The Rock County Genealogical Society

10/24/2026

Scholarship Workshop happening now. Unable to attend in person or virtually today (& registered)? No worries. It will be available on the website later.

Didn't register? Donations toward the scholarships are appreciated any time (& can also be done through the website link).

10/03/2026

You're invited to the RCGS's 8th Annual Scholarship Workshop at the Milton House Tomah Room in Milton, WI, October 24th from 9 AM to 3:30 PM, with Zoom Simulcast or View Online Later available options.

All Proceeds go to annual scholarships for Rock County high school seniors to assist with tuition. Registrations have been light. We really need your support. Please share this with friends and colleagues.

Register securely online at rcgswi.org or mail the brochure form available through members or various locations.

10/03/2026

Registrations have been light - and we really need your support.
You're invited. Please share with friends and colleagues:

RCGS's 8th Annual Scholarship Workshop in Milton, WI, with Zoom Simulcast or View Online Later
All Proceeds go to annual scholarships for Rock County high school seniors to assist with tuition.

Date/Time: Saturday, October 24, 2026 / 9 AM - 3:30 PM Central Time
Location: Tomah Room of the Milton House, 18 S. Janesville St., Milton, WI (or attend via Zoom)
Register: Register securely online here or clip and mail the brochure form (attached)

4 SPEAKERS & TOPICS
Heirloom Preservation, Restoration and Generational Transfer • David Bradford, PA, MBA, RCGS chairperson & webmaster
Writing Your Family Histories: Back to school, be ready to put pencil to paper • Bill Hartje, UW grad & 50-year Educator
Family Tree to DAR: Understanding the Application Process • Barbara Pahlow, genealogist, local Registrar for NSDAR
George Washington Family Stories Intersect: Did Pop Culture Get It Right? • Margaret Handel, genealogist, DAR & Colonial Dames member
3 WAYS TO ATTEND & VIEW
In-person, 9 a.m. at the Tomah Room of the Milton House, 18 S. Janesville St., Milton, WI, or
Live Zoom: 9 a.m. from your PC, Mac, tablet, or smartphone. The Zoom Link, and Handouts will be emailed after registration, or
At Your Leisure: Links to online recorded videos will be shared with all paid registrants afterward.
2 REGISTRATION FEES:
Clip & mail the form in the attached brochure or register securely online here.
$25 for RCGS & Milton House Museum members
$35 for non-members
5 Benefits from Registration:
Attendance in-person
Attend via simultaneous live Zoom broadcast (link provided upon registration)
Web access to recorded video presentations afterward
Audience Handouts: PDF versions are distributed shortly after registration; printed copies will be available at the conference.
Lunch and soft drinks are included for in-person attendees courtesy of Thrivent Financial

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.

09/03/2026

You're invited. Please share with friends and colleagues:

RCGS's 8th Annual Scholarship Workshop in Milton, WI, with optional Zoom Simulcast
All Proceeds go to annual scholarships for Rock County high school seniors to assist with tuition.

Date/Time: Saturday, October 24, 2026 / 9 AM - 3:30 PM
Location: Tomah Room of the Milton House, 18 S. Janesville St., Milton, WI (or attend via Zoom)
Register: Register securely online at rcgswi.org or use the brochure available at some locations nearby

3 WAYS TO ATTEND & VIEW
In-person, 9 a.m. at the Tomah Room of the Milton House, 18 S. Janesville St., Milton, WI, or
Live Zoom: 9 a.m. from your PC, Mac, tablet, or smartphone. The Zoom Link, and Handouts will be emailed after registration, or
At Your Leisure: Links to online recorded videos will be shared with all paid registrants afterward.
2 REGISTRATION FEES:
$25 for RCGS & Milton House Museum members
$35 for non-members

More details in previous post with no attachments. See webpage for details.

09/02/2026

Please note next Tuesday's revised RCGS Program. Our original speaker cannot attend.

