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.
2026
Feb 7 - "Monroe Library Genealogy Holdings" - presented by Suzann Holland
Are you on the hunt for genealogy records of your ancestors and where they lived? Suzann Holland, Library Director, will share what Green County genealogy records and resources are available at the Monroe Public Library. Most of these resources would not be available in our Research Center. This is a great opportunity to expand research opportunities.
Are you on the hunt for genealogy records of your ancestors and where they lived? Suzann Holland, Library Director, will share what Green County genealogy records and resources are available at the Monroe Public Library. Most of these resources would not be available in our Research Center. This is a great opportunity to expand research opportunities.
March 7 - "William Seamonson and My Civil War Adventure Trip" - presented by John Arneson
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Sons of Norway-Mandt Lodge member John Arneson will share the story of his adventure following the Civil War battle engagements of John's great grandfather, William Seamonson. Born in Norway and immigrating as a young child, William went on to serve three years in the Wisconsin 23rd Division in the Red River, Vicksburg, and Mobile Campaigns during the Civil War.
Follow the journey that John's investigation has taken as he shares how he researched his great-grandfather's story of service to his country and what resources anyone has access to in order to research their own family members. Travels took them to Norway, Camp Randall, four southern states where most of his battle engagements occurred, to the state capitol, and ending at his final resting spot at West Koshkonong Church. |
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April 4 - "A Visit to WHS: Genealogy Collections and Services" - presented by Rebecca Hopman
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Ready to take a trip to the Wisconsin Historical Society (WHS)? WHS holds one of the top five genealogical collections in the country, with materials from across the United States and Canada. Rebecca Hopman, Genealogy Services Librarian, will help us discover more about the extensive family history collections in the Library and Archives, including newspapers, family history books, court records, and more. Even if you can't make it to Madison, you'll find out how to get access to our physical and digital collections.
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Rebecca Hopman is the Genealogy Services Librarian at the Wisconsin Historical Society, where she helps people discover their family stories. She lectures on a variety of topics, including genealogy, oral history, and historical research. She has a BA in History, English, and German from Augustan College (IL), an MLIS in Archives & Records Management from the University of Maryland, College Park, and an MA in Women's History from Sarah Lawrence College. She currently serves as a board member for the Augustana Historical Society.
| A Visit to WHS: Genealogy Collections and Services |
April 24 Friday Fun Day - Findagrave and GPS Mapping and Video "Cemetery vs. Graveyard"
Bill Holland will share how to use the Findagrave website and app. He will explain how to add GPS to a memorial that you and others may use to locate a gravesite. At our next Friday Fun Day on May 15 we will meet at a cemetery and Bill will demonstrate how to add GPS to the Findagrave App and you will have the opportunity to do it also. We will also have a video to learn the difference between cemeteries and graveyards - "Cemetery vs Graveyard". Join us at our Research Center on the lower level of the Monroe Public Library.
| Friday Fun Day - Find A Grave GPS |
May 2 - "Institutional Cemeteries" - presented by Steve Seim
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Steve Seim will present his efforts to compile and catalog information on hundreds of cemeteries for poor farms, asylums, prisons and similar institutions across the country. He will share the history and reasons for the institutions. When the "inmates" died, their remains were often unclaimed, and the institution buried them. Most institutions had their own burial grounds on-site. As institutions were phased out or modernized, their burial grounds were often neglected or forgotten, and burial records became difficult to obtain. Those buried in institutional cemeteries were often forgotten in their own lifetime and are in danger of being forgotten forever. Mr. Seim serves as the Court Commissioner for Dodge County He and his wife, Julie, have two grown children.
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| Institutional Cemeteries |
May 15 Friday Fun Day - GPS Mapping and Dowsing Rod Demo
We will meet at a cemetery (to be announced) and Bill Holland will demonstrate how to do GPS Mapping with the Findagrave App. Donna Kjendlie will demonstrate using the dowsing rod to find unmarked gravesites. You will have the opportunity to try out GPS mapping and dowsing.
June 6 - "Rituals of Romance: History of Courtship and Weddings, 1830-1990" - presented by Leslie Bellais
July 11 - "Italian American Immigrants" - presented by Vicki Ruth Hahn
August 1 - "Mrs Johnny Apppleseed" - presented by Jessica Michna
September 12 - "Phones, Tablets and Photo Editing" - presented by Bob Berlatosi
October 3 - "DAR" - presented by Kathy Comeau, Chapter Regent
November 7 - TBD
December 6 - Christmas Dinner at Turner Hall - program TBD
Other Upcoming Events
May 12, 2026 - D.A.R. Genealogy Workshop - 9am-1pm Community Room at the Monroe Public Library
Links to Handouts: Available on Members Only Page
"William Seamonson and My Civil War Adventure Trip" (Mar 7 2026 meeting)
"New France in Illinois and Wisconsin" (Nov 2025 meeting)
"A Trip to Israel" (March 2024 meeting)
"Cahokia and the Mississippian Culture" (May 2023 meeting)
"Abandoned: The Untold Story of the Orphan Trains" by Michael Keene (Nov 2022 meeting)
Research Center
Hours: Tuesday 10:00 am - 3 pm
Other times available by appointment. Call Bill Holland 734-735-3475 or email.
Located on the lower level of the Monroe Public Library, 925 16th Ave, Monroe, WI.
Other times available by appointment. Call Bill Holland 734-735-3475 or email.
Located on the lower level of the Monroe Public Library, 925 16th Ave, Monroe, WI.