The Rock County Genealogical Society

06/05/2026

Please join us and share.

Free Presentation by Rock County Genealogical Society
Program Summary: Writing Your Family History for the Non-writer. Were your ancestors royalty or members of the working class? Were they rich or barely surviving? Whoever they were, their memory deserves preservation. Steve's program will discuss a process and format that make it easier to transform your research efforts into a written family history. Learn a method to easily save your information and tips to help them “come alive.” If we do not preserve our ancestors' memories and stories for future generations, who will?
Program Presenter: Steve Szabados is a genealogy lecturer, author, and a member of the Northwest Suburban Council of Genealogists, the Illinois State Genealogical Society, and the Polish Genealogical Society of America. He is also a genealogy volunteer at the Arlington Heights, Illinois, Library and the Genealogy Columnist for the Polish American Journal.
How to Attend: Members and the public are invited to attend this free Zoom presentation on Tuesday, June 9th at 6:30 PM. This is a live Zoom presentation and please join at the scheduled time. The Zoom link, passcode, and audience handout can all be found at the RCGS website at: www.rcgswi.org/events--speakers.
Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82375527678?pwd=WoVjIXCs9rXPEGRV1TcwUZ3aEBsil4.1
Password: Family (note capital F)

The RCGS Speakers & Programs page provides information about dates, times, location (including map directions), speakers biographies for the Society's FREE program, seminar, workshop and field trip topics.

06/05/2026

Free Access to MyHeritage Collections
Starting June 1, MyHeritage will open one significant historical record collection each day and it will be available for free! (Access to these collections on the specified days will be completely free, but free registration to MyHeritage will be required for non-MyHeritage users. DON’T WORRY. Just search the collection on the day it is available, and you will get a pop-up window that asks for you to sign in or create a free account with your email. This is NOT the same as doing a free 14-day trial! This really is completely free!)

MyHeritage Offers FREE Access to over 2 Billion Record Collections Everyday in June June 1, 2020 by Amie Bowser Tennant Leave a Comment If you have always wanted to try out MyHeritage for your genealogy research, the month of June is the time to do it! Everyday in the month of June, MyHeritage will....

05/17/2026

Milton House Museum has Civil Wat Days events all weekend, beginning with school age attendees on Friday. Many stopped by our booth learning what a family trees is, or what was the origin of their last name. Ask questions. Get started early.

05/13/2026

Last night Bob Bocke, a retired Wisconsin Crime Lab expert presented on Wisconsin's POW camps, revealing that the state had 38 camps housing over 20,000 German POWs. If you missed it, he provided a copy of his slide show PDF along with the audio recording posted to our website, www.rcgswi.org . Attached is a picture of Camp McCoy drawn by a German POW, and the POW Watch Tower there. . . . discussion covered several topics, including military history and genealogy research. Bob shared information about German POWs during World War II, mentioning the War Resource Board and the challenges of tracking prisoners. He suggested checking the National Archives and local museums for records, noting that some archives were destroyed in the 1950s. The conversation also touched on personal experiences with family members who served in the military and the challenges of accessing historical records due to fires at some archives. Later in the meeting, there was discussion about political topics and advertising, including commentary on a politician's delivery style and various product advertisements.

05/10/2026

Just a quick reminder about Bob Block's in-person presentation at the Milton House Museum this Tuesday at 6:30 pm CDT:

WW II German POWs in Wisconsin

Join us in person if you can, or by Zoom if you cannot.
Zoom Link and password: https://www.rcgswi.org/events--speakers.html

05/01/2026

Rock County Genealogical Society Offers Free In-Person (and Zoom) Presentation by Bob Block:
World War II POWs in Wisconsin, Tuesday, May 12, 6:30 PM at the Milton House Museum.

Bob Block is a resident of Oregon, WI. He retired from the Wisconsin Crime Lab in Madison, WI, after 34 years. Before retiring as head of the drug identification unit and has testified in courts of law 500 times as an expert witness. Bob is an active member of the Oregon Area Historical Society with an interest in local history.

Program Summary: Most people are unaware that Wisconsin had POW (Prisoner of War) camps during WWII and are surprised to learn that there were camps at 38 locations, with a total of 20,000 mostly German POWs. This presentation tells interesting stories of those who may have lived in a community that once had a POW camp, those who worked side by side with POWs, and those who were once prisoners in a POW camp. You will find this presentation informative, educational, and entertaining.

How to Attend: The public is invited to this live, in-person presentation at the Milton House Museum, 18 S. Janesville Rd., Milton, WI (Map Link) or view via Zoom on your Home PC or Smartphone with the Zoom app. The Zoom link, passcode, and audience handout can all be found at the RCGS website at: www.rcgswi.org/event-speakers . . . Download the handout from there as well.

05/01/2026

RCGS Live Presentation: WW II POWs in WI, Tues. May 12, 2026, 6:30 pm at the Milton House

04/02/2026

Friends of RCGS - Please mark your calendars!

Free Zoom-Only Presentation by the Rock County Genealogical Society
LOYALIST LEGACIES: THE OTHER SIDE OF THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR
Kate Penney-Howard is a lifelong family researcher who earned a Master of Divinity from Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, and a pastor in Fort Wayne brings an enthusiastic and authoritative presentation style to this program. Not every colonist wanted independence... and one of them might be your ancestor. She'll explore how to identify and research Loyalist family members, understand their motivations, and follow their paths to Canada, England, or reconciliation with the new nation.
How to Attend: Anyone is invited to attend this free Zoom presentation on Tuesday, April 14 at 6:30 PM. This is a Zoom-only presentation and must be watched at the scheduled time. The Zoom link, passcode and audience handout can all be found at the RCGS website at: www.rcgswi.org/events--speakers.

03/10/2026

Tonight! Login via Zoom link on rcgswi.org at 6:30 to learn what you need to know before visiting Wisconsin Historical Library. Don't forget to download the handout found on the website. "See" you there!

The RCGS HOME page is home to exclusive & unique family history research materials; see birth, marriage, death and cemetery indexes, atlases and helpful tutorials. Most materials are public, but some pages are restricted to current RCGS members.

02/21/2026

Free Zoom-Only Presentation by the Rock County Genealogical Society
VISITING THE WISCONSIN HISTORICAL SOCIETY AND USING ITS HOLDINGS
Located at 816 State Street in Madison, the Wisconsin Historical Society holds one of the top five genealogical collections in the country, with materials from across the U.S. and Canada. Reference Librarian, Jill Fuller will help you discover more about the extensive family history collections at the WHS, including newspapers, family history books, court records, and more. Learn how to search the catalog and website to find materials on your family, both during a visit to WHS and remotely from home.
How to Attend: Anyone is invited to attend this free Zoom presentation on Tuesday, March 10 at 6:30 PM. This is a Zoom-only presentation and must be watched at the scheduled time. The Zoom link, passcode and audience handout can all be found at the RCGS website at: www.rcgswi.org/events--speakers.