Our Meetings

W.I.S.E. traditionally meets at 1:30 p.m., on fourth Saturdays during the months of September, October, January, February, March, April, and May.  Plus, the first Saturday in December. An outing usually is scheduled for the fourth Saturday in June. We do not meet in July and August.

Our meeting are usually held in the seventh floor training room at the Central Denver Public Library (CDPL), 10 W. Fourteenth Ave. Pkwy., Denver, CO 80204

See our meeting schedule on our "Meetings" page for meeting times and details of our upcoming presentations. Meetings are always open to visitors, so please come and visit with us.

W.I.S.E. postal Mailing Address:

Photos from Free Pictures of England, a delightful resource with thousands of free U.K. photos. Top of page: Arbeia Roman Fort,Tyne & Wear by Harry Dunn; above: Branscombe Parish Church, Devon by Hilary Hoad.

Welcome . . .

W.I.S.E. Family History Society (W.I.S.E.)
Wales - Ireland - Scotland - England

If you or any of your ancestors came from the British Isles or Ireland, you'll find many others with the same background among our membership. We love the genealogy as well as the culture of those four small but significant countries that have made a mighty contribution to America.

Our Society

W.I.S.E. was established in 1983 to motivate and assist family history researchers with ancestors who came from the British Isles or Ireland, and to illuminate their culture and history.

W.I.S.E. is a not-for-profit society. Its members are interested in genealogy and family history and benefit from a social environment that encourages an atmosphere of shared knowledge.  Among its scheduled activities, it sponsors research seminars and trips, culturally based social events and outings, as well as providing volunteers to support activities at annual festivals.

Our membership includes many knowledgeable people who are enthusiastic about British and Irish research and history. They are willing to offer guidance to others in their pursuit of locating ancestors. We maintain a Members Interest database, where members can connect with others working on the same surnames. You might meet a cousin, or other relative.

W.I.S.E. does not maintain a store to sell merchandise, nor does it have office space.  And, it does not offer professional genealogy lookup or research services.

W.I.S.E. officers and board members are all volunteers, whose compensation and motivation is derived from the knowledge that their efforts are contributing to the preservation of our family histories and heritage.

The Denver Public Library (DPL) Western History and Genealogy Department has supported W.I.S.E. since our founding. DPL provides our meeting space, specialized research materials and some professional research guidance. In turn, W.I.S.E. maintains a DPL resource fund to purchase books and periodicals for the library's genealogical collection.

Our heritage and identity

Author: Allan Turner (Posted: 01/22/11)

A person's family, both past and present, provides the foundation on which that person's identity is built. Without that foundation, it's conceivable that a person's entire identity will never be truly revealed. In a modern family, one's identity is defined more by individual achievement, than by the genetic and societal influence of their ancestors.

In the 19th century family history research, of which genealogy is a component, was almost exclusively of interest to persons who had obtained their wealth or high social status by inheritance. Whereas, the less fortunate were more likely to suppress their family history as a result of embarrassment or shame.

Modern families, through changes in social values and beliefs, and economic necessity, bear little resemblance to families in the early to mid-19th century. No longer, do we maintain the strong family ties of old. No longer, do we enter every birth, marriage or death in the family Bible.  We are so busy being consumed by the pace of our daily lives that we rarely take a moment to look into the shadows of our past. Take the time to ask yourself,  “Who are those people in the faded brown photographs in that dusty old box in the attic, and how are they related to me?”

This is your opportunity to take a step towards capturing your family history before it fades into oblivion. You're invited to join us at one of our scheduled meetings or activities, to see what we have to offer as a family research society.  Together, we can help you discover your heritage and to recognize the contribution your ancestors made towards your identity and to the identity of our nation as a whole.

Flags of the British Isles and Ireland