The Rock County Genealogical Society

08/07/2025

AUGUST 2025 - PROGRAM
MILTON'S HISTORIC MUSINGS, A BOOK BY DOUG WELCH
Date & Time: Tuesday, August 12, 2025, 6:30 p.m. local WI time.
Cost: Free and open to the public.
Location: Join us at the Milton House Museum or view live on your Home PC or Smartphone with the Zoom app.

Program Presenter: Doug Welch is an accomplished author who has served as curator and administrative director of the Main Hall Museum on Milton College campus since 2019. In 2012, Welch wrapped up a 33-year newspaper career, including 22 years as the editor of Milton’s weekly newspaper. A lifelong Milton resident, Welch garnered numerous awards for column and editorial writing, reporting and photography.

Program Summary: Doug will discuss his book, Milton’s Historic Musings using the vast photo archives of the Milton Historical Society and the Milton College Preservation Society with dozens of stories and profiles from Milton's history. The book and talk take an extensive look at the Milton House, the Goodrich family, early Milton settlers, the abolitionist movement, and the Underground Railroad prior to the Civil War. The talk includes more recent Milton activity and is complemented by many archival photos.
How to Attend: This presentation will be presented live at the second level Tomah Room of the Milton House Museum, 18 S. Janesville St., Milton, WI at the scheduled time. Ample parking, handicap access, elevator, snacks, soft drinks and door prizes are included. If attending remotely, please access the The Zoom link and password on our website at rcgswi.org. Navigate to the speakers page for August speaker-- use the zoom link and required password.
Please join us for this interesting and informative program!

The RCGS HOME page is home to exclusive & unique family history research materials; see birth, marriage, death and cemetery indexes, atlases and helpful tutorials. Most materials are public, but some pages are restricted to current RCGS members.

08/07/2025

FREE ROCK COUNTY GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY PROGRAM-MILTON'S HISTORIC MUSINGS, A BOOK BY DOUG WELCH- 12 AUG ,2025 AT 6:30 PM. Attend in person at Milton House or via Zoom per wee page

The RCGS HOME page is home to exclusive & unique family history research materials; see birth, marriage, death and cemetery indexes, atlases and helpful tutorials. Most materials are public, but some pages are restricted to current RCGS members.

07/01/2025

USING PHOTOGRAPHY HISTORY IN GENEALOGY

Date & Time: Tuesday, July 8, 2025, 6:30 p.m. local WI time.
Cost: Free and open to the public.

Location: Join us at the Milton House Museum or view live on your Home PC or Smartphone with the Zoom app (see Zoom link and access code at our website RCGSWI.ORG). Navigate to Speakers Page for July Speaker.

Program Presenter: Vicki Ruthe Hahn is the founder of the IL-WI State Line Genealogical Club, LLC and regularly presents programs to regional libraries, genealogical and historical societies.
Program Summary: Photographs give a direct insight into the past, and into the lives of individuals portrayed in them. They are a perfect way for genealogists to identify ancestors (from 1839 on) by analyzing physical resemblance, the history of fashions worn, backgrounds, and special occasions depicted. Learn how to help narrow the dates by identifying what photography studios and camera/developing/mounting technologies were used through the history of photography. Explore how to combine photography with other genealogical techniques, and organization. (A companion program to “Contemporary Fashion Through the Decades, What They Wore When”. Each of the two programs are independent, but complementary.)

How to Attend: This Zoom presentation can be watched live at the second level Tomah Room of the Milton House Museum, 18 S. Janesville St., Milton, WI at the scheduled time. Ample parking, handicap access, elevator, snacks, soft drinks and raffle prizes are included.Explore how to combine photography with other genealogical techniques, and organization. Bring a vintage photograph along, and we can try to identify the range of years that it was taken.

Please join us for this interesting and informative program.

The RCGS HOME page is home to exclusive & unique family history research materials; see birth, marriage, death and cemetery indexes, atlases and helpful tutorials. Most materials are public, but some pages are restricted to current RCGS members.

06/03/2025

The Rock County Genealogical Society offers a FREE (IN PERSON AND VIA ZOOM) Program, Tuesday, June 10, 2025 at 6:30pm, local time, in the Tomah Room, Milton House Museum. The Milton House Museum is located at 18 S. Janesville Rd, Milton. Ample free parking is available. Take the elevator to the 2nd floor.

Attendees can also access the Zoom link at home. For the free Zoom link and to download a program handout, see the RCGS home page at www.RCGSWI.org and click on Upcoming Speakers and Events, navigate to June speaker. A PASSWORD IS REQUIRED TO LOG IN VIA ZOOM. THIS IS FOUND ON OUR WEBSITE UNDER THE ZOOM LINK.

PRESENTER: Jennifer Motszeko is the Chief Archivist at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater's Area Research Center, which serves as the repository for several southern Wisconsin counties, including Rock County.

PROGRAM Title: THE STORY OF OF LAVINIA GOODELL

PROGRAM Summary: Jennifer will describe her research into an important historical figure, Rhoda Lavinia Goodell who was the first woman licensed to practice law in Wisconsin, and the first woman admitted to the Supreme Court of Wisconsin.

The RCGS HOME page is home to exclusive & unique family history research materials; see birth, marriage, death and cemetery indexes, atlases and helpful tutorials. Most materials are public, but some pages are restricted to current RCGS members.

05/21/2025

Do you miss attending local conferences and networking with fellow genealogists? Then this conference is for you!

