served availability. Details will be provided at conference check-in. The early-bird conference registration rate ends March 4th, so don’t hesitate to reserve your seat. Here’s a link to the registration page for you to safely register online: https://conference.wsgs.org/ If you plan on staying with us at the Stoney Creek Hotel, reservations for discounted room rates must be received by February 28, 2019. |
April 28, 2019 - The New and Improved Find A Grave by Bill Holland
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LCGS - LCHS Joint Program 1:30 pm
Lafayette County Genealogy Society Research Center 309 Main St Darlington, WI |
October 27, 2019 - Google Hints, Tips and Tricks by David Bradford, president Rock County Genealogical Society
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LCGS - LCHS Joint Program 1:30 pm
Lafayette County Genealogy Society Research Center 309 Main St Darlington, WI |
Research Center
Hours: Tuesday & Third Saturday of the month 10:00 am - 3 pm
First Saturday of the month 1:00 - 3 pm
Other times available by appointment. Call 608-328-7436 or email.
Send email with your phone number and question and someone will call to set up an appointment. This may take a day or so to respond as we aren't in the center but do check the emails often.
Located on the lower level of the Monroe Public Library, 925 16th Ave, Monroe, WI.
First Saturday of the month 1:00 - 3 pm
Other times available by appointment. Call 608-328-7436 or email.
Send email with your phone number and question and someone will call to set up an appointment. This may take a day or so to respond as we aren't in the center but do check the emails often.
Located on the lower level of the Monroe Public Library, 925 16th Ave, Monroe, WI.