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Wisconsin STate Genealogical Society

December 2018

Michael Strauss

Secret Societies: Finding Your Ancestors in Fraternal Organizations

  • Presenter: Michael Strauss
  • Date: December 20, 2018
  • Webinar Description: Were your ancestors Freemasons? Did you family have a connection with the I.O.O.F. or Daughters of Rebekah? Discover the rich history and genealogical material that await you with membership records, historical research, and photographs of your family who may have belonged to one or more of these secret societies or female auxiliaries.

 




November 2018

More than Just the Census: Federal Government Publications for Genealogical Research

  • Anne Kasuboski
  • Presenter: Anne Kasuboski
  • Date: November 20, 2018
  • Webinar Description: Most researchers know that the National Archives holds a wealth of original records valuable for family history. But the U.S. Government Printing Office is the largest publisher in the world, giving federal depository libraries in each Congressional District government published books full of personal information and history on our ancestors. This session will demonstrate the types of information to be found in books and databases as close as the nearest federal depository library in your Congressional District.




October 2018

Bryna O'Sullivan

Unpuzzling the Past: Tips and Techniques for French Records

  • Presenter: Bryna O'Sullivan
  • Date: October 16, 2018
  • Webinar Description: What do you do when you want to research your French-Canadian ancestors - and don't speak or read French? This presenation will cover techniques for working through French language records, including typical formats, when to use a word list or dictionary, and when to spend the money on a translator.

 



September 2018

On, Wisconsin! The 24th Infantry, 1862-1865, Brothers Forever

  • Presenter: Jean Wilcox HibbenJean Wilcox Hibben
  • Date: September 18, 2018
  • Webinar Description: In 1862, Wisconsin got the 2nd call for volunteers for the Union Army in the Civil War. The 24th was comprised of many Germans, along with many long-time Milwaukee residents, including the commanding officer, Arthur MacArthur. The life of this unit is seen through records of a Milwaukee pioneer and private in Company I, focusing on what records are available (and where) for others searching Wisconsin Civil War soldiers. The soldiers from this and other units made up part of the population of the state, contributing to it long after the War. But the veterans were forever connected because of their shared experience; find out why and how. Drawing some from the book by W.J.K. Beaudot, historical records, newspapers, military, and GAR documents, the regiment's history will come to light for family, Civil War, and Wisconsin historians.




August 2018

Citing Sources and Evaluating Evidence

  • Presenter: Thomas MacEnteeThomas MacEntee
  • Date: August 21, 2018
  • Webinar Description: You’ll learn how to use the source citation templates, evidence evaluation features, as well as how to add/remove features to create a customized research log of your own. A good deal of time will be spent on citing sources and resources to make the process easier. In addition, we’ll cover how to look at a record and evaluate the evidence to determine if it proves or disproves the proof point. Finally, you’ll see how you can add new source citation templates, add new columns and more.




July 2018

"The Marriage of the Waters": The Erie Canal and the Opening of the Midwest

  • Presenter: Annette Burke LyttleAnnette Burke Lyttle
  • Date: July 17, 2018
  • Webinar Description: The Erie Canal--a project many labeled hopeless and impossible--opened the Midwest to settlement and prosperity. It provided a far easier migration route to the Midwest than any of the land routes available, and it also gave settlers on the Midwestern frontier a less expensive way to get their goods and produce to Eastern markets. Learn about the building of this engineering marvel and how it affected the lives of our ancestors.




June 2018

Katherine R. Willson

50+ Online & Offline Sources for Finding Photos of Your Ancestors

  • Presenter: Katherine R. Willson
  • Date: June 19, 2018
  • Webinar Description: If you haven't inherited photos of your ancestors, learn about the 50+ potential sources that you may have overlooked, including printed media, organizations, digital sources and even distant relatives that you may not know about (with tips on initiating contact that ensures a response).




May 2018

Kelli Jo Bergheimer

Online Tools to Organize and Collaborate with Your Cousins

  • Presenter: Kelli Jo Bergheimer
  • Date: May 15, 2018
  • Webinar Description: Learn tips and techniques of online wikis, blogs, and collaborating tools to share your family history with your cousins, friends, and family. Topics covered include: The Hows and Whys of Collaboration, Blogs for Communication, Google Docs™, Shared Calendar (Google Calendar™, Outlook™) to Keep on Task, Wikis for Collaboration, Dropbox™, Mosey™, and Others for Backup and Sharing.




April 2018

Cari Taplin

On A Mission: Religion in the Great Lakes Region

  • Presenter: Cari Taplin
  • Date: April 17, 2018
  • Webinar Description: Some of the first settlers in any region were missionaries who wanted to convert native tribes already in the region. The area around the Great Lakes was explored by Jesuits, Methodists, Moravians, Baptists, Anglicans, Quakers, Presbyterians and others. These groups built early churches and religious meeting places that served settlers and native people alike. This class will focus on major religions in the Great Lakes region, a history and timeline of their arrival and expansion in specific areas, and will include a discussion on the main denominational repositories for research.




March 2018

Jennifer Alford

Oy Vay! You Want to Research Jewish Ancestors?

  • Presenter: Jennifer Alford
  • Date: March 20, 2018
  • Webinar Description: Whether you have a Jewish ancestor or are looking to assist others, this session will introduce you to the history of the Jewish people, immigration to the United States, and aspects of their lives. Using this information we can get to know our Jewish ancestors in depth and find records that can take us back to the homeland.

 



February 2018

Julie Goucher

How Understanding & Researching European Surnames Can Help Your Genealogical Research

  • Presenter: Julie Goucher
  • Date: February 20, 2018
  • Webinar Description: We begin with an explanation of what a surname study is before covering what might be the catalyst for a study and why such a study might be a resourceful way to research. We then explore the key research methods for exploring European surnames and how they can help when researching in Europe and breaking down brick walls. We explore how to collaborate and undertake analysis of the data and look at surname variants and deviants and if they are an important part of European surname research. We then focus on surname distribution maps and the part they play in understanding surnames in Europe. In the last segments of the presentation we explore promotion of our European surnames so connection can be made with others, the use of social media and DNA surname projects.



January 2018

Jill Morelli

FamilySearch: The Other 70%

  • Presenter: Jill Morelli
  • Date: January 16, 2018
  • Webinar Description: Did you know--if you do a surname search at FamilySearch.org you are only reaching 30% of the online documents that are available at that site? Maximize your "search power" by understanding how the image-only documents are arranged to find your ancestor's record easier. We will cover why these image-only records exist, why surname searches will continue to access only a fraction of the online records, and the impact of the discontinuation of the FamilySearch film distribution activity. We will cover three methods for accessing these image-only documents and describe the limitations of each. Finally, the organization of the image-only records will be covered and how to use that organization to your advantage, reducing the amount of "scrolling time." With FamilySearch digitizing their records and eliminating the film distribution program in 2017, this topic is very timely. Discoveries await!


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