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Rock County Genealogical Society
RCGS Home Page

An Affiliate Member of The Wisconsin State Genealogy Society

Rock County Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 711, Janesville, WI 53547-0711

Email RCGS: RCGS Webmaster



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Society Meetings:
The Rock County Genealogical Society meets monthly on the third Tuesday of the month, September through May at 6:30 PM. The December meeting, if any, is a holiday social event and there are frequent summer field trips and hands-on training, so check the RCGS newsletter, our web page, and local newspapers for details. Most meetings are held at St. Mark Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall, 2921 Mount Zion Avenue, in Janesville, WI and are open to the public. RCGS Board of Trustees meets at 5 P.M. on the same dates and at the same location. Board meetings are open to the membership three times yearly at the April, October and November meetings.

Society Contact Information, Location and Library Hours:
Volunteers Needed ! We need your help to staff hours at the library. If you can spare a couple hours per week as a volunteer helper at the RCGS library, the Society welcomes your help. No special training is required. Click here for Volunteer Information.
MAILING ADDRESS: Rock County Genealogical Society, P. O. Box 711, Janesville, WI 53547-0711

LOCATION: The RCGS library and office are located at 933 Mineral Point Ave. (the corner of N. Jackson St. and Mineral Point Ave.) in the Wilson King Stone House building adjacent to the Tallman House Restoration in Janesville, Wisconsin.

HOURS: The RCGS library and RCHS archive are open to the public from 9:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. Wednesdays & Thursdays and Noon to 3 P.M. Fridays. Contact us by phone to confirm we will be open on a particular day or to request special accommodation.

EMAIL: The RCGS webmaster can forward your email questions or requests to the Society Librarian, our staff of researchers, the Society newsletter editor or others.

PHONE NUMBERS: RCHS Office: 608-756-4509 or the RCGS library at 608-752-5891.

Society Newsletter:
RCGS members receive the Society Newsletter quarterly. The newsletter provides timely tips and research suggestions to aid you in your genealogical research. We also publish the latest news and events in Rock County and the Midwest. Members may submit queries about their Rock County ancestors at no charge.

Society Membership:
Joining the Rock County Genealogical Society provides you with an opportunity to connect with others dedicated to collecting and preserving genealogical and local historical materials. Current projects include copying and indexing of Rock County public documents including area cemeteries and newspapers. To join the RCGS call 608-752-5891, or view a Printable Membership Application form
or write the Society at the address at the top of this page.

RCGS MEMBERSHIP FEES:
  • Individual Membership: $10
  • Family Membership (same address): $12
RCGS MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS:
  • Priority Response to Research Requests of the RCGS Library and RCHS Archive,
  • 10% discounts on purchases of RCGS publications and Indexes,
  • Waiver of the $10 per day admission & research fee when visiting the RCGS Library and RCHS Archives,
  • 50% discount on photocopies of Library/Archives materials,
  • Members-Only Look-up Service from among Rock County Genealogical Reference Books,
  • Four Quarterly Issues of the RCGS Newsletter in which You may Post Your Research Queries,
  • Post Your Ancestors' Names, Locations, Dates Online plus Your Contact Info to the RCGS Ancestral Surname Index,
  • An Annual "Genealogy Jump-Start": A free once a year search of occurrences of a single Rock Co. surname in the Library & Archives.

Search this RCGS Site:
use the dialog box below to search all RCGS pages simultaneously:
This is a quick way to find your surnames among all the online RCGS indexes.

REMEMBER: Our ancestors (and county clerks) were devilishly creative when writing surnames.
1. Try all surname variations; example: Smith, Smyth and Smythe.
2. Use the Wildcard (*) feature: Search Davi* to find all names that begin with Davi- including Davies, Davidson, Davis.
3. Use the Wildcard (?) feature: Each ? represents a missing letter; Search Pa??er to find Palmer, Packer, Parker.
4. Use Phrase Search (" ") to find the exact phrase "Rock Township" but exclude Rock River and Rock County.
5. More search tips are available at Search Tips.

Search this site powered by FreeFind
If you get "no hits" using this method, you can still view each alphabetized index individually below in order to scan for even more creative spelling variations.

Smart Search the Web for Ancestors:
use the link below to create a menu of smart searches of the World Wide Web:

This is an easy way to research specific ancestors. Enter a little family information and receive a list of focused Google searches that are both wickedly intelligent and conveniently pre-formatted.

Smart Search Link

Society Meeting Dates and Speaker Information

September, 2009 Program
Tuesday, September 15, 2009, 6:30 p.m.

Program Title: Historical Energy Sources and Uses: An Engineer's Perspective on Farm Life in a Changing World.

Location: Meet at St. Mark Lutheran Church, 2921 Mt. Zion Ave., Janesville.

Cost and Invitation: Free and Open to the Public.

Program Presenter(s): Ed Ellingson is owner and consulting engineer of Zerrecon, Inc. Ed grew up on a dairy farm in Kenosha County and became a partner in the farm operation with his father after graduating from college. They farmed about 1000 acres of land for several years, living through much of the transition from horse-drawn implements to modern farming.

Program Summary: Almost everyone understands that energy costs are going to increase, but Ed Ellingson’s presentation on energy explains it in more detail from a historical perspective. His presentation describes the tremendous changes through which our farming ancestors went. He has a unique and intersting historical photos to describe his interesting perspective for the coming decline in fossil fuel.


October, 2009 Program
Tuesday, October 20, 2009, 6:30 p.m.

Program Title: Dating Photographs through Clothing.

Location: Meet at St. Mark Lutheran Church, 2921 Mt. Zion Ave., Janesville.

Cost and Invitation: Free and Open to the Public.

Program Presenter(s): Ms. Bellais was Curator of Collections at the Hershey Museum in Hershey, PA, before moving to Madison to become Curator of Costume Textiles at the Wisconsin Historical Society. In the past 17 years, she has done several exhibits for the Society. In 2004, Ms. Bellais returned to school part time to pursue a Ph.D. in American history at the University of Wisconsin. Since her main interest is Victorian-era underwear, Ms. Bellais’ thesis, “Bringing up the Rear: A History of Late-19th Century Bustles,” allowed her to pursue this passion in greater depth.

Program Summary: As Curator of Costume & Textiles at the Wisconsin Historical Society, Leslie Bellais will show what clues to look for in the subject’s clothing, with an emphasis on the 19th century women’s clothes, to narrow the date of the photograph to at least a specific decade.


November, 2009 Program
Tuesday, November 17, 2009, 6:30 p.m.

Program Title: Family Research: "So, What Do I Do Next? Some Problem-Solving Ideas.".

Location: Meet at St. Mark Lutheran Church, 2921 Mt. Zion Ave., Janesville.

Cost and Invitation: Free and Open to the Public.

Program Presenter(s): Nancy Emmert, a Certified Genealogist SM has taught genealogy classes and lectured at national conferences. She has spent many hours tracing her elusive ancestors at the Wisconsin Historical Society Library in Madison, at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, and at more than fifty county courthouses in about fifteen different states.

Program Summary: Problem solving is an integral part of family history research. It can be fascinating, challenging, and/or very frustrating, depending on the project. This presentation will outline various sources and techniques that may nprovide solutions to your genealogical problems.


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Rock County Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 711, Janesville, WI 53547-0711
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