Manitowoc County Genealogical Society

04/24/2026

04/24/2026

Booyah sale Sunday, April 26th, to support the Preservation of St. Mary's.
10 am - 2 pm
615 Menasha St., Reedsville

04/24/2026

Merging on FamilySearch can be one of the most frustrating parts of working in a shared tree.

And recently… it changed.

At first, it can feel like the process just got more complicated. But after working through it, I’m starting to see what FamilySearch is trying to do.

Instead of letting us click merge and clean things up later, the new process asks us to slow down, compare profiles more carefully, and then review what actually changed.

In this video, I walk through several real examples:

one that clearly should not be merged
one that’s straightforward
and one that looks wrong… until you dig deeper

If merging has ever made you hesitate (or clean up someone else’s work), this might help you think through it a little more clearly.

https://youtu.be/HMoPsznHP1g

04/21/2026

In Shoto, the plows are clearing the frozen flood waters off the roads after that hard freeze last night...... Wait, this is 1965, see the video link in the comment below.

04/12/2026

Reminder that full-text search at FamilySearch turns up more when you are at an Affiliate Library or a FamilySearch Center. In prepping for "Genealogy Quick Start" I had to find some images really quickly and full-text was the way to go.

But I ran across something I had not seen before--because I had never performed the search at an Affiliate Library or a FamilySearch center. One always has to remember that.

--Michael

04/12/2026

Unlock new discoveries with Full-Text Search ⤵️
https://www.familysearch.org/en/search/full-text/?cid=SO-00059489
FamilySearch Full-Text Search is a tool that lets you search almost 2 billion historical records that haven't been indexed yet. It uses AI to read and interpret text directly from document images. The list of record collections available in Full-Text Search is extensive—and growing. These collections include nearly every type of historical record imaginable, from church registers and court documents to military files, newspapers, personal letters, land deeds, and more.

04/12/2026

On 18 April, we’re opening the vault.

For the first time ever, the 1926 Census will be available online, for free, to everyone. This isn't just a list of names - it’s a digital time machine containing 2.9 million individual stories.

We found many surprises, including notes from the 2,000 Gardaí who collected the forms reveal the real, messy, and fascinating social lives of our ancestors.

A century later, these 700,000 pages are almost ready for you to explore!

18 April is quickly approaching - who will you find? 🔍

04/08/2026

Learn about FamilySearch's Full Text Search...