Speaker, dates and registration for the Annual Conference were announced today.
Kathleen Brandt
Kathleen Brandt will be our main speaker. She has appeared on TLC and NBC: “Who Do You Think Your Are?” She is also a researcher on PBS: Finding Your Roots, and AARP and Jet Magazine. More info, topics and registration. It will be held October 10 & 11, 2014, at the St Paul’s Presbyterian Church in Johnston.
These member only sessions are a new focus of IGS. They will use a round-table
Members only
format, with moderators starting the evening’s discussion and attendees joining in with their suggestions and experiences. The first session will be Monday, July 14 2014, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at the IGS library.
Members come join us as we discuss various methods of organizing genealogical information. Preregistration is appreciated. Member walk-ins are welcomed.
Memberships are available at the door or online.
Could you use 8 hours of research time to pursue that elusive ancestor? Join us for an anything but “slumber” party to make progress on your family tree.
Lock in
Starts at 4 p.m. June 28th, this Saturday, and concludes Sunday morning at 12:00 a.m. A great way to conduct some concentrated research away from daily activities and distractions.
Space is limited; pre-registration is required. Cost: $20 per person includes pizza. Call IGS at 515-276-0287 to register.
Bring snacks to share. Enjoy hours of uninterrupted research and make new friends, too.
Monday and Tuesday, June 9 and 10, thirty-eight members of the Iowa Genealogical Society 
boarded a bus and traveled to the Midwest Genealogy Center in Independence, Missouri. They were met by six other Society members and enjoyed two days of uninterrupted genealogy research. Meals were catered to the MGC library and lodging was only a few miles away. Continue reading
Open House 2014
Tour the library, visit with any of the 21 exhibitors, use the vast resources of our library for your Answers From the Past on June 21st from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm .Exhibitors are: Scottish Heritage Society of Iowa, In Living Memory, African American Interest Group, Mayflower Society, Sons of Norway, Iowa History Center, German Interest Group, Irish Interest Group, Norwegian Interest Group, Colonial Dames 17th Century, Iowa Conservation and Preservation Consortium, Des Moines Historical Society, DAR Abigal Adams, DAR Jean Marie Cardinell, Children of the American Revolution, American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, Preservation Iowa, Warren County Historical Society, Warren County Genealogical Society, Sons of the American Revolution, and Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. Descriptions of the exhibitors.
We now have 42 people riding the bus to Kansas City and we will be meeting a few people at the library.
The information you need to participate in this excursion is on the IGS website for future reference.
If there are any further questions or concerns, there is contact information at the end of this letter.
It looks to be a great experience for everyone and I look forward to meeting all of you.
Thanks,
Rich Wolfe
Iowa Genealogical Society
1st Vice President – Education
Michele McNabb from the Museum of Danish America in Elk Horn, IA offered great information on researching your Danish ancestors. She covered topics that included useful websites for Genealogical research , some in English and some in Danish, information on digitized Danish Records from the Danish State Archives and the Emigration Experience of our Danish Ancestors. Continue reading
The Iowa Genealogical Society is in need of several library assistants during the day and on
Flower bed
Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Training will be provided. Shifts are usually four hours but can be flexible. Society membership is required.
IGS is also looking for someone to maintain our flower bed for the 2014 growing season. The bed is established and just need a little weeding and mulching.
Please contact Jennifer Ewing, 515-276-0287 or Executive Director for more information.
Dennis Allen presented information on Tribal Pages, MAC versus PC, Gensmarts and the inner workings of a computer. Dennis Davies presented information on the Cloud and Linda Greethurst showed us how to pluck, place and plot using Animap. A special thanks to Cris Nagla and others for providing afternoon treats.
The information provided was useful to any level of genealogical research skills; beginner to advanced. We were shown ways to collaborate with others on our family trees and research, easy ways to share photos via the Cloud and useful utilities of Gensmarts and Animap which can make us more efficient in our research.
A BIG thank you to our presenters for volunteering their time and knowledge with us!
Midwest Genealogy Center Library
The Iowa Genealogical Society is sponsoring a road trip to the Midwest Genealogy Center Library (MCG) in Kansas City. The MGC is ranked as the best genealogy library and research center in our area and is also ranked among the best in the nation. Many of our members have expressed an interest in going to this library. In response, IGS has put together this road trip. This trip affords our members and friends a great research opportunity and time together to get to know local people, like ourselves, with a strong interest in genealogy. Continue reading