Monday, April 22, 2002 -- 7:00 p.m. -- Webster Memorial Library, Decatur -- Terry Goldworthy, Northwest Indiana regional coordinator for Indiana Freedom Trails, will give a talk entitled, "Was Freedom Dead or Only Sleeping? III : the Underground Railroad in the St. Joseph River Valley". The talk will encompass the southwest Michigan area as well as Northern Indiana.
Monday, May 27, 2002 - NO MEETING
Monday, June 24, 2002 -- 6:30 p.m. -- Webster Memorial Library, Decatur -- Annual meeting and potluck. Our feature speaker of the evening will be Clyde Chamberlin who will present a slide show of unusual gravestones. Bring your favorite dish to pass and your own table setting. Beverages will be provided.
Monday, July 22, 2002 - To Be Announced
Monday, August 26, 2002 -- 7:00 p.m. -- Webster Memorial Library, Decatur -- Steve Arseneau, Curator of History at the Southwestern Michigan College Museum, will present "Dear Mom : letters from the Civil War". He will examine Cass County (and other local areas) participation in the Civil War with a history of regiments mustered in the area.
Monday, September 23, 2002 -- 7:00 p.m. -- Webster Memorial Library, Decatur -- David Johnson, State Archivist from the Michigan State Archives, will address the many hidden gems in the Archive collection and the best ways to access them.
Monday, October 28, 2002 -- 7:00 p.m. -- Webster Memorial Library, Decatur -- Jeanne Hallgren, author of several Allegan County area histories will address "Genealogy is Local History". Jeanne will have copies of her books on hand.
Monday, November 22, 2002 -- 7:00 p.m. -- Webster Memorial Library, Decatur -- Gary Beam, VBRGS member and former CMI, will speak about and demonstrate different forms of computer graphics.
Monday, March 24, 2003 -- 7:00 p.m. -- Webster Memorial Library, Decatur -- Robert C. Myers, Curator of the Berrien County Historical Association, Berrien Springs, will be presenting "The Frozen Image: Photography in America". The program will teach participants how to identify and preserve photographic images in their own collections, from daguerreotype to tintypes to glass plate negatives. Mr. Myers will also have available copies of his latest book entitled, "Shipwrecks of Berrien County".
Monday, April 28, 2003 -- Candy Wesaw, Cultural Associate, Pokagon Band of the Potawatomi Indians Education Department, Dowagiac, will be speaking about the history of the Potawatomi Indians in Southwestern Michigan and will address some of the available records resources.
Monday, May 26, 2003 - NO MEETING
Monday, June 23, 2003 -- 6:30 p.m. -- Webster Memorial Library, Decatur -- Annual meeting and potluck. Bring your favorite dish to pass and your own table service. Beverages will be provided. Entertainment for the evening will be a Jeopardy-type game whereby participants will have the opportunity to win a free VBRGS membership and other select prizes. Questions will be genealogy/Michigan history related.
Monday, July 28, 2003 - 6:30 p.m. -- We take our annual road trip, this year visiting William Lesterhouse Antiques, 24020 Front St., Mattawan. Mr. Lesterhouse, who has been collecting antiques for over 50 years will be showing his private collection of 18th century New England & American artifacts. A great opportunity to view some of the every day items our ancestors used in the 1700's. Please call Toni Benson at 269-423-8045 to pre register as there is a limit of 20 persons.
Monday, August 25, 2003 -- 7:00 p.m. -- Webster Memorial Library, Decatur -- Judith A. Halseth, Ed. D., will be presenting "Researching Your Colonial New England Ancestors". Mrs. Halseth has been an avid New England researcher for several years, and is a member of the New England Historic Genealogical Society Advisory Council in Boston. She has documented many of her colonial lines including that which gained her membership in the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution.
Monday, September 22, 2003 -- 7:00 p.m. -- Webster Memorial Library, Decatur -- Rebecca J. Mayne, Archivist/Librarian for the Grand Rapid Public Library will be talking about the many genealogical gems in the Grand Rapids Public Library. She will also be bringing us up to date on their new facility to which they are moving at the time of this writing.
Monday, October 27, 2003 -- 7:00 p.m. -- Toni I. Benson, Local History Librarian for the Van Buren District Library will be presenting "Toni's List: a bibliography of Southwest Michigan local/family history resources and their repositories". Mrs. Benson's newly released book by this name which was six years in the making, is a compilation of about 3,500 listings of SW Michigan resources compiled from the collections of 52 libraries. Samples from the book will be discussed as well as some of lesser known sources for research.
