Please Note: Due to unforeseen circumstances beyond our control, we have to cancel the MGS Silent Auction and Dinner Fundraiser scheduled for the evening of June 8th. If you would still be so kind as to consider a tax-deductible donation to MGS, it would be greatly appreciated. Your donations allow us to help you and others with their family history.

Some Special Summer Events:

Save the Dates!
Mankato Genealogical Program
"South Central Minnesota in the 1860s"
June 22-23, 2012

co-sponsored by
Blue Earth County Historical Society
Minnesota Genealogical Society
Minnesota State University Mankato

Featured speaker Stephen Osman retired senior historian, MHS Friday evening: BECHS program/reception Saturday conference: MSU Mankato Plenary session 16 breakout sessions, exhibits, and more! Registration opens early May at www.mngs.org

GENEALOGICAL BOOK SALE
Saturday, August 25, 2012, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
MGS Auditorium, 1185 Concord Street North, Suite 218, South St. Paul
Back by popular demand! The book sale will offer hundreds of genealogy related books of all kinds - some out of print. Bargains are guaranteed. After you've loaded your car with books, join us at the…

POTLUCK PICNIC, SILENT AUCTION & RAFFLE
Saturday, August 25, 2012, 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Thompson Park, 360 Butler Avenue, West St. Paul
Relax with friends, old and new, in Thompson Park's newly remodeled picnic shelter. Bring a dish to share - we will provide the grilled meats.
The picnic will begin at 4:00 p.m. and has a suggested minimum donation per person of $10, which includes beer and wine, and defrays the cost of the meat. The silent auction and raffle will end at 6:30 p.m.
We hope to see you this summer. If you cannot attend, please show your support for MGS and its mission to serve family historians of all experience levels and ethnicities with a contribution of $25, $50, $100, or a gift of any amount. Your generous donation is fully tax-deductible. For more information, email Robin PanLener at rppanlener@gmail.com.

MGS is a participating Society in the 1940 U.S. Census project,
which will put the 1940 U.S. Census online, free for use by all.
The indexing will be done via the internet.

For more information, click here.
If you have questions, please e-mail Kathy.

Upcoming MGS Classes & Events

May

19 - Genealogy Topics at MHS, 10:00 - 12:30, MHS
J. H. Fonkert, CGSM
Using Military and Pension Records to Research Your Civil War-Era Ancestor
The Civil War disrupted the lives of millions of Americans, but left a rich paper trail for family historians. This class will focus on military service records and Civil War pension files as sources of information about not only your Civil War ancestor, but also his family and associates. Learn how to locate Civil War military records and pension files and see their use demonstrated in a real-life case study.

Using Homestead Records and Other Public Land Records for Family History
From the 1860s through the 1890s, our ancestors settled on inexpensive public land in the Midwest and West. Homestead and preemption sales generated documents that tell the story of how our ancestors got started in farm and ranching life. Contested cases are especially revealing, sometimes revealing the character of the people involved. In this class, learn how to locate records in state and national archives and use them to tell the story of your ancestors' westward migration.

19 - Members Morning, 9:30-12:30, MGS
Join the MGS Beginners Group, Writers Group, and Research Study Group!

For more information on Classes and Speakers' Bios, go to Classes tab.

2012 Michael Clark Family History Writing Award Competition

Do you need an incentive to start writing family history? Enter the

Fourth Annual MGS Family History Writing Competition

Submission Deadline is July 15th
For more information - Click Here
Competition Rules - Click Here