St. Cloud Area Genealogists

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St. Cloud Area Genealogists

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As a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization, it is a premier society for everyone from the beginner to the most advanced family historian.

We operate through assistance of volunteers. Members conduct their own research and help others who want to learn more about how to find genealogical information. We typically meet at 7:00 pm on the third Tuesday of each month except June, July, August and December. Educational topics are offered at meetings with local and professional presenters to help you improve and expand your genealogical research. Membership Benefits:

An annual membership to St. Cloud Area Genealogists comes with the following perks:

* Monthly Presentations: Engage with nationally recognized genealogists in-person, online, or on-demand.

* Members Only Area: Access meeting presentation recordings, handouts, and organizations reports on our website.

* PasTimes eNewsletter: Receive six annual issues packed with genealogy insights.

* Surname Registry: Add and access members' surnames.

* Voice and Vote: Participate in membership meetings and elections.

* Board Member Opportunities: Run for a board position.

* Special Event Access: Enjoy free access or discounts for special events.

10/29/2026

🎃 Unearth your family history this Halloween!

Explore 1.7 billion death, burial, cemetery, and obituary records for FREE on MyHeritage through November 1!

🔎 Start searching: https://www.myheritage.com/Halloween

10/28/2026

Today’s MDL tip is all about our transcripts! All documents in MDL have been transcribed, whether they are handwritten or typed. Just click on the blue “Transcript” button below the viewer and it will be visible.

Here are two pro tips that we at MDL follow when working with our transcripts:
-Have two browser windows open at the same time: one showing the scan and one showing the transcript side-by-side.
-Use a text find shortcut (i.e. CTRL+F) to search the transcript for specific names or terms. It will highlight the corresponding words so you can jump directly to them.

This is particularly helpful when you are going through a document that is several hundred pages long, like this journal kept by Randolph M. Probstfield of Moorhead. Here we can see Randolph’s original entry for October 27, 1897, on the left and the transcript on the right. Both provide details about life on the farm that fall season, including these gems: “Papa worked at root house. Andie dug parsnips… Walter plowed… Arthur butchered sheep A.M. & plowed P.M.”

Thanks to the Northwest Minnesota Historical Center at Minnesota State University Moorhead for sharing this journal. Read the full volume at https://collection.mndigital.org/catalog/mhd:4858

10/26/2026

There are thousands of Czech surnames. Some of them have Czech origins, others German; some are easy to understand, others are not.

But how were they created? What are their origins? Check my blog post about the Czech surnames origins - link in the comments!

Do you want to know the origin of your Czech surname and cannot find it in the article? Feel free to ask in the comments!

10/25/2026

Did you have a relative in the U.S. military with Minnesota connections? Today we visited the new Minnesota Military & Veterans Museum by Camp Ripley. We highly recommend checking out its archive, exploring the museum or making a donation. We will be back!

10/24/2026

Join us for a BRAND-NEW live webinar the first week of November!

What if some of the biggest clues to your German family history are hiding in records you’ve never heard of?

While church and vital records are often our go-to sources, there’s a whole world of lesser-known German documents that exist - records that might hold the key to your next big breakthrough.

But you need to know what they are...and where to find them. Register at the link in the comments!

10/22/2026

Learn how to find your Danish ancestors, about Danish history and culture, and a wide variety of general genealogy and Danish genealogy topics.

10/16/2026

Google Earth has some great genealogical tricks up its sleeve. A bunch of ideas about that here: https://memoracy.com/posts/google-earth-for-genealogy

Word on the street (from Google) though says that "Google Earth Pro on desktop will no longer be available for download beginning June 25, 2027." But take heart, there is an online web version available, too. Link to that: https://earth.google.com/web/

10/13/2026

We are used to the fact that many Czech towns had German names in the past. But prior to 1784, as parish books were written in Latin, some of the Czech towns and villages had also Latin names.

And it can be very confusing if you are not aware of this fact - because it's often complicated to find these names anywhere else than in parish books.

Read by latest blog post about Latin names of Czech towns and villages. Link in the comments! 👇

10/11/2026

Discover your family’s land history! Search millions of federal land records, including patents, survey plats, and more, on the Bureau of Land Management website. Tips: Search by ancestor’s name with quotation marks for exact matches and try variants if needed. To view full homestead application packets and supporting family documents, use the patent details you find on the BLM to order the complete files from the National Archives. Start exploring your roots today!
https://glorecords.blm.gov/s/

Important Note: The website has recently been revised and modernized. Read more about the changes here: https://www.blm.gov/blog/2026-07-07/blm-launches-modernized-general-land-office-records-system

Address

PO Box 213
Saint Cloud, MN
56302

Website

https://scagmn.org/

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