Monday, November 24, 2003 -- 7:00 p.m. - Kenneth Baker will discuss Irish research tips based on his experience and his recent trip to Ireland.
December 29, 2003 - No Meeting
Monday, March 22, 2004 -- 7:00 p.m. -- Webster Memorial Library, Decatur -- Bob Emmert of Bangor, will give a presentation of the book he is working on of the "History of Bangor".
Monday, April 26, 2004 -- 7: p.m. -- Webster Memorial Library, Decatur -- Toni Benson will give a presentation on using the new Family History Library resources that are now available at Webster's Library.
Monday, May 24, 2004 - Craig Elston will give a presentation on using digital photography.
Monday, June 28, 2004 -- 6:30 p.m. -- Webster Memorial Library, Decatur -- Annual meeting and potluck. Bring your favorite dish to pass and your own table service. Beverages will be provided.
Monday, July 26, 2004 - 7:00 p.m. --Ken Hartman will speak on Women's History and how it ties into genealogy.
Monday, August 23, 2004 -- 7:00 p.m. -- Robert Myers of the Berrien County Museum will speak on Commonwealth of Soldiers.
Monday, September 27, 2004 -- 7:00 p.m. -- Judith Huber Halseth, Ed.D., will give a presentation on the New England Genealogical Society's website which is now available at Webster's Memorial Library.
Monday, October 25, 2004 -- 7:00 p.m. -- Brad Yazel, funeral director at Groner Funeral Home in Dowagiac, will present a program about the history of body preparation for burial, beginning in the early 1800's to present day. This will be a very interesting talk, giving some background to go with those cemetery records we are always seeking.
Monday, November 22, 2004 -- 7:00 p.m. -Carol Callard, Library of Michigan will speak on the subject of Comparing the Library of Michigan in Lansing, Michigan and Allen County Public Library in Ft. Wayne, Indiana for reseach purposes.
December 27, 2004 - No Meeting
Monday, January 24, 2005 - 7 p.m. - Workshop
Monday, February 28, 2005 - 7 p.m. - CD presentation about plotting land records.
Monday, March 28, 2005 - 7 p.m. - Toni Benson will give a PowerPoint presentation on "Citing Your Sources". She will give explanations and examples of several different types of source documentaion as the professionals do it for publication.
Monday, April 25, 2005 - 7 p.m. - Sue Sanders of Plainwell who has done a lot of land record research will present a program on how to research and get the information we need from ancestral land records.
Monday, May 23, 2005 - 7 p.m. - Kay Horton from the SW Michigan Library Cooperative will compare Heritage Quest and Ancestry Plus websites.
Monday, June 27, 2005 - 6:30 p.m. -- Webster Memorial Library, Decatur -- Annual meeting and potluck. Bring your favorite dish to pass and your own table service. Beverages will be provided. We will be playing a game afterward for prizes so be sure to join us for a night of good food and fun!
Monday, July 25, 2005 - 7 p.m. - Ann & Conrad Burton will be presenting a program on Courthouses. It will take a look at researching and will include what to look for in your courthouse research and the meanings of the things that we find in the records. They will be telling us what records there are available and where to find them.
Monday, August 22, 2005 - 7 p.m. - Ron Taylor, Director of the House of David Museum in Benton Harbor will be giving us a History of the House of David and the City of David from their beginnings in the late 1800's and early 1900's. The program will talk about the great increases in early times and the later split into two groups up to the present day.
Monday, September 26, 2005 - 7 p.m. - Robert C. Myers, curator of the Berrien County Historical Association, Berrien Springs, will be presenting "Hard Bread & Coffee". The program will be about the common Civil War Soldier. Bob will tell us what the common civil war soldier thought about being a soldier in the Civil War, what he thought about the country and what he thought about the President. Bob will be dressed in Civil War uniform and will bring artifacts from the period
Saturday, October 8, 2005 - All day seminar "The Heart and Soul of Genealogy: family history before and after the internet" Lawrence Conference Center, 490 South Paw Paw Street, Lawrence, Michigan. 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Monday, October 25, 2005 - 7 p.m. Paula Metzner, Assistant Director for Collections, Kalamazoo Valley Museum, will be presenting a program on preserving old photographs and materials.
Monday, November 28, 2005, 7. p.m. - Judith A. Halseth, Ed. D. and Toni Benson will give a presentation about their trip to Salt Lake Ciy in September.
December - No Meeting
Monday, January 23, 2006 - 7 p.m. - Workshop
Monday, February 27, 2006 - 7 p.m. - CD presentation about plotting land records.
