SIGs are Coming to my local genealogy society DCAGS

With similar idea of APG SIG development, I and the outreach committee are in process of offering special genealogy groups forming with Dane County Area Genealogical Society.

Do you want to become more involved with DCAGS at a more personal level? Looking to make connections and build a community with others who live near you or share your specific interests? We hope to offer Special Interest Groups (SIGs) within DCAGS to support members at a more granular level and promote the activities of members. Special Interest Groups will exist to support our Society development and deepening of networks among DCAGS members in a specific area of knowledge, learning, or technology.

President DCAGS
Bob Rettammel

Nearly 50 yrs ago Wisconsin leadership were leaders in the environmental movement. As a reminder of that, here is an article about Gaylord Nelson, who founded Earth Day in 1970. He died in 2005 but his legacy is an important one to revisit.

“Preservation of the environment is important as well as Perservation of Family History. We learn from the past, if we keep the knowledge going forward.” Rettammel Genealogy.

WI Founding-earth-day-one-of-many-achievements

Had a wonderful turnout at the Dane County Genealogical Society meeting today. Our Speaker Program done by an Archvist at Wisconsin Historical Society, who spoke on the history/science of Photography, history of photography matting, dating of photographs by fashion, ceremony or special occasions during the 19th and early 20th century. She also provided resource suggestions to further your knowledge on the topic.

1. Daguerreotypes (circa 1839)
2. Ambrotypes (circa 1854)
3. Tintypes (circa 1855)
4. Carte de Visite or CDVs (ca 1859)
5. CabinetCards (circa 1870)

Albumen Print
Learned that albumen found in egg whites was used to bind the photographic chemicals to the paper and became the dominant form of photographic positives from 1855 to the start of the 20th century.

A picture is worth 1000 words, but often those words are difficult to read. Join us on April 14th when Simone Munson will present on tips and tools for photo identification. Her presentation will provide a brief history of photographic formats and then a deeper examination of resources, tools, and strategies for dating and identifying photographs. If you have inherited a large collection of unidentified family photographs this presentation will provide important information for tackling this daunting project.

Simone Munson is an archivist and librarian at the Wisconsin Historical Society and has worked closely with the Society’s photographic collections for more than 10 years.

About 6 years ago I visited Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty in New York. It was very rewarding and inspiring visit – knowing that millions of people from 1892 to early 1920s came through this immigration gateway.

I was able to learn and gather documentation that my maternal great-grandmother Marie Ursprung came with two sisters from Frankfurt, Germany to Ellis Island, in late 1901. She later married William Maas of Lake Geneva, in 1903.

In the most recent Wednesday, Capital Times there is an excellent article on recent efforts on diversity of reaching more people, with programming that shows the impact of various people/groups that have made Wisconsin such a wonderful place. I am proud of the Wisconsin Historical Society efforts to make its institution relevant to current audiences and diverse demographics.