German Interest Group - Wisconsin

10/19/2025

80 Years of "Never Again"
Monday, November 3
In 1945, survivors of Buchenwald took an oath: "Nie wieder!" A simple phrase, but just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Germany’s remembrance culture. We’ll explore how monuments and historic sites in East & West Germany remembered World War II, as well as public efforts to unify those memories after.

Doctor Kimberly Redding
Originally from western Pennsylvania, Dr. Kimberly Redding studied in Baltimore, Bonn and Berlin before earning a Ph.D. in German history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has taught History and Cultural Studies at Carroll University since 2001. Recent interests include comparative genocide and Japanese Americans in wartime Chicago. Earlier this year, Central Michigan University Press published Eyeball to Eyeball, a historical role play game Kimberly cowrote with Ray Kimball (US Army, ret.). Kimberly has 3 grown sons; none are historians. 😉

Monday, November 3, 7pm.
This is a Zoom presentation.
Members will receive a Zoom link prior to Monday.
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05/16/2025

The June speaker will be Bob Bertolasi and his topic is "AI in Genealogy"

Bob Bertolasi will present a view of various AI platforms and how they are integrating with genealogy research. Bob will discuss the power of using AI assistance in research and recovery of artifactual data, and he will discuss the fictional/artificial influences (called Hallucinations) that are easily created when using generative AI without a significant amount of oversight. He will review what is being done by leaders in the integration efforts to combat ingestion of non-factual details that can de-rail the efforts of others going forward. Bob will present current ratings for various AI platforms as well as future expectations for user friendly AI tools for genealogists.

June 2, 7pm
This is a Zoom meeting Members will recieve a link to the program prior to the meeting.

04/01/2025

Next Meeting - Monday, April 7.
Speaker: John Armbruster author of "Tail Spin."

Armbruster tells the true story of Gene Moran from Soldiers Grove Wisconsin. As a WWII tail gunner, the tail broke from his plane and he fell 4 miles without a parachute and lived. Moran then survived 17 months in a German POW camp.

With this meeting we revert back to our usual Zoom meeting schedule - 1st Monday of the month at 7pm.
A link will be sent to GIG members just prior to the event.
Not a member yet? See https://gig-wi.com/membership for a membership form.

Meetings are held on the first Monday of the month except for January, July and September. We meet at 7:00 pm central time at St. Mark Lutheran Church located at 2921 Mt. Zion Avenue, Janesville, Wisconsin. 

02/19/2025

GIG speaker meeting:

THE BEER BARONS OF LAKE GENEVA AND THEIR MILWAUKEE NEIGHBORS. by Michael Rehberg, lead interpreter at Black Point Estate on Lake Geneva.

The GIG meeting is Tuesday, March 25 at Hedberg Public Library in Janesville. This will, once again, be an in-person meeting AND livestreamed on Hedberg's You Tube channel at the same time.

GIG members will receive a link to the livestream prior to the meeting. - But we hope to see you in person if possible. More than 40 GIG folks attended the last presentation.

Not a member yet? Join at https://gig-wi.com/

The April meeting : John Armbruster and the book Tailspin, will be April 7 on Zoom. Details later.

german interest group wisconsin genealogy family history research meetings surnames

01/29/2025

Our February meeting will be held TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11 AT 6:00 at Hedberg Library, 316 South Main Street, Janesville, WI. This change is due to the fact that we are going to be having in-person meetings in February and March that will be live streamed to out-of-area members.
This will be a hybrid meeting, meaning that our out-of-area members will be able to watch it on YouTube. JATV, Janesville Access TV, will film the presentation as well as live-stream it to their YouTube channel.
JATV is not available any Monday;therefore the date change.
A link to the YouTube presentaion will be sent prior to the meeting. Questions and comments can be emailed to Dean at [email protected] during the presentation.
Hiking in Germany and Finding My Roots
Barbara Elmhorst Bendlin will take you along on her hiking adventures in the Alps of southern Germany, sharing with you the beauty and majesty of the area. Her presentation also includes her two visits with her relatives in Hanover, Germany. She is the first American to connect with the Elmhorsts in Germany after 140 years of separation

We hope that local members will attend this special presentation.
Remember
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11 at
6:00 p.m. at
Hedberg Piublic Library, Janesville.
A link to the presentaion will be sent to GIG members before the meeting.

11/28/2024

It is almost as if time stood still around 1500. One of the most beautiful of Germany's many historic town halls is in Michelstadt, in the Odenwald low mountain range Hessen.

And from tomorrow until 2nd December it's the background to Michelstädter Weihnachtsmarkt.

Surrounded by forests, peaks and valleys, timber-framed buildings line Michelstadt's cobble-stoned lanes, and in the market place Das Alte Rathaus from 1484 could belong in a fairy tale,

Built in late Gothic style, one of Germany's most important late medieval half-timbered buildings, and completely free-standing, originally the ground floor hall with its oak posts was open, forming the courtyard used for centuries as a market in the Altstadtkern. Old town centre.

Photo credit: Das alte Rathaus in Michelstadt /Odw. als HDR via GEO-Reisecommunity

11/26/2024

https://www.wpr.org/shows/larry-meiller-show/genealogy-research-tips-weather-past-and-future

We learn what resources for genealogy researchers are held by the Wisconsin Historical Society. Then, the Weather Guys put another warm fall in context. Wisconsin Public Radio, © Copyright 2024, […]

11/25/2024

Stammtisch - A Stammtisch is a table for regulars. First with covid, then with our move to mostly online meetings, we lost some of the social aspects of GIG. This is a chance to meet our fellow GIG members in a purely social setting. There is no program, just coffee and good company. You don't need to speak German.
Our next Stammtisch is 10 a.m. Wednesday, December 11 at the Eagle Inn 1809 Center Ave, Janesville, WI 53546
Everyone is welcome. Please RSVP so we can prepare the restaurant.

11/24/2024

German Interest Group December Program.
Monday December 2, 2024
https://www.debradudek.com/event-info/a-beginners-guide-to-fold3-library-edition-virtual-6
debradudek.com
A Beginners Guide to Fold3 Library Edition (Virtual) | Debra Dudek
Learn how to navigate the site, browse resources effectively, and find the hidden gems on this fantastic database.

Learn how to navigate the site, browse resources effectively, and find the hidden gems on this fantastic database.

10/28/2024

GIG Speaker Meeting - Monday, November 4. Ships, Shipping Shipwrecks & Genealogy
For all of history, humans have relied on the Great Lakes as a transportation system as well as a source of important resources. Shipping on the Great Lakes could be dangerous and shipwrecks were unfortunately common. Many family histories were shaped by the Great Lakes and through this program we will explore the ships, shipping and shipwrecks of the Great Lakes, as well as the historic sources that genealogists can use to discover those stories.

Speaker Bio: Ellen Kennedy is the Director of Museum Operations for the National Museum of the Great Lakes. She has a Bachelor's degree in history from Clemson University and a Master's degree in history and museum studies from the University of North Carolina Greensboro. She worked at several historic sites before joining the staff of the National Museum of the Great Lakes in June of 2015 as the Education Manager. Before becoming the Director of Museum Operations, she served as the Education and Visitor Experience Director.

All GIG meetings are conducted on Zoom. 7pm the first Monday of the month. Current GIG members get the Zoom link prior to the meeting.