Ways to engage family members in family history
UMRA's Family History Interest Group (FHIG) met via Zoom for two presentations on ways to engage family members in family history.
Ways to engage family members in family history
Wed, Feb 15, 2023, 10am
UMRA's Family History Interest Group (FHIG) will meet via Zoom from 10 to 11 a.m. on Wednesday, February 15, for two presentations on ways to engage family members in family history.
Donna Weispfenning is currently working on a graphic memoir inspired by a visit to her grandmother in 1976. Donna will show us an eight-page draft of how she is transforming images from black and white photographs into drawings, paintings, and woodcuts to recapture the spirit of her time with the then-82-year-old family matriarch.
Jan Morlock and her brother, Jerry Morlock, will describe their efforts preparing for a major family reunion. Here is Jan's short take on the experience:
"It’s one thing to enjoy the solitary hours of research into your family’s history, but another thing when you need to find a way to share that enthusiasm with 100 members of your far-extended family—most of whom aren’t interested in the humdrum details of family records, or maybe not even in how they are related to each other and YOU! That was the challenge in front of us when Jerry and I, along with two cousins, found ourselves named as the History Committee in preparation for the 100-year family reunion of my mother’s family. At the February FHIG meeting, Jerry and I will show some of the things we cooked up to engage our diverse and distant relatives in learning about how we all are connected to each other."
A Zoom link will be sent to all UMRA members about two weeks in advance of the February 15 meeting. Please contact Lynn C. Anderson or Craig Swan if you have questions. We hope you can join us!
Upcoming Events
Many life challenges that get in the way of quality of life and good health at home have little to do with medical issues. Cathy Lauring, our presenter for UMRA’s February 18 workshop, will explore a variety of resources to assist in keeping us healthy at home—including physical, emotional, cognitive, and financial services.
John Bantle will lead the discussion of A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson when the UMRA book club meets via Zoom on February 21.
Join UMRA members to watch two of the best hockey teams in the nation. UMRA has negotiated a discounted ticket price of $33.
Barbara Klick, RN, MBA, the presenter for UMRA’s February 25 Forum, has decades of experience working in human and veterinary medicine, and will bring her wisdom and perspective to our discussion about what we can learn from our pets about facing end-of-life challenges and decisions.
The Fourth Friday Book Club will meet via Zoom on February 28 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. CST to discuss The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain.
Join members of the UMRA Hiking Club for a hike on March 3 at the Holland Lake Trailhead in Lebanon Hills Regional Park in Eagan. It is the largest park in the Dakota County park system. Our route will take us on an unpaved trail with some roots, rocks, and easy hills. It will be about 5 miles for 2 to 2.5 hours. We will meet for an optional lunch afterwards somewhere nearby (TBD).
You are invited to the March 5 meeting via Zoom of the Family History Interest Group (FHIG) for presentations by Will Craig and Laura Erickson on researching family history using local and virtual resources.
The THEME is Insects
The UMRA Photo Club will meet at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, in the meeting room of the Hennepin County St. Anthony Branch Library, in the small shopping center at New Brighton and St. Anthony Boulevards.
For those interested in lunch, meet at the Great Dragon at 11:30 a.m.
The UMRA Hiking Club will explore wildlife along the Mississippi River in Fort Snelling State Park. The 3.9-mile Pike Island Loop is generally considered an easy route and takes just over an hour. Hikers can leave at that point, or stay to add another short loop. The trail is located below the bluff on which the historic fort sits. The last time we were there we saw a lot of deer, and the river always provides fascinating views.
The UMRA Photo Club will meet at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, in the meeting room of the Hennepin County St. Anthony Branch Library, in the small shopping center at New Brighton and St. Anthony Boulevards.
For those interested in lunch, meet at the Great Dragon at 11:30 a.m.
Theme to be announced.
The University of Minnesota Archives, with its major holdings largely tucked away in two huge underground caverns along the Mississippi River under the West Bank campus, holds the essential records of our University of Minnesota’s past. University Archivist Erik Moore will interpret the holdings and bring out a sampling of what it holds. We will also get a tour of the caverns (Minnesota Library Access Center), revealing where these precious materials are housed, including the original tapes of KUOM, now Radio K.
You are cordially invited to see Rick Huebsch, Associate VP for Research, Technology Commercialization at UMN, who will discuss UMN Technology Commercialization. Tech Comm facilitates the transfer of UMN innovation beyond the research lab, to benefit the public good, foster economic growth, and generate revenue to support the University's mission.
Do you have a box or several albums of old family pictures that you are not quite sure what to do with? Or perhaps you just want to find out more about your ancestors and are not sure where or how to begin. This meeting of the Family history group will be an open discussion.