Exciting events are coming up at TSGS! Find more details below.
Travel Your Tree: Walking in Your Ancestor’s Footsteps
Date: April 8, 2025
Time: 6:00 p.m. (Central)
Location: Willard Library & Zoom
About the Program: Explore the world of family history travel beyond the confines of television shows like Finding Your Roots. Discover how you can personally trace your ancestors’ paths, whether it’s visiting battlefields where your forebears fought, exploring ancestral villages, or connecting with distant relatives. Join us to uncover expert tips for planning your journey and forging meaningful connections along the way.
Presenter:
Lisa Vogele is a professional genealogist and Certified Travel Associate (CTA). She is the Chief Tree Climber at Travel Your Tree: Where Ancestry Meets Adventure, a European family history research, travel planning, custom tour & genealogy research tour operator specializing in Italy & Ireland. Lisa is passionate about traveling in the footsteps of your ancestors to make or re-establish connections of personal, historical significance. In Spring 2026 she is leading a Genealogy Research Tour to Dublin, Ireland
In 2016, Lisa authored Food & Folklore: A Year of Italian Festivals, a guidebook to assist travelers with incorporating heritage festivals into their itineraries, get off the beaten path, and experience local culture through food and historic events. She is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG), earned a Certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University in 2019 and a Certified Travel Associate (CTA) credential. Her travel tips have been featured in the Huffington Post, 1000TravelTips.com, and Dream of Italy. She holds a Master’s degree from Clemson University, was raised in Connecticut, and resides in Colorado.
Follow Lisa’s travels and discoveries: @travelyourtree on Instagram and Facebook
A Deed in the Hands is Worth Two in the Books
Date: May 13, 2025
Time: 6:00 p.m. (Central)
Location: Willard Library & Zoom
About the Program: Land records can be genealogical goldmines, even if your ancestor wasn’t the deed holder. We start with an overview of how land transferred from the government to private hands and between individuals. Then consider the power of land records to answer genealogical questions, and look at tips for finding and using these records. Includes a live look at Full-Text Search.
Presenter:
Sara is a full-time professional genealogist with thirty years of research experience. Her research has taken her to nearly every state in the USA and Ireland. She especially enjoys breaking down brick walls, discovering the stories of black sheep ancestors, and helping individuals preserve their photographic legacy.
Sara holds a Boston University Genealogical Research Certificate, a Bachelor’s Degree in Library Science, and is an alum of the ProGen Study Group. She is a member of DAR and other lineage societies, the Association of Professional Genealogists, and the Genealogical Speakers Guild.
You can find her online at TheSkeletonWhisperer.com.
Get the Picture
Date: June 10, 2025
Time: 6:00 p.m. (Central)
Location: Willard Library & Zoom
About the Program: Tips and tricks for organizing, digitizing, and storing your photo memories from the Emerson History & Genealogy Center’s Digital Collections Librarian.
Presenter: Lauren Rhodes