Washington County, Minnesota photos travel to North Dakota and back. Thankfully.

Where have your ancestral family photos ended up? With a relative, friend, several states away in a historical society, or in a box somewhere that was thankfully saved? From today’s Pioneer Press: “When a plastic Rubbermaid garbage can and a cardboard box full of unidentified black-and-white photos were dropped off at the Barnes County Historical […]

Old Settlers organizations and their records

One of the presentations I do, Genealogical Goldmine: The Records of Old Settlers’ Organizations, is one that produces awe at the records, memorials, biographies, membership applications, and other material that often exist today.  Some of these organizations evolved into county and state historical societies. These are generally  grassroots organizations or groups of old settlers of […]

Valentine’s Day means registering for summer 2018 genealogy education at GRIP

The Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh has 23 courses in THREE week-long learning opportunities in TWO locations (Pittsburgh, PA, and Amherst, NY) in 2018! Choose which week(s) to attend depending on your continuing education and research needs! Maybe you really need more immersion and can attend all three weeks! La Roche College, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: 24-29 June 2018 […]

Families come together via the naming of a railroad station in Mendota, Minnesota

As you may have read before, my Great Granduncle Louis F. Slaker worked for the “Omaha” railroad. The Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Omaha Railway was later part of the Chicago and North Western Railway system. In his position as a Superintendent, one of his tasks was naming a railroad station in Mendota (Dakota County), […]

My Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy and Family History Library 2018 packing list

I already have a suitcase opened in my apartment and am adding things to it for my time at the 2018 Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy and some time at the Family History Library. This post is an update of one I shared in the past. It’s a January ritual for me and several hundred […]

Eden Prairie, Minnesota (Hennepin County) roots? Ongoing oral history project

Eden Prairie, Minnesota is a suburb of Minneapolis. It was once a rural area but has grown into a place with a large population and the stores and activities to match. I lived there for a couple years and my ex-husband worked there for many years. There isn’t an old main street with quaint stores, […]

Contribute to on the spot street corner history in La Crosse, Wisconsin

A continuing education class that is open to anyone at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse is inviting people to help complete an award-winning oral history project that accommodates self-guided tours. The class will add stories to the 50 already recorded. How do you access these self-guided history tours? At orange street signs in downtown La […]