Monday, March 27, 2006 - 7 p.m. - We will have our own panel of experts, consisting of Toni Benson, Ann & Conrad Burton and Judy Halseth to answer questions and make suggestions on some of your genealogical stumpers. We are asking that you bring your written questions, one question per sheet, and we will handle as many as possible during the evening.
Monday, April 24, 2006 - 7 p.m. - Rick Rack Rasmussen, well known local historian and author of several books about Paw Paw Lake, will be preenting a slide program on the history of postcards, the importance they play in researching local history, and ways that we can use them in our research.
Monday, May 22, 2006 - 7 p.m. - Ron Bennet of Buchanan, has done a study on grave markers and their meanings and will be here just in time for Memorial Day week to explain the markers and what they represent. The talk will give a better understanding of what the symbols stand for and what organizations and vocations our ancestors may have been involved in.
Monday, June 26, 2006 - 6:30 p.m. -- Webster Memorial Library, Decatur -- Annual meeting and potluck. Bring your favorite dish to pass and your own table service. Beverages will be provided. We will be having a book and CD Swap.
Monday, July 24, 2006 - 7 p.m. - A
presentation
on Beginning DNA research, by Charlotte Groff of Berrien Springs.
Ms. Groff has had her DNA tested and conpared
with others she thought might be related to her. Her case study
is
a very good introduction to DNA research and to give us an idea of what
to expect.
TMG User Group meeting at 6 p.m.
Monday, August 28, 2006 - 7 p.m. - Wilheim Kiesselbach from Niles will be presenting a solid program on conducting beginning German research. Since more Americans are of German descent than any other ethnicity, and German research tends to be the most challenging, this talk should be most interesting. Mr. Kiesselbach will also be available to answer your questions on doing German research.
Monday, September 25, 2006 - 7 p.m. -
Bob
Myers from the Berrien County Hiustorical Association in Berrien
Springs
will be presenting a slideshow entitled "Lost on the Lakes: Shipwrecks
of Berrien County". Bob is a well-known speaker and this program
will be no exception. He will talk about the steamers that sailed
out of Berrien County, many of which met with disaster and never
returned.
We invite you to hear and see the history and lore of the steamers of
Berrien
County.
TMG User's Group meeting a 6 p.m.
Monday, October 23, 2006 - 7 p.m. - Ardis Pierce will be giving a program on finding "Living relatives"
Monday, November 27, 2006- 7 p.m. - Toni Benson will be giving a CD presentation on plotting land records.
December - No Meeting
Monday, January 22, 2007 - 6 p.m.
The Masters Genealogist users group will meet before the meeting.
If you use TMG, this group will give you lots of pointers and help
using
and understanding the program.
7 p.m. - Webster Memorial Library, Decatur --
Workshop
Monday, February 26, 2007 - 7 p.m. - Webster Memorial Library, Decatur -- Toni Benson will discuss and demonstrate the new worldwide indexing project being sponsored by the Family History Center in Salt Lake City.
Monday, March 26, 2007 - 7 p.m. -Webster
Memorial Library, Decatur -- We will be having a presentation by
our own Conrad and Ann Burton/ Conrad will be giving a program on
Agricultural and Industrial Census. Conrad and Ann
are
very knowledgeable and always entertaining on a vaariety of subjects.
6 p.m. - TMG Users Group
Monday, April 23, 2007 - 7 p.m. - Webster Memorial Library, Decatur -- Robert C. Myers, Curator of the Berrien County Historical Association, Berrien Springs, will be presenting a program on "Researching your Home"
Monday, May 28, 2007 - 7 p.m. - Memorial Day - No meeting
Monday, June 25, 2007 - 6:30 p.m. -- Webster Memorial Library, Decatur -- Annual meeting and potluck. Bring your favorite dish to pass and your own table service. Beverages will be provided. .
Monday, July 23, 2007 - 7 p.m. - Sue Sanders of Plainwell, MI will be presenting a program on indexing the Kalamazoo Poor Farm records. Along with other things, she was able to find many people that were buried in the Poor Farm Cemetery that were not recorded.
Monday, August 27, 2007 - 7 p.m. - Ardis Pierce will be presenting a program on researching people who were adopted. She will give us pointers on how to find them.
Monday, September 24, 2007 - 7 p.m. - The
speaker will be Brian Hancock speaking about migration patterns.
