The Madison County Genealogical Society plans to resume their monthly in-person meetings beginning on June 1, 2021. As before, meetings will be held the first Tuesday of each month at the Winterset Public Library meeting room. The start time has been changed to 6:30 pm. The Library recommends face-masks and there is plenty of room for social distancing.
We plan to have occasional programs but our first meeting will be a chance to catch up on what genealogical adventures we’ve all had over the last 13-months since we last met.
Please mark your calendar with our future dates: July 6 — August 3 — September 7.
The Madison County Genealogical Society will not be hosting their annual Genealogy Exhibit at the 2021 Madison County Fair this July.
Due to on-going considerations surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic, we feel this is best for those who enter exhibits, volunteer their time, and visit our displays. We will consider exhibiting at the 2022 County Fair at the first of the coming year.
To all who have worked, contributed, or enjoyed the display in the past,
we sincerely thank you.
For general information about the 2021 Madison County Fair, please visit: madisoncountyfair.net.
As this year draws to an end, we look back over cancelled meetings, no annual Christmas party (No snacks! No family stories!), and concerns for health and safety. Maybe you weren’t able to visit your usual genealogical haunts such as libraries and county offices.
Or, perhaps , on the other hand, it was a year when you had the time to dig into your ancestry, started some long hoped-for projects, found new resources on the Internet, or discovered new ways to connect with resources via Zoom.
In our December annual Christmas party, we usually elect officers for the coming year. Sinceno December meeting was held, the current officers are planning to serve in 2021 also. We feel this is a safe decision, as finding officers has been difficult for several years now. (We also have two Director positions open, if anyone is interested. The main duty is organizing the Madison County Fair exhibit, entries, and judging in July.)
Behind the scenes, the work of the Society continues with constant contributions to IAGenWeb.com/madison. During the IAGenWeb volunteer staff’s rigorous fall review, the site passed with compliments for its ease of use and the amount of data made available. Censuses are being reformatted by Kent Transier to be more readable. Pat Hochstetler, Shirley Keating, and other volunteers enter 15-25 current and old obituaries each week that Kent and Linda Smith add to the our website. And members can expect the first quarter newsletter in early February.
The MCGS newsletter for 4Q 2020 will soon be in the mail box or In Box of members. Look forward to information on Mayflower participants, where to find vital records in our vicinity, Madison County pioneer cemeteries, and more. Only current members receive our newsletter as they are published. Others may view past newsletters, using the Newsletter Archive link to the right.
The Madison County Genealogical Society has made the difficult decision to hold no meetings for the rest of 2020. Due to Covid-19, the group has been cancelling on a month-by-month basis, since our last meeting in March. Now that more information is available about what may be ahead in the fall and early winter, it seems wise to cancel the remaining 2020 meetings and re-evaluate 2021 meetings at the end of the year.
But the MCGS wants to remind those interested in their family history that Madison County genealogy information is available at your fingertips.
The Winterset and Earlham libraries are both open and have informative genealogy sections of family histories, cemetery information, and obituaries.
Madison County’s official birth, marriage, and death records, 30,000+ obituaries, and much more is available at www.IAGenWeb.org/madison.
Madison County gravestones can be viewed at www.iowagravestones.org – over 30,000 in our 60 cemeteries.
The Society’s quarterly newsletter is still being written and sent to members. Expect yours the first week of November.
On Facebook, visit Madison County IA Family History for your genealogy fix.
Please visit our CONTACT US tab if you have questions. Stay safe out there!
Same story, fifth month. Due to the caution around the spread of Covid-19, the Genealogical Society will hold no meeting this month. Though the Winterset Public Library is now open 17 hours each week, the meeting room is not being used and the Madison County Historical Complex is closed until further notice..
If you use Facebook, you can get your Madison County genealogy fix in the group Madison County IA Family History. And spend some time with http://www.IAGenWeb.org/madison/, too.
Please visit our CONTACT US tab if you have questions. Stay safe out there!
The Madison County Genealogical Society will not be hosting their annual Genealogy Exhibit at the 2020 Madison County Fair this July.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we feel this is best for the safety of those who enter exhibits, volunteer their time, and visit our displays. We plan to see you at the 2021 Fair.
For general information about the 2020 Madison County Fair, please visit: madisoncountyfair.net.
Same story, third month. Due to the caution around the spread of Covid-19, the Genealogical Society will hold no meeting in June. The Winterset Public Library is currently closed until further notice. Everyone please take the necessary precautions to stay well.
If you have questions, email us at madisoncountyiagenealogy@gmail.com.
Madison County Genealogical Society 