Many thanks go to Vicki Ruthe Hahn of the Stateline Genealogy Club, who, on short notice, will join RCGS in person on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, at 6:30 pm at the Milton House at 6:30 pm Wisconsin time (CDT), and via Zoom at:
Zoom Link: www.us02web.zoom.us/j/85731293557?pwd=rJFjGKAA2W3mGSMvlxCBSx2eJQyOOs.1
Password: Family (note capital F)
A video recording of this presentation may be seen later in the Members-Only area of the RCGS website.

Presentation Title: 250 YEARS LATER – EVERYDAY AMERICAN PATRIOT HEROES, ROBERT CAMPBELL, SR & HIS SCOTS-IRISH FAMILY
Presentation Description: 2026 is the 250th anniversary (Semiquincentennial) of the United States signing the Declaration of Independence. Explore the time period around the War for Independence through the lives of Robert Campbell, Sr. and his family, and their Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania Scots-Irish Immigrant neighbors. Learn about Robert Campbell (and other pioneers, including Daniel Boone) expanding westward through the Appalachian Mountains to settle on Native American land, the French and Indian War, the War of Independence, and the period afterward. While away from his farm, bravely serving as an American Revolutionary patriot soldier, Robert Campbell, Sr had a compelling tragic experience. From his headstone: Robert Campbell, SR “was one of the early settlers of this valley and with them suffered much from Indian cruelty. In the year 1775, his wife and infant daughter were barbarously murdered, his house burned, and the rest of his children, five in number, taken captive, one of whom never returned.” What is the rest of their story?

08/31/2026

The Green County Wisconsin Genealogical Society will present: “Using AI Responsibly to Recover and Restore Old Photos” by Bob Bertolasi.
The presentation is September 12 at 10 am in the Monroe Public Library community room on the second floor. The program is open to the public.

08/31/2026

RCGS Notice of Free Genealogy Presentation:

"Rock County Cemeteries - A Conversation with Craig Gramke, 3rd Generation Monument Maker"

The Rock County Genealogical Society offers a free program, entitled A CONVERSATION WITH ROCK COUNTY'S 3RD GENERATION MONUMENT MAKER, on Tuesday, Sept. 8, at 6:30 PM at the Milton House Museum with a Zoom Simulcast.

Program Presenter: Craig Gramke is the longtime owner of Gramke Monument Works in Janesville. He has watched three (soon to be four) generations of Gramkes serve southern Wisconsin. Craig is a gifted storyteller and a font of knowledge about all things above and below ground in the regional cemetery scene.

Program Summary: Craig has the gift of gab and will regale us with serious plus humorous history, stories, myths, and legends of the area cemeteries. Included is a discussion of the emerging technology that has not spared the monument industry. The talk will be followed by a question-and-answer period, so bring your cemetery-related questions.

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/events--speakers.

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.

08/04/2026

The Rock County Genealogical Society Offers Free In-Person Presentation & Zoom Simulcast entitled:
BREAK DOWN YOUR ROCK COUNTY BRICK WALLS - A DEMONSTRATION OF THE HOLDINGS & CAPABILITIES OF THE RCGS LIBRARY RESEARCH CENTER

Time and Place: Tuesday, August 11, 6:30 PM at the Milton House Museum, 18 S. Janesville St., Milton, WI with Zoom Simulcast.

Program Presenter: Ruth Anderson is the RCGS Librarian and Rock County Historian. Ruth is a UW-W grad born & raised on a small Rock County dairy farm. She has been studying genealogy for 40+ years. For many years her goal has been to put family history into historical context. She is a research specialist who has helped hundreds of family researchers.

Program Summary: Ruth Anderson and her talented genealogical research volunteers will showcase techniques and resources of the RCGS Library by demonstrating several Rock County research inquiries to show how you can apply the holdings of the Library, Archives and our digital subscriptions to identify long-lost ancestors if you've hit a brick wall. You can access Research Help by visiting www.RCGSWI.org or the Milton House Research Center.

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/events--speakers.
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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.

08/04/2026

Free RCGS Genealogy Presentation; Overcoming Family Research Roadblocks, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 6:30 PM . MORE INFORMATION COMING.

08/01/2026

Did you know that Lydia Darrah was Irish, and that over 50% of the Continental Army's ranks were of Irish descent? Learn about her and these facts in the latest RCGS Roots in the Rock special edition newsletter.