Latest news: Early Bird registration has been extended through June 8. To register please visit https://www.mcigs.org/conference.html.

Saturday, July 12, 2025 ​8:30 am - 3:30 pm CDT In-Person at McHenry County College McHenry County College (MCC), 8900 US Highway 14, Crystal Lake, IL 60012 ​

05/21/2025

04/06/2025

PLEASE JOIN US FOR THIS INTERESTING FREE PROGRAM--ZOOM ONLY

GERMAN IMMIGRATION TO WISCONSIN
Date & Time: Tuesday, April 8, 2025, 6:30 p.m. local WI time.
Cost: Free and open to the public.

Program Presenter: Antje Petty is the Associate Director of the Max Kade Institute for German American Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where her research focuses on the experiences of German-speaking immigrants and their descendants. She shares the resources of the Institute through a variety of public programs.

Program Summary: Over forty percent of Wisconsinites claim "German" as their primary ancestry. Most of their ancestors came from German-speaking lands in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This presentation will look at the experiences of first-generation immigrants, their reasons for leaving Europe and settling in Wisconsin, the traditions they kept, and the unique Wisconsin culture they became a part of.

How to Attend: This Zoom presentation can be watched live ONLY via Zoom at the scheduled time. The Zoom link and passcode can be accessed on our WEBSITE at RCGSWI.ORG. NAVIGATE TO THE SPEAKERS PAGE FOR APRIL.

The RCGS HOME page is home to exclusive & unique family history research materials; see birth, marriage, death and cemetery indexes, atlases and helpful tutorials. Most materials are public, but some pages are restricted to current RCGS members.

03/09/2025

PLEASE JOIN US:

Program Presenter: Thomas MacEntee is a guy with a love of punk rock music but also art history who somehow “fell” into the technology industry years ago. He left a lucrative tech career to pursue his love of family history and genealogy. Technology and historical research seem like opposites, but “tech people” like Thomas are needed to guide you through the maze of options so you can find your ancestors and bring their stories to life.

Program Summary: Learn how to harness the power of artificial intelligence to assist in translating, transcribing, and summarizing a variety of genealogy records. A handwritten baptismal record from the 1800s? No problem. A faded newspaper obituary? No problem. We’ll cover the best AI platforms as well as how to craft a solid prompt to get you the results you need. Learn how to harness the power of artificial intelligence to assist in translating, transcribing, and summarizing a variety of genealogy records. A handwritten baptismal record from the 1800s? No problem. A faded newspaper obituary? No problem.

This is a Zoom ONLY program on March 11 at 6:30pm. You can access the Zoom link and password on our WEBSITE under the Speakers & Programs section. Log on to https://www.rcgswi.org. Navigate to the speakers & programs page for March to access the link and use the required password. The presentation is 45-60 with Q&A.

Join us for this interesting and informative program!

02/09/2025

REMINDER:ROCK COUNTY GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY FREE ZOOM ONLY PROGRAM: Using Newspapers to Enrich Your Family History; 6:30pm 11 Feb 2025 local time. She web page for login password. Rcgswi.org

02/09/2025

USING NEWSPAPERS TO ENRICH YOUR FAMILY HISTORY
Date & Time: Tuesday, February 11, 2025, 6:30 p.m. local WI time.
Cost: Free and open to the public.
Location: Zoom-Only. Join us live from home on your PC or Smartphone with the Zoom app (see Zoom LINK and PASSWORD ON OUR WEBSITE, Speakers & Programs Page.)
Program Presenter: Renee Cue, neé Love, is an Iowa native who is a family history enthusiast and amateur genealogist. Renee and her husband moved to the Tucson, AZ area at the end of 2020. Renee enjoys sharing her historical discoveries with her family in articles, books, and social media posts. If they read it, she will write it! Renee facilitates the PCGS Genealogy Writers Special Interest Group and continues to be an active member in the Iowa Genealogical Society. Her special areas of interest are her Anabaptist, Scot, and Welsh ancestors.
Program Summary: Renee will explore the various newspaper repositories from local libraries to digitize images online (some free!). She will demonstrate search strategies for finding ancestors, but also understanding and using newspaper information from the times in which they lived.
How to Attend: VIA LIVE ZOOM LINK on Feb 11, 6:30pm. See our website speaker's page for the Zoom link and required password.

The RCGS HOME page is home to exclusive & unique family history research materials; see birth, marriage, death and cemetery indexes, atlases and helpful tutorials. Most materials are public, but some pages are restricted to current RCGS members.

12/30/2024

Friends of Rock County Genealogical Society,

Free MyHeritage.com Family History Zoom Program, Tuesday, January 14, 6:30 PM

The Rock County Genealogical Society's January speaker is Melissa Barker, "The Archive Lady", a Certified Archives Manager and Public Historian. She will discuss how the MyHeritage.com website can be your “home away from home” and an online archive to help you find information about your ancestors. Learn from a seasoned genealogist and archivist how to find archived records on MyHeritage.com from home.

RCGS invites the public to view this free, Zoom-Only program (no in-person programs Jan., Feb. & Mar.) on Tuesday, January 14, 2025, at 6:30 pm from home using the Zoom app on your computer, tablet, or smartphone. More details, including Zoom link and passcode, can be found at the RCGSWI.org website or keep this email and use the following link and pass code on January 14th:
Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82600669427?pwd=mInTYLPZMDompSuP2WiYa1NJXU6lBD.1
Zoom Passcode: Family (with a capital "F")
Audience handout: The download is available online at www.rcgswi.org/events--speakers.html

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