Now @ MPL...

Genealogy can be challenging under the best of circumstances. However, few areas of American genealogical research pose as much of a challenge as the search for African-American families.

Joe Williams, President of the Milwaukee African-American Genealogical Society, looks to help out with that issue by exploring strategies for discovering your African-American ancestors in various periods of history.

He will cover topics such as where and how to begin, how to interview family and family friends and what to look for in your home, how to search the census, death records, indexes, how to search transition records from slavery to freedom, how to search records for slaves, and other indexes and records that will be useful to the search.

Registration is encouraged. Please call 414-286-3098 to do so.

This session is being offered at Martin Luther King Library on Saturdays, October 3 & 24, November 7 & 28, December 5 from 1:00-3:00 p.m.

Some of the earliest German newspapers that are part of the Milwaukee's German Newspapers; an index of death notices and related items at MPL are available online through MPL / Badgerlink subscription to NewspaperArchive.

The local German papers that are listed there include: Atlas (weekly edition), Atlas Tagliche Ausgabe (daily edition), Das Tagliche Banner (Daily Banner), Taglicher Volksfreund, (Daily People's Friend), Wisconsin Banner, Wisconsin-Banner und Volksfreund. The years covered range from 1844 through about 1860 with some gaps.

If there is an indexed entry found in Milwaukee's German newspapers : an index of death notices and related items for these years and these papers, it was likely found by reading through this entire online collection.

These papers offer the rarest research information for researchers since these editions were published well before vital records were routinely maintained. While there are few death notices or obituaries found in these early papers, there are other items that can be just as helpful for research purposes: probate notices (in English), "Wo ist..." (where is ...) notices for family members (usually listing German origins), marriage announcements - sometimes posted with a poem, and other brief news articles that indicate some biographical information.

Submitted by Gary Rebholz, author of Milwaukee's German newspapers : an index of death notices and related items.

If you have any interest in genealogy and haven't already checked out Milwaukee's German Newspapers: an index of death notices and related items, you are in for a treat. This resource indexes many of Milwaukee's German Newspapers for items of genealogical interest.

Below is an image of a clipping, with the translation of the text below, from the Wisconsin Banner, one of the German newspapers that is indexed in Milwaukee's German Newspapers.

Milwaukee's German newspapers: Rühl family inheritance, Nov 1853

Summons!
1. Philipp Rühl
2. Reinhardt Rühl
3. George Rühl
4. Anne Margaretha, born Rühl, wife of Christoph Müller
5. Louise, born Rühl, wife of Philipp Baum, and
6. Christiane Margaretha, born Rühl, wife of Philipp Schneider, born in Massenheim, Hochheim, Duchy of Nassau; now living in the vicinity of Milwaukee, are requested to come into the office of the undersigned, where they will hear news about an inheritance.
Milwaukee, 1 November 1853
Wm. Finkler, Office: East Water Street, Nr. 215

Translated from the "Wisconsin Banner" (Milwaukee, Wis. weekly ed.), 09 Nov 1853, Special adverts., pg 3 col 3; indexed at the Milwaukee Public Library

On February 10, 1992, American author Alex Haley died at the age of 70. Haley was best known for Roots: The Saga of an American Family, which, combining fact and fiction, described the history of his family beginning in mid-18th century Africa. Haley's fame grew after an eight-part dramatization of the book appeared on television in 1977. That same year, he received the Spingarn Medal, awarded annually by the NAACP for the highest achievement by an American of African descent. If you're inspired to research your own family tree, the Milwaukee Public Library has many books, as well as websites highlighted under Genealogy at the MPL home page's Recommended Links.

The Milwaukee Public Library proudly presents its two latest digital collections: the Horace Seaman Wisconsin Infantry collection and the Milwaukee County Marriage Certificates.
The Horace Seaman Wisconsin Infantry collection is comprised of 127 images from Colonel Horace M. Seaman. Most of the photos are of the 3rd and 4th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry units that served in the Spanish-American War. A number of the photos are from Colonel Seaman's service in the Wisconsin National Guard. A few personal photos of Colonel Seaman's father are also included.

Milwaukee County Marriage Certificates is a collection of 20,000 marriage records and certificates from Milwaukee for the years 1822 through 1876. The records were discovered in the 1960s in a box at the Milwaukee County Courthouse. The box also included some miscellaneous documents pertaining to the marriage such as permission to marry slips, authorizations, and land deeds. Many of these documents were not in very good condition. Research by the Milwaukee County Genealogical Society (MCGS) indicates that most of these certificates are not recorded at the Milwaukee County Courthouse. Some of the records appear in the Wisconsin Pre-1907 Marriage Index and some do not, as such these records are a significant addition to Milwaukee genealogy resources.

In 1999 the MCGS arranged to have the records refilmed, adding location citations. In 2000 MCGS volunteers created alphabetical indexes for bride and for groom. Roger Cobb with Lois Molitor acted as project coordinators. Over 42,000 names were put into the database that produced the indexes. Unfortunately, the original copies that were filmed in 1966 have vanished. In 2009 the microfilm copy of the marriage certificates was digitized. The digital images of the certificated were combined with the index created by the MCGS to produce this digital collection.

Joe Williams of the African American Genealogical Society of Milwaukee will present a program on the basics of genealogy and how to get started doing genealogical research. This general introduction will be applicable to people of all nationalities and backgrounds. Everyone is welcome!

Explore strategies for discovering your ancestors and hear how to:

• Begin your search
• Interview family and family friends and learn what to look for in your home
• Search the census, death records, and indexes
• Discover other useful records and indexes to search

Investigate your family history with help from Humanities librarians and a brief introduction to library resources available for beginning genealogists. Held in the 2nd floor Krikelas Room. Reservations are not required.

Location: Central Library Conference Room 2A (Paul Gottfried Krikelas)
Date: Monday, February 20th, 2012
Time: 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM

Learn about a different aspect of the Milwaukee Public Library's Great Lakes Marine Collection each month. Of special interest to divers and genealogists, the program is free and open to anyone interested in learning more about Great Lakes history. There is no registration required. Please call Ready Reference at 414.286.3011 with any questions.

Location: Central Library's Krikelas Rm. (Conference Room 2A)
Date: Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Time: 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM

Investigate your family history with help from Humanities librarians and a brief introduction to library resources available for beginning genealogists. This hour long class will be held in the 2nd floor Krikelas Room. Reservations are not required, but you can call the Humanities desk at (414)286-3061 if you have any questions about the program.

Location: Central Library Krikelas Room
Date: Thursday, January 17, 2013
Time: 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM

Investigate your family history with help from Humanities librarians and a brief introduction to library resources available for beginning genealogists. Held in the 2nd floor Krikelas Room on Thursday, April 18th from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM. Reservations are not required. Please call Ready Reference at (414) 286-3011 with any questions.

Researching Your Family Tree
Date: Thursday, 4/18/2013
Time: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Location: Conference Room 2A (Paul Gottfried Krikelas) / Central Library, 814 W. Wisconsin Ave