SESSION 1
Strategies for 19th-Century Upper Midwest Research
J. H. Fonkert, CG

The Upper Midwest is somewhere west and north of Chicago. It was settled mostly between 1840 and 1900. Learn how physical geography, public policy, and technological advances influenced when and where our ancestors settled. Explore how to find and use Upper Midwest records to recount family history. Learn how to find both local and state-level records, and how to make end-runs around difficult-to-access records. Challenge yourself to discover the stories behind the records. This opening session will highlight some records not covered in depth by other instructors.

SESSION 2
Upper Midwest Land Records
Tom K. Rice, CG-retired

This lecture will examine the history of public lands and the kinds of records that document the conveyance of Midwest land from the government to private landowners, as well as land dealings between individuals. Learn how to find and use land records to solve genealogical problems and enrich your family history. This class session will survey how land was transferred by federal and state governments to private landholders. You will learn how to make sense of legal descriptions and abstract deeds. Special attention will be given land record holdings of the Minnesota Historical Society.

SESSION 3
Off the Beaten Path: New-to-You Midwest Genealogy Web-Resources
Elizabeth Gomoll, CG

Most genealogists rely on a handful of favorite online resources for the majority of their research. It’s their trusted and beaten path. This presentation shares a collection of lesser-known websites, both state-specific and national but state-searchable sites that can provide deeper information for Upper Midwest family researchers. A bonus feature will show how you can instantly return to the online locations of your downloaded documents and images using metadata.

SESSION 4
Finding and Using Manuscripts, Special Collections, and Repositories
Paula Stuart-Warren, CG, FMGS, FUGA

It’s time to find research gold not usually found in genealogical databases, on library shelves, or rarely discussed in some guidebooks. Nothing found for a person’s time period, business, relationships, or just more of their story? Manuscripts including diaries, old letters, business records, membership applications, photos, scrapbooks, and more are often lost to the family, but might they exist somewhere? Of course, but manuscripts may end up anywhere including distant libraries, archives, and historical societies. Free finding aids are available to help us find these manuscripts. These collections may yield some decades old humorous or poignant tales about the family in addition to family details.

FRIDAY EVENING SESSION
Bits and Pieces: Merging Identity Fragments to Reconstruct Lives
J. H. Fonkert, CG

Ancestral migrations intrigue and bedevil us. As our ancestors lived across time and space, they left scattered identity fragments behind. Learn how to merge those fragments into lives lived, and avoid falling into the same name-different person trap. This GenThink lecture challenges genealogists to use inductive and deductive logic to match identities across time and space and move beyond genealogy to family history. You will meet Oliver Dresser who hailed from Maine and a few other favorite characters.

SESSION 5
Face in the Crowd: City Directories, Maps, and More to Track People in the City
Jessica Fontana

When we think of Upper Midwest family history, we tend to think of farms and small towns, but many of our Upper Midwest ancestors lived in cities—both large and small. This session will survey records and other sources for tracking urban ancestors. We will go beyond censuses to city directories, deeds, newspapers, and maps that can be used to illuminate your ancestors and their neighborhood FAN clubs. We will explore how address correlation and map/plot analysis can help you get better acquainted with your ancestor’s neighborhood—even in places or neighborhoods that no longer exist. We will consider neighborhood assessment, church and social affiliations in neighborhoods, occupations and work life, and disasters and other events. This class will include examples from St. Paul, Minnesota; Atlanta, Georgia; Ithaca, New York; and Massillon, Ohio; however, the techniques and sources discussed can apply to any American city.

SESSION 6
Upper Midwest Military Records
Paula Stuart-Warren, CG, FMGS, FUGA

Mention military records and most genealogists think only of military service and pension records held by the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration or those that are online. Other records are frequently overlooked for those who served from one of our states or who moved to them afterward! Wars including the Civil War, Spanish American War, both World Wars, other wars, and into the 20 th century are found in state archives, historical societies, and other repositories. Records of burials, bonuses, service questionnaires, relief payments, survivor benefits, GAR posts, county military recognitions, and many others with personal details including birth dates and places. Published information, photographs, digitized material, and original records will be covered with examples of the records, finding aids, and what might be obtained from various free and subscription genealogy and historical websites.

SESSION 7
Upper Midwest Ethnic Research: Paper Trails and Community Tales
Mica Anders

Many urban neighborhoods and small towns in the Upper Midwest have distinct ethnic identities, reflected in the historical records they left behind. This session will explore practical methods for finding and interpreting community-level sources, such as ethnic newspapers, church records, fraternal organization archives, and cultural society collections. You will learn about specific search strategies and underutilized records for diverse Upper Midwest ethnic heritages. Research examples will demonstrate how these often-overlooked sources can reveal rich details about your ancestors' daily lives, social connections, and cultural practices. While Indigenous communities have long histories in this region, this session will focus on sources related to later ethnic migrations and settlements.

SESSION 8
Where They Once Stood: Finding Your Immigrant Ancestor’s Place of Origin
Elizabeth Gomoll, CG

Family history researchers often know only the country from which their ancestor emigrated. This presentation offers examples of American records that can answer the question, "But, exactly where were they from?" Finding an ancestor's specific place of origin in the old country can open doors to foreign records that can grow one's family tree back for generations. The syllabus for this class lists sources and websites that can help with your search for that important ancestral location. You may even be able to stand where they once stood.

CLOSING
Summing Up, Looking Forward, and Farewell
J. H. Fonkert, CG

A quick review, some thoughts about evidence and proof, and a grateful good-bye.