6 p.m. - TMG Users Group Meeting
Saturday, September 29, 2007 - VBRGS all day seminar "Solving Ancestral Mysteries With a Variety of Genealogical Sources" to be held at the I.S.D. Conference Center in Lawrence, MI - Read more about it at: http://www.rootsweb.com/~mivbrgs/2007Seminar.htm
Monday, October 22, 2007 - 7 p.m. - - Kris Rzepezynski, Genealaogy Coordinator at the Library of Michigan, will help us celebrate Family History Month with a program "Genealogy at the Library of Michigan." He will bring us up to date on what's the latest at the library, give tips how to prepare for a research trip, and demonstrate the library's online resources.
Monday, November 26, 2007- 7 p.m. - Debby
Stassek, Information Servies Librarian at the Van Buren District
Library
will present "Keeping Your Computer Healthy". As we do more and
more
of oour research online, it is increasingly important that we maiantain
and protect our computers. Debby will address and demonstate
topics
such as: basic hardware care, first-aid, prevention, CPR for the
critically ill computer, and other improvements your computer may
need.
She will also demonstrate some genealogical-related plug-ins.
6 p.m. - TMG Users Group Meeting
December - No Meeting
January 28, 2008 - 7:00 p.m. Webster Memorial Library, Decatur - Workshop - come and help with our obituary project.
February 25, 2008, 7:00 p.m. Webster Memorial Library, Decatur – An overview of the “The National Archives Great Lakes Region”, Chicago, Illinois, including a slide show of selected archives documents and photos, will be presented by Local History Librarian, Toni I. Benson. This will be an opportunity to learn about another great research facility within driving distance from Southwest Michigan, with many examples of the gems in the collection.
March 24, 2008, 7 p.m. Webster
Memorial Library,
Decatur
– Mark Tomlonson, past president of the Kalamazoo Model Railroad Club,
will present a program titled "Railroads of Kalamazoo County". He
will be talking about the history of the Railroad in Kalamazoo and
Southwest
Michigan. All of our pre-1900 ancestors in Michigan had some
connection
to railroads and this talk should help us put our ancestors into
historical
context.
6 p.m.
- TMG Users Group Meeting
April 28, 2008, 7 p.m. Webster Memorial Library, Decatur – “Putting It All Together” will be presented by noted area genealogist, James Jackson. Most lectures focus entirely on a particular type of record or research methodology, i.e. family records, church and civil records, census research, land records, military service, etc. This presentation follows one pioneer family (Laura Ingalls and Almonzo Wilder), through their travels 'Out West', examining the many records that were generated and left behind.
May 26, 2008 – MEMORIAL DAY – no meeting.
June 23, 2008, 6:30 p.m. Webster Memorial Library, Decatur – Annual meeting and potluck. Bring your favorite dish to pass and your own table setting for some great home cooking, member fellowship time and annual elections. We will also be hosting a “White Elephant Auction”, so bring your “white elephants” to be auctioned along with your bidding paddle for guaranteed fun.
July 28, 2008, 7 p.m.
– Meeting held at the
LAWRENCE
CONFERENCE CENTER, LAWRENCE – Dr. Larry ten Harmsel will present
“Understanding
Your Dutch Ancestry”. Dr. ten Harmsel is the author of “Dutch in
Michigan,” a volume in the “Discovering the Peoples of Michigan”
series.
Even if you don’t have Dutch ancestry, you will no doubt learn some
Dutch
social history and acquire sound ideas for genealogical research.
6 p.m.
- TMG Users Group Meeting
August 25, 2008, 7 p.m. Webster Memorial Library, Decatur – "Finding Your Ancestors' Records in Washington, DC"will be presented by Judith Huber Halseth, Ed.D., Trustee of NEHGS. Judy has participated in several week-long research tours in D.C. Information will focus on an overview of records and research methods at the DAR Library, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), and the Library of Congress. The handout includes material useful for stay-at-home genealogists as well as for genealogists planning to visit Washington, DC.
September 22, 2008, 7 p.m.
Webster Memorial Library, Decatur
– James Jackson will make a return visit to discuss “The Evolution of
Michlist.com”,
a website that he created that is a cumulative full-name index merging
many Michigan publications and manuscripts. At this writing, the
citations numbered over 1 ½ million. Jim will discuss the
creation of the site and demonstrate its usage.
6 p.m.
- TMG Users Group Meeting
October 27, 2008, 7 p.m. Webster Memorial Library, Decatur – FAMILY HISTORY MONTH – To be announced.
November 24, 2008, 7 p.m.
Webster Memorial Library,
Decatur
– Our program will consist of demonstrations of two of the latest
internet
megadata websites, Footnote.com & World Vital Records
6 p.m.
- TMG Users Group Meeting
December - No meeting