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Our Activities

W.I.S.E. members participate in activities beyond our regular meetings. We organize events, make presentations to other family history and genealogy groups and make ourselves available to the Colorado genealogy community. We are a totally independent group, but a member of the Colorado Council of Genealogical Societies.

W.I.S.E. Annual Field Trip - National Archives & Records Administration

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Join W.I.S.E. June tour of the new National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) site in Broomfield on Wednesday, June 26, 2013. Meet us at NARA a little before 10:30 for a tour by Eileen Bolger. If you need a ride, be sure to let Sandy know when you reserve your spot and she will try to coordinate this among those who register. She will drive a carload that leaves from the Denver Public Library downtown at 9:30 (south side on 13th).

After the tour, we will eat lunch at a nearby restaurant; those who wish may return to the archives after lunch to pursue personal research on the NARA computers which have Ancestry and Fold3 subscriptions.

Please reserve your spot by emailing Sandy Carter-Duff. If your plans change, please cancel so a wait list can fill the spot. The group size will be limited to the first twenty.

WISE Annual Annual Field Trip - Information Flyer

Salt Lake City Research Trip - 2013

The 2013 annual group research trip to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, was held during the week of April 14 - 20, 2013.

WISE Annual Research Trip - Registration Form

Colorado Irish Festival

We volunteer each Summer at the Colorado Irish Festival and at the Colorado Scottish Festival, offering information about British Isles family history and genealogy. Volunteers are at the heart of these festivals.

Last year, the Colorado Irish Festival was held at Clement Park in Littleton, on July 13-15, 2012. The following photographs from the festival are provided courtesy of Sandy Ronayne.

Holiday Social

We combine our November and December program meetings on the first Saturday in December for a social gathering featuring food and drink from the lands of our ancestors.

Our Holiday Social last year was being held on Saturday, December 1, 2012. It included a presentation by Sandy and Duane Duff,  titled "Further Adventures of the Duffs in the British Isles." They spent two summer months last year traveling and researching in the British Isles. The meeting included a holiday celebration with festive desserts.  (Modified: 01/27/2013)

Colorado Council of Genealogical Societies

W.I.S.E. is a member of the Colorado Council of Genealogical Societies (CCGS). CCGS has a current project to index the 1885 Colorado State Census. This is a useful activity, especially because the 1890 U.S. Census was destroyed in a fire; state censuses, like ours, help to fill in the gap. There is a competition among the societies, with prizes going to the top indexers.

Also, the CCGS has joined the 1940 U.S. Federal Census Project to help index the 1940 U.S. Federal Census to make it fully searchable on-line. This project began on April 2, 2012.

Past Activities

2012 CGS-CIG Genealogical Seminar

Saturday, May 26, 2012

This seminar, which featured Dick Eastman the author of "Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter," was sponsored by the Colorado Genealogical Society's Computer Interest Group and the Denver Public Library. The seminar was held at the Denver Public Library in the Lower Level Conference Center, 13th and Broadway in Denver. Check-in began at 9 a.m. and the program started at 9:30 a.m.

Irish Research

Four Successive Wednesdays, February 8 - 29, 2012

Participants viewed on-line videos of courses on researching families in Ireland, narrated by Evva Benson Housley of the Family History Library. Each presentation was followed with a discussion of the topic facilitated by experienced W.I.S.E. researchers. A materials fee of $5 per class covered the cost of photocopying handouts. Each class will built on information presented in previous classes, and attendance at all four was encouraged. The schedule:

• Immigration, part 1: Strategies and Pre- and Post-Famine sources
• Immigration, part 2: Ulster and Scots-Irish sources
• Church records
• Civil registration

These classes were for advanced beginning and intermediate researchers. Participants were required to possess basic genealogical research skills, including knowing how to fill out charts and search the Internet, as well as rudimentary knowledge of Irish history. It was recommended that each participant bring a copy of Tracing Your Irish Ancestors, Third Edition, by John Grenham.

Salt Lake City Research Trip

The 2012 annual group research trip to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, was scheduled the week of April 15 - 22, 2012. This group research trip offered our members one of the best opportunities all year to access genealogical resources that could help them solve some of those nagging family history questions.

Photos from 2012 W.I.S.E. Research Trip - Salt Lake City
Zoe Lappin presenting Barbara Baker, our 2012 seminar speaker, with a WISE book bag and pin.	Dorothy Coltrin and Pat Jakel enjoying dinner at Lamb's Grill.	Sylvia Tracy-Doolos and Lura Williams at Lamb's Grill dinner.
Left to right, Sandy Carter-Duff, Dorothy Coltrin, Margaret Kadziel and Lori Ende at breakfast at the Carlton Hotel.	Karen Zink, Sylvia Tracy-Doolos, and Duane Duff at breakfast.	Breakfast at Carlton Hotel, from left, Sandy Carter-Duff, Dorothy Coltrin, Margaret Kadziel, and Lori Ende.
Karen Zink and and Sylvia Tracy-Doolos strolling on Temple Square during their lunch break.	Arbor at Red Butte Gardens, a lovely spot to spend a few hours in Salt Lake City.	Tulips galore decorated Temple Square and the grounds of the Family History Library.
	Karen Zink photographs flowers  in Temple Square.

Summer Social Outing - Colorado History Museum Field Trip

Saturday, June 23, 2012, 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

W.I.S.E. members took a field trip for a tour of the new History Colorado Center on June 23, 2012, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. After the tour members ate lunch together at a nearby restaurant.  After lunch those that wished to, returned to the museum.

Guide Dani Newsome answers Dan Parker's questions.		Dan Parker doffs his hat as his grandson, Brennan Bull, drives and Duane Duff goes along for the ride.
Lura Williams, left, and Dorothy Coltrin explore the new museum.		Tina Taylor-Francis and Roger Francis check out the country store.

2012 W.I.S.E. Annual Seminar

Saturday, November 10, 2012, 9:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.

This years W.I.S.E. Annual Seminar, was an "English Research Seminar" featuring David McDonald, CG. David is a director of the International Society for British Genealogy and Family History and is a trustee for the Board for Certification of Genealogists. He was awarded the Birdie Monk Holsclaw Memorial Lecture at the National Genealogy Society 2012 Conference. Board-certified since 2004, Dave lectures regionally, nationally, and internationally on church records, migration patterns, and records of fraternal and community organizations. Additionally, he teaches genealogy at various colleges and universities.

• American Colonial Research
• English Church Records After 1538
• English Probate, pre- and -post 1858
• Civil Registration

David has been gracious enough to give his permission for us to post his seminar handout materials on our website. They will be available only through the end of November 2012. The materials are posted in PDF format below:
(Modified: 12/02/2012)

Friday, November 9, 2012 - Dinner with David McDonald
Dr. David McDonald visiting with Fran and Dan Parker	Barbara Pierce, Zoe Lappin and Sandy Ronayne	Sandy Ronayne and David McDonald
Zoe Lappin, Sue Clase and Barbara Pricen	From left, Margaret Kadziel and Sharon Mahler	From left, Fran Parker, JoAnn DeFilippo and Dan Parker
Saturday, November 10, 2012 - English Research Seminar
From left, Sandy Carter-Duff, David Coward, Diane Barbour, Sharon Mahler and  Lura Williams at the sign-in desk	Seminar Registration Desk, Dan Parker, left, Fran Parker and Sandy Ronayne at the sign	Zoe Lappin and Dr. David McDonald
W.I.S.E. Family History Society Display Board	Attendees arrive and pick up their seminar packets	Attendees arrive and pick up their seminar packets
Kirk Patton and Cari Taplin, right, wait to sign in	Sandy and Duane Duff	Certified Genealogists Arliss Shaffer Monk and Dr. David McDonald
Dr. David McDonald chats with geneologists including Carole Guentert, left
From left, Bill Hughes, David Coward, and Sandy Carter -Duff visit with Dr. David McDonald		Nicole Wing, a new member of W.I.S.E., visits with Ben Finch