Rock Co., WI Genealogical Society: Home Page

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Society Meetings:
The Rock County Genealogical Society meets monthly on the third Tuesday of the month, September through May at 6:30 PM. The December meeting, if any, is a holiday social event and there are frequent summer field trips and hands-on training, so check the RCGS newsletter, our web page, and local newspapers for details. Most meetings are held at St. Mark Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall, 2921 Mount Zion Avenue, in Janesville, WI and are open to the public. RCGS Board of Trustees meets at 5 P.M. on the same dates and at the same location. Board meetings are open to the membership three times yearly at the April, October and November meetings.

Society Contact Information, Location and Library Hours:

Volunteers Needed ! We need your help to staff hours at the library. If you can spare a couple hours per week as a volunteer helper at the RCGS library, the Society welcomes your help. No special training is required. Click here for Volunteer Information.

MAILING ADDRESS: Rock County Genealogical Society, P. O. Box 711, Janesville, WI 53547-0711

LOCATION: The RCGS library and office are located at 933 Mineral Point Ave. (the corner of N. Jackson St. and Mineral Point Ave.) in the Wilson King Stone House building adjacent to the Tallman House Restoration in Janesville, Wisconsin.

HOURS: The RCGS library and RCHS archive are open to the public from 9:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. Wednesdays & Thursdays and Noon to 3 P.M. Fridays. Contact us by phone to confirm we will be open on a particular day or to request special accommodation.

EMAIL: The RCGS webmaster can forward your email questions or requests to the Society Librarian, our staff of researchers, the Society newsletter editor or others.

PHONE NUMBERS: RCHS Office: 608-756-4509 or the RCGS library at 608-752-5891.

Society Newsletter:
RCGS members receive the Society Newsletter quarterly. The newsletter provides timely tips and research suggestions to aid you in your genealogical research. We also publish the latest news and events in Rock County and the Midwest. Members may submit queries about their Rock County ancestors at no charge.

Society Membership:
Joining the Rock County Genealogical Society provides you with an opportunity to connect with others dedicated to collecting and preserving genealogical and local historical materials. Current projects include copying and indexing of Rock County public documents including area cemeteries and newspapers. To join the RCGS call 608-752-5891, or view a Printable Membership Application form or write the Society at the address at the top of this page.

RCGS MEMBERSHIP FEES:

Individual Membership: $10
Family Membership (same address): $12

RCGS MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS:

Priority Response to Research Requests of the RCGS Library and RCHS Archive,
10% discounts on purchases of RCGS publications and Indexes,
Waiver of the $10 per day admission & research fee when visiting the RCGS Library and RCHS Archives,
50% discount on photocopies of Library/Archives materials,
Members-Only Look-up Service from among Rock County Genealogical Reference Books,
Four Quarterly Issues of the RCGS Newsletter in which You may Post Your Research Queries,
Post Your Ancestors' Names, Locations, Dates Online plus Your Contact Info to the RCGS Ancestral Surname Index,
An Annual "Genealogy Jump-Start": A free once a year search of occurrences of a single Rock Co. surname in the Library & Archives.

Search this RCGS Site:
use the dialog box below to search all RCGS pages simultaneously:
This is a quick way to find your surnames among all the online RCGS indexes.

REMEMBER: Our ancestors (and county clerks) were devilishly creative when writing surnames.
1. Try all surname variations; example: Smith, Smyth and Smythe.
2. Use the Wildcard (*) feature: Search Davi* to find all names that begin with Davi- including Davies, Davidson, Davis.
3. Use the Wildcard (?) feature: Each ? represents a missing letter; Search Pa??er to find Palmer, Packer, Parker.
4. Use Phrase Search (" ") to find the exact phrase "Rock Township" but exclude Rock River and Rock County.
5. More search tips are available at Search Tips.

If you get "no hits" using this method, you can still view each alphabetized index individually below in order to scan for even more creative spelling variations.

