WESTERN MICHIGAN GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY ONLINE!

MONTHLY MEETINGS

We meet at 1:30 p.m. in the Ryerson Auditorium of the Grand Rapids Public Library on the first Saturday of the month, September through June. Should the first Saturday fall on a holiday weekend, another day will be scheduled. The June meeting is often times changed to the 2nd Saturday. Unless a special program, each meeting has a one-hour lecture on a genealogy related subject by a knowledgeable speaker. 

Books and charts are sold at our meetings and a "Hospitality Hour" follows. Looking at a genealogical book on the internet?  See if it’s for sale at the WMGS sales table.  Our books are sold for same price as the Internet….but at our sales table and as a member of WMGS that same book has a 10% discount and you don’t pay for shipping.  Talk to Lisa and Wanda about items you don’t see. 

All meetings are free and open to the public. 

REMINDER: Parking is free at the library on Saturdays. Just make sure you validate your parking exit ticket in the machine in the first floor lobby.

Please review our weather cancellation policy so you'll be aware how we'll inform you when it is necessary to cancel a meeting.

MONTHLY MEETINGS

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June 12, 2021 Virtual Meeting (1:30pm)

Virtual presentation via Zoom Webinar
Click for Zoom Meeting Link

The 1950 US Federal Census – Are You Ready?  

Presenter: Thomas MacEntee

Many genealogists remember the amount of excitement in April 2012 around the release of the 1940 US Census. Following the “72 Year Rule” for records at the National Archives, the results of the 1950 US Census will be made public on Friday, April 1, 2022. It’s never too early to prepare for this valuable data related to US genealogy research!
 
Participants will get up to speed on the history of the 1950 US Census, why the 1950 US Census form is radically different than previous forms, and how the data will be accessed. In addition we’ll cover what you can do NOW to prepare for the release of the 1950 US Census as well as volunteer projects related to indexing and finding aids. Finally, we’ll cover how you can always get the latest information related to the release of the 1950 US Census data!
 
Presenter Bio:
What happens when a “tech guy” with a love for history gets laid off during The Great Recession of 2008? You get me, Thomas MacEntee, a genealogy professional who’s also a blogger, educator, author, social media connector, marketer, network builder and more.
 
Thomas was laid off after a 25-year career in the information technology field, so he started his own genealogy-related business called High Definition Genealogy. Currently Thomas shares many of his articles and videos for free at GenealogyBargains.com

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RESEARCH TRIPS

Allen County Public Library

Western Michigan Genealogical Society’s
Bus Trip to Fort Wayne’s
Allen County Public Library

The Next Bus Trip is tentatively scheduled for Monday - Tuesday, October 25-26 * 

SAVE THE DATES
* subject to change depending on Library conditions as we get closer.

  

WMGS WRITERS GROUP

We help and support each other's desire to write about our families with a kind eye and lots of humor. Everyone is welcome.

Please see current information on the Writers Group page.

OTHER ACTIVITIES AT MONTHLY MEETINGS

Refreshments:   Many WMGS members are great cooks!  They share homemade cookies and other goodies with us during our social time!  Social time for gene-people is as must!  Who else wants to listen to how you found G-G-G Grandpa except another WMGS member?   If you can bring cookies, contact Joann Fast, our Hospitality Chairperson.

WMGS Book Sales:  WMGS stocks quite a large number of new  books and materials for your inspection.  We feel that most people want to browse through genealogy books before they purchase. Valuable genealogy materials are  difficult to find in the normal bookstores.  Got ideas?  Want to help?  Let us know!   Watch for our Christmas Special in December!