Family History

The Search for Anna Christina Modig

Family history with Craig Moody.  A tale with many dead ends.

Which way to go?

Family history with Michelle Casey.

What did grandfather find in America?

Family history with Jim Kurle.  A tale of Swedish emigration to Dunn County, North Dakota, including my grandfather whose unusual relationship to several churches and religion in general was one of the reasons for his emigrating.

Marilyn Erickson

Marilyn Erickson has an interesting set of three family history stories that she wrote “to check out the verbal family stories and connect them to documentation and photos.”

James Tracy

Drawing on his training as a historian, his patience and more than a little serendipity, Jim Tracy put together an account of his family history.  “This account is for our family, if not now, perhaps later, I hope it may also be of interest for others looking into the history of their families.” 

Craig Swan

Then there are the unexpected things that happen…

… like a box of family history from a cousin that was completely unexpected.  Perhaps it is like an unexpected DNA match.

The bigamist and the optimist

Event Date: November 12, 2025, at 10:00 AM

After my grandmother gave birth to her ninth child, my grandfather ran off with another woman. They were caught living together in a small town 250 miles away. This presentation will describe the three main characters and what happened next.

Who Are These people?

Event Date: September 3, 2025, at 10:00 AM

Watch the video below to hear how Ilene Alexander, while searching for information about her ancestors, became part of a “Not Parent Expected” category of people whose DNA test brought unexpected discoveries.

Open discussion and planning for next year

UMRA’s Family History Interest Group will meet via Zoom on Wednesday, May 7, for an open discussion of ideas, insights, questions, and issues related to family history, and to discuss topics for next year’s meetings.

Finding Almira Fifield (1833-1863) of Valparaiso, Indiana

Event Date: April 2, 2025, at 10:00 AM

Barbara Brandt discovered her ancestor, Dr. Almira Fifield, “the Lost Heroine of Porter County,” buried in an unmarked grave in Indiana. Learn how she unlocked Almira’s story.

Dale Lange

I have developed a special interest in my seventh great grandfather, Michael Pierce… Putting together the pieces of Michael’s life has been an interesting journey, even if at times complicated and confusing. I have learned to evaluate sources that tell different stories and cannot agree on what one might think are basic facts like when and where someone was born. I have learned to accept and live with these and other ambiguities.

Researching family history using local and virtual resources

Event Date: March 5, 2025, at 10:00 AM

Will Craig and Laura Ericksen discuss how they research family history using local and virtual resources.

Out of the basement and into the museum

Event Date: January 8, 2025, at 10:00 AM

See the Family History presentations on sharing belongings that have historic value outside the family!

An African American family history

Event Date: November 6, 2024, at 10:00 AM

Earl and Rebecca Scott draw from their book Forging a Path to Wellbeing: The Journey of an African American Family. The book starts with establishing their family ancestry. The challenges are quite different for families whose history involves de facto and later de jure segregation and where official records are often unavailable due to slavery and loss, e.g., fire. They go on to discuss their commitment to education and family wellbeing.

Open forum and planning meeting

You’re invited to join the final Family History Interest Group meeting for 2023–24. This will be an opportunity to ask questions related to family history, share insights, talk about recent projects, and suggest topics for next year.