Smart Search the Web for Ancestors:
use the link below to create a menu of smart searches of the World Wide Web:
This is an easy way to research specific ancestors. Enter a little family information and receive a list of focused Google searches that are both wickedly intelligent and conveniently pre-formatted.

Smart Search Link

Sample Rock County Indexes
review surnames before buying full versions:
Tens of thousands of unique surnames from various RCGS publications have been abstracted and uploaded so that you can search for your surnames and see where and how often they appear in the full-text RCGS indexes. These surname-only, limited-version indexes let you "try before you buy" a full-text published index. Full versions RCGS Publications contain surnames, given names, ages, dates, locations, or other information.

Buy any RCGS Full-version Index at: RCGS publications list.
Search All On-line RCGS Indexes Simultaneously at: Search On-line
View our individual Online RCGS Indexes:

Janesville Gazette (Rock Co., WI) Death Index 1845-1889. Index of Surnames & their Frequency
Janesville Gazette (Rock Co., WI) Marriage Index 1845-1862. Index of Surnames & their Frequency
Janesville Gazette (Rock Co., WI) Marriage Index 1863-1876. Index of Surnames & their Frequency
Janesville Gazette (Rock Co., WI) Marriage Index 1877-1885. Index of Surnames & their Frequency

Free Online RCGS Indexes:
These full text, free online indexes are available to view, or search from the FreeFind search engine, above:

NEW! Ancient History of Clinton Surname Index from book, Ancient History of Clinton, Wisconsin, 1898.
NEW! Rock County, Wisconsin Pioneers The Earliest Families through 1870.
NEW! 1858 Rock Co., WI Plat Map Twp. Maps, Land Owner Detail & Lithographs of Homes & Businesses
NEW! 1858 Janesville, WI Business Directory Name & Occupation Index linked to a directory Image
NEW! 1858 Beloit, WI Business Directory Name & Occupation Index linked to a directory image
NEW! 1922 Rock County Plat Map Full Name & Acreage Index & High Resolution Township Map Images
Wilbur Austin Photo Index (Janesville: 1960s-1990s). Index of Negatives Available to Family.
Ancestral Surname Index of the RCGS Membership. Surname, Location & Contact Info.
Roster of Largest Rock Co., WI Farms, 1855. Full Name, Acreage & Twp.
Rock Co. Poorhouse & Asylum Deaths, 1908-1923 Full name, Age, Cause, Dept. & Date.
Rock County Township Guides. Maps, research resources, early settlers and more (many towns completed).
Index to Delayed WI Birth Registrations. Pre-1907 births registered later for Soc. Sec. benefits (WSGS Index)
1853 Wisconsin Gazetteer. This is a searchable full-text historical book (MOA Books)
Earliest Rock Co., WI Vital Records. This is a table indicating which surnames appear in early Rock records.

Society Meeting Dates and Speaker Information

May, 2008 Program

Tuesday, May 20, 2008, 6:30 p.m.

Program Title: Memories of Family, Friends, and Food

Location: Meet at St. Mark Lutheran Church, 2921 Mt. Zion Ave., Janesville.

Cost and Invitation: Free and Open to the Public.

Program Presenter(s): Jan Bosman earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin, Madison; and a Master of Science in Teaching from the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater. She was a public school teacher for 32 years. In November of 2005, Jan self-published a scrapbook, Memories of Family, Friends, and Food, where old recipes can be saved and then their stories told. Since then she has been marketing her book throughout Illinois and Wisconsin.

Program Summary: Jan Bosman, will take members of the Rock County Genealogical Society on a walk down memory lane. Through examples and sharing, participants will discover their unique family food histories, including cultures, traditions, rituals and recipes, as well as the people who shared the journey with them. The program will touch upon what old recipes tell us about history in general and each family in particular. Participants will be encouraged to begin recording their special memories so that they are